Weight-loss surgery can promote better health through long-term weight loss. With sustained weight loss, diseases including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, high cholesterol and osteoarthritis are either greatly improved or completely gone. With disease improvement, medications to treat these problems are reduced or discontinued. Plus, with a big decrease in food intake after the surgery, diabetics often have a huge improvement in blood sugar, even before a large amount of weight is lost.

There are many psychological benefits, too, including improvements in self-esteem, personal confidence and quality of life. With weight loss, most people can return to many of the physical activities they used to enjoy before excess weight prevented their mobility. These range from walking and biking to simply playing in the yard with their children.

The surgery has direct benefits, too. First, people can sustain a long-term eating pattern of caloric restriction (usually around 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day), with increased contentment and no deprivation. When hunger signals kick in, a moderate amount of food can now satisfy. Second, the likelihood of keeping most of the weight off is very high, so while 100-plus pounds of weight loss can be accomplished without surgery, the operation helps tremendously with preventing weight regain.