Roux-en-Y, helps you lose weight by restricting the amount of food you can eat and reducing the number of calories your body absorbs.

In Roux-en-Y surgery, physicians use surgical staples to create a small pouch of 0.5 to 1-ounce (about the size of an egg) at the top of your stomach. This smaller stomach is connected to the middle portion of your small intestine, bypassing the rest of your stomach and the upper portion of your intestines. Surgeons can often perform Roux-en-Y procedures through tiny incisions, which shortens recovery time and minimizes scarring. In the first 12 to 18 months after surgery, patients typically lose 50 to 80 percent of excess body weight.

The gastric bypass procedure produces greater weight loss and is more successful at helping patients maintain their new weight over time than other procedures.

While surgery is an effective weight loss tool, it’s just the beginning of the process. To make weight loss permanent, you’ll have to commit to a lifetime of dietary and behavioral changes.

To learn more about gastric bypass and other options, visit our weight management page.