Skip to main navigation Skip to main content Skip to footer For Medicare For Providers For Brokers For Employers Español For Individuals & Families: For Individuals & Families Medical Dental Other Supplemental Explore coverage through work How to Buy Health Insurance Types of Dental Insurance Open Enrollment vs. Special Enrollment See all topics Shop for Medicare plans Member Guide Find a Doctor Log in to myCigna
Home Knowledge Center Wellness Library Weight-Loss (Bariatric) Surgery

Weight-Loss (Bariatric) Surgery

Surgery Overview

Bariatric surgery is surgery to help you lose weight. This type of surgery is only used for people who are very overweight and have not been able to lose weight with diet and exercise.

This surgery makes the stomach smaller. Some types of surgery also change the connection between your stomach and intestines.

Having weight-loss surgery is a big step. After surgery, you'll need to make new, lifelong changes in how you eat and drink.

What are the types of weight-loss surgery?

Depending on whether your weight-loss surgery is to make your stomach smaller or to change the path of your intestine, your doctor will perform one of these procedures:

Adjustable gastric banding.

The doctor wraps a band around the upper part of the stomach to make the stomach smaller.

Gastric sleeve.

The doctor removes more than half of your stomach, leaving a thin vertical sleeve, or tube.

Gastric bypass.

The doctor uses a small part of your stomach to create a smaller stomach. This is connected to the middle part of the small intestine. Food skips (bypasses) the rest of the stomach and part of the small intestine. This surgery is called a Roux-en-Y (say "roo-en-why") gastric bypass.

What To Expect

What To Expect

You may stay in the hospital for one or more days after the surgery. How long you stay depends on the type of surgery you had.

Most people need 2 to 4 weeks before they are ready to get back to their usual routine.

Your doctor will give you specific instructions about what to eat after the surgery. You'll start with only small amounts of soft foods and liquids. Bit by bit, you will be able to eat more solid foods. Your doctor may advise you to work with a dietitian. This way you'll be sure to get enough protein, vitamins, and minerals while you are losing weight. Even with a healthy diet, you may need to take vitamin and mineral supplements.

After surgery, you will not be able to eat very much at one time. You will get full quickly. Try not to eat too much at one time or eat foods that are high in fat or sugar. If you do, you may vomit, get stomach pain, or have diarrhea.

Weight loss

You probably will lose weight very quickly in the first few months after surgery. As time goes on, your weight loss will slow down. You will have regular doctor visits to check how you are doing.

Emotions

It is common to have many emotions after this surgery. You may feel happy or excited as you begin to lose weight. But you may also feel overwhelmed or frustrated by the changes that you have to make in your diet, activity, and lifestyle. Talk with your doctor if you have concerns or questions.

Think of bariatric surgery as a tool to help you lose weight. It isn't an instant fix. You will still need to eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise. This will help you reach your weight goal and avoid regaining the weight you lose.

Why It Is Done

Why It Is Done

This type of surgery may be considered if your body mass index (BMI) is at least 40, or if it's at least 35 and you have other weight-related health problems. If your BMI is 35 or higher, surgery may be done if you have tried for at least 6 months to lose weight.

How Well It Works

How Well It Works

Depending on the type of surgery, most people lose at least a third of their extra weight after surgery. Some people lose almost all of their extra weight. Weight loss varies with the type of surgery. It also depends on how closely people follow their doctor's advice for lifestyle changes, checkups, and counseling.

Research shows that people who have gastric bypass surgery lose more total weight than those who have gastric sleeve or gastric banding surgery. But those who have gastric bypass surgery have more complications right after surgery.footnote 1

Risks

Risks

Here are some risks common to all surgeries for weight loss:

  • You could get an infection in the incision.
  • You could get a blood clot in your legs (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) or lung (pulmonary embolism).
  • You may not get enough of certain vitamins and minerals. This can lead to problems such as anemia and osteoporosis.
  • Some people get gallstones.
  • Some people get kidney stones.
  • You may gain the weight back a few years after surgery if you don't follow your eating and lifestyle plan.

Risks of each type of surgery

Talk to your doctor to understand all of your risks. Here are some of the most common or serious risks for each type of weight-loss surgery:

Adjustable gastric banding.

After this surgery, you are more likely to need another surgery to fix problems than you would after gastric bypass. For example, some people need a second surgery because they aren't happy with having the band. Or the band can slip. Or it can work its way from the outside of the stomach to the inside. This is called an erosion.

Gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgeries.

These can cause a leak from the stomach into the belly area. The leak can cause an infection called peritonitis.

Gastric bypass.

With this surgery, the connection between the stomach and the small intestine can get narrow. This can cause nausea and vomiting after you eat.

References

References

Citations

  1. Arterburn D, et al. (2018). Comparative effectiveness and safety of bariatric procedures for weight loss: A PCORnet cohort study. Annals of Internal Medicine. DOI: 10.7326/M17-2786. Accessed August 21, 2020.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.

© 1995-2023 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.

<cipublic-spinner variant="large"><span>Loading…</span></cipublic-spinner>

Page Footer

I want to...

Get an ID card File a claim View my claims and EOBs Check coverage under my plan See prescription drug list Find an in-network doctor, dentist, or facility Find a form Find 1095-B tax form information View the Cigna Glossary Contact Cigna

Audiences

Individuals and Families Medicare Employers Brokers Providers

Secure Member Sites

myCigna member portal Health Care Provider portal Cigna for Employers Client Resource Portal Cigna for Brokers

The Cigna Group Information

About Cigna Healthcare Company Profile Careers Newsroom Investors Suppliers The Cigna Group Third Party Administrators International Evernorth

 Cigna. All rights reserved.

Privacy Legal Product Disclosures Cigna Company Names Customer Rights Accessibility Non-Discrimination Notice Language Assistance [PDF] Report Fraud Sitemap Cookie Settings

Disclaimer

Individual and family medical and dental insurance plans are insured by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (CHLIC), Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Illinois, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Georgia, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of North Carolina, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of South Carolina, Inc., and Cigna HealthCare of Texas, Inc. Group health insurance and health benefit plans are insured or administered by CHLIC, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (CGLIC), or their affiliates (see a listing of the legal entities that insure or administer group HMO, dental HMO, and other products or services in your state). Accidental Injury, Critical Illness, and Hospital Care plans or insurance policies are distributed exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, are administered by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, and are insured by either (i) Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (Bloomfield, CT); (ii) Life Insurance Company of North America (“LINA”) (Philadelphia, PA); or (iii) New York Life Group Insurance Company of NY (“NYLGICNY”) (New York, NY), formerly known as Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. The Cigna name, logo, and other Cigna marks are owned by Cigna Intellectual Property, Inc. LINA and NYLGICNY are not affiliates of Cigna.

All insurance policies and group benefit plans contain exclusions and limitations. For availability, costs and complete details of coverage, contact a licensed agent or Cigna sales representative. This website is not intended for residents of New Mexico.

Selecting these links will take you away from Cigna.com to another website, which may be a non-Cigna website. Cigna may not control the content or links of non-Cigna websites. Details