A leading New Zealand weight loss clinic says people who undergo this type of surgery need to closely follow a post-operation dietary and exercise plan if they want the procedure to be successful.
Mark Grant, of Southern Weight Loss (SWL) clinic in Dunedin, says while most operations will produce a range of results in people, the key after surgery is to stick to plans put in place by surgeons and dieticians.
“Anything great comes with a cost,” he says. “If you buy a Ferrari it’s a great car, but it brings with it big servicing expenses to maintain performance. In a way weight loss surgery is the same; it takes being dedicated to a plan to maintain its benefits.”
As the number of Kiwis considered obese continues to rise, Grant says weight loss surgery gives people a chance to live healthier lifestyles and to prevent the complications caused by excess weight.
His views come as the level of obesity in New Zealand makes grim reading. A Ministry of Health survey in 2017 revealed 34 per cent of adults aged 15 and over are overweight while a further 34 per cent, or 1.2 million people, are obese, a figure up from 29 per cent in 2012.
The most recent data shows that in 2014 around 900 weight loss surgeries were carried out in New Zealand. In the US about 228,000 underwent the procedure in 2017 according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) while worldwide the number is about 580,000 annually.
Grant says most of the surgeries he performs are privately funded but, in some cases health insurance will cover up to a third of the cost which ranges between $20,000 to $24,000 (fees which cover hospital stay and up to two years of follow-up) depending on the option chosen.
But he says the procedures are not necessarily for everybody who is overweight. “To be eligible people need to be over 18, to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 to 34 if they have obesity-related health problems or a BMI of 35 and over with no obesity-related issues.
In general Grant says weight loss surgery is suitable for those who are morbidly obese and who have been unsuccessful in keeping weight off by other methods such as diet and exercise.
“They also should be referred by their GP who is aware of any existing medical conditions or previous surgeries,” he says. “This is important because there may be conditions that prohibit someone from undergoing weight loss surgery.
“I want all patients to be well-informed about the risks and benefits,” he says. “They need to understand these things before undertaking a surgery because they are the ones who will have to live with it.”
He says the procedures are covered in detail on the SWL web site and it has videos and booklets with information so that even before he holds an initial consultation with a patient they are well informed.
At this meeting Grant takes a patient through a 20-page questionnaire to establish whether there are any underlying medical conditions. The surgical options are discussed as are the risks and benefits.
“We then ask them to see a dietician, and clinical psychologist, who can identify any reasons why someone is over-eating and provide a pre-surgery meal plan. They will also put in place a meal plan for the six weeks following surgery and give them a daily protein target to eat following the operation.
“Our aim is to set them up for success,” he says. “It’s a bit like running a marathon, where a lot of the hard work is done before the event. But, in saying that, if a patient doesn’t follow the advice of a dietician or exercise then they might still not lose weight in the long-term.”
Grant says there are three surgical options – gastric bypass which not only reduces the amount someone eats it bypass the beginning of the bowel (which interferes with hormones controlling appetite), gastric sleeve surgery which reduces the volume of the stomach and mini gastric bypass in which the upper stomach is divided into a tube and joined to a loop of intestine.
Results vary, but following surgery Grant says SWL continues to follow-up with patients on a regular basis for two years.
Grant says obesity can cause many other issues like heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, conditions which many medical professionals are trying to manage individually with people.
For more information go to: southernweightloss.co.nz
This story was first published in September 2021, last updated in July 2023, and is being re-published as sponsored content.