- With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the nutrition and healthy eating guide, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.
A Marinette, Wis., native, Katherine is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in wellness nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and nutrition education related to weight management and practical applications of nutrition-related lifestyle changes.
Other areas of interest include food and nutrition for all life stages, active lifestyles and the culinary arts.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Gastric bypass surgery: What happens if I regain the weight?
What happens if you experience weight gain after gastric bypass surgery? Can the surgery be redone?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
If you regain the weight that you lost after gastric bypass surgery, another surgery may be an option. First, though, your doctor must determine why you regained the weight. You may have weight gain after gastric bypass surgery because of unexpected but natural changes in your stomach and intestine that allow you to eat more and absorb more calories. But it's also possible that your diet and exercise habits have slipped, in which case you must typically lose the regained weight the old-fashioned way — by reducing your calorie intake and increasing your physical activity.
A second surgery to repair — or redo — a gastric bypass has an increased risk of complications, including infection, bleeding and leaks in the gastrointestinal tract. Because of these risks, gastric bypass surgery usually isn't redone if you regain weight because of poor diet or exercise habits — and your health insurance probably won't cover it in this case, either.
Gastric bypass surgery can be an effective treatment for obesity, and most people do lose weight after the procedure. But you'll always be at risk of regaining weight you do lose, even years later. To help reach your weight-loss goal and prevent weight regain, it's crucial to make lifestyle changes along with having gastric bypass surgery.
If you begin to regain weight after gastric bypass surgery, talk to your doctor. You may need a thorough evaluation that includes medical, psychological and lifestyle factors that could contribute to weight gain.
- Jones D, et al. Complications of bariatric surgery. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 15, 2010.
- Mullady DK, et al. Treatment of weight regain after gastric bypass surgery when using a new endoscopic platform: Initial experience and early outcomes (with video). Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. 2009;70:440.
- Odom J, et al. Behavioral predictors of weight regain after bariatric surgery. Obesity Surgery. 2010;20:349.
- Kofman MD, et al. Maladaptive eating patterns, quality of life, and weight outcomes following gastric bypass: Results of an Internet survey. Obesity. 2010;18:1.
- Nelson JK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 21, 2010.
- Hensrud DD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 28, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on