When it comes to weight loss, the modern world has many options. Some people may opt for bariatric surgery. Others may choose weight loss drugs in the form of pills or injections.
Our recent survey looked at the responses of real patients and analyzed the outcomes.
Key Findings
- 93.4% of patients would get bariatric surgery again
- 51.4% of patients would consider using GLP-1 drugs again
- 57.1% of GLP-1 patients reported losing at least 20 pounds
- 98.1% of bariatric surgery patients reported losing at 20 pounds
- Median weight loss for bariatric surgery patients was 100 pounds, as opposed to 20 for GLP-1s
- Average weight loss for bariatric surgery was reported to be 101.2, as opposed to 24.9 for GLP-1 users
93.4% of Patients Would Get Bariatric Surgery Again
Out of all patients surveyed, 93.4% said they would get bariatric surgery again.
0.4% said they aren’t sure they would consider getting bariatric surgery again. No respondents said that they definitely would not consider it.
6.2% said they might.
It is also worth noting the barrier to entry with bariatric procedures. While 12% of adults in the US have used GLP-1s, only 1% of eligible patients have received bariatric surgery.
51.4% of Patients Would Consider Using GLP-1 Drugs Again
51.4% of participants said they would use GLP-1s again. 34.7% said they might use them again, and 13.9% said they would not use them again.
GLP-1s do, however, seem to have a lower barrier of entry, as 12% of adults have reported using GLP-1s, as compared to the 1% of eligible adults that have received bariatric surgery.
It was also recently discovered, however, that GLP-1s are only considered cost-effective when used in coordination with bariatric surgery.
This means that bariatric surgery is often considered the better option for cost-effectiveness.
57.1% of GLP-1 Patients Reported Losing at Least 20 Pounds
57.1% of patients lost at least 20 pounds by using GLP-1s. 42.9% of GLP-1 users reported losing less than 20 pounds. Nearly 50% of GLP-1 users said they didn’t lose 20 pounds or more.
98.1% of Bariatric Surgery Patients Reported Losing at 20 Pounds
Comparatively, only 1.9% of bariatric surgery patients reported weight loss under 20 pounds.
98.1% of patients reported at least 20 pounds of weight loss. This statistic is much higher than the same weight-benchmark used for GLP-1 patients.
The lowest amount reported lost by bariatric patients was 13 pounds.
The lowest weight loss reported by GLP-1 patients was 0 pounds.
Median Weight Loss for Bariatric Surgery Patients Was 100 Pounds, as Opposed to 20 for GLP-1s
Our survey found that for bariatric surgery patients the median weight lost was 100 pounds.
The median for GLP-1 patients was 20 pounds.This statistic highlights the potential gap in efficiency between bariatric surgery and GLP-1 use.
The highest amount of weight lost from bariatric surgery participants was 250 pounds, and was 100 pounds for GLP-1 users.
Average Weight Loss for Bariatric Surgery Patients Was 101.2 Pounds, as Opposed to 24.9 for GLP-1s
Bariatric surgery patients reported an average weight loss of 101.2 pounds. This is compared to an average of 24.9 pounds reported by GLP-1 users.
These averages are still slightly higher than their respective medians. Bariatric surgery shows more promise for providing weight loss.
Methodology
Those who have experience using GLP-1 medications and bariatric surgery were surveyed for this study. The data of 256 real patients was sorted and analyzed based on a variety of categories. These categories included the amount of weight lost, and how happy patients were with the outcomes. The results were compiled to compare bariatric surgery patients with GLP-1 users.
