Older Weight Loss Surgery Offers Significant Results as GLP-1 Drugs Dominate Market
While newer weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro gain traction, traditional bariatric surgeries continue to provide substantial and cost-effective solutions for patients struggling with obesity.
Despite the widespread popularity of GLP-1 agonists like Mounjaro for weight loss, established bariatric surgical procedures remain a viable and effective option, with some patients finding greater success with these 'old-fashioned' methods.
Amanda Forster, who reported no weight loss after three months on Mounjaro, turned to gastric bypass surgery. She subsequently lost eight stone (approximately 112 pounds), dropping from 19 stone 4lb (270 pounds) to her current weight of 11 stone (154 pounds). Forster's experience highlights that GLP-1 drugs do not work for everyone and underscores the continued relevance of surgical interventions.
Forster's journey, which included hopes that the jabs would curb 'food noise'—a term often used to describe persistent thoughts about food—did not yield the desired results. She is pictured before her weight loss, having not lost a single pound on Mounjaro after three months.
Gastric bypass surgery, a procedure where the stomach is divided into a small pouch and the small intestine is rearranged to allow food to bypass a portion of it, has been a cornerstone of obesity treatment for decades. While newer medications have gained prominence, these surgical options can offer significant and lasting weight loss, often at a lower long-term cost compared to ongoing medication.
Professor Ahmed Ahmed noted a decline in bariatric operations performed on the NHS, with approximately 5,000 to 6,000 procedures annually compared to 8,000 in the 2018-2019 period.
The number of gastric sleeve operations, which involve removing about 80 percent of the stomach to create a sleeve-like shape, also saw a significant decrease. Between 2023 and 2025, these operations dropped by 67 percent.
This shift in practice suggests a potential underutilization of surgical weight loss methods, which offer a different, and for some, more effective, pathway to significant and sustainable weight management compared to newer pharmaceutical options.