Originally Posted by Calianna

After the first year though, weight loss results slow, stop completely, or they even start to regain, even on their restricted diet. If they have not stabilized at their weight loss goal by the end of the first year (unlikely, since most WLS patients have well over 100 lbs to lose), complacency or downright discouragement can set in, so they start to drift back to SAD type foods. Worse than that, after the first year, nutrient deficiencies start to show up (disrupting the digestive tract reduces the ability to absorb nutrients efficiently, hence there's an increased need for dietary supplements), and mortality rates related to the ongoing after-effects of WLS start to increase. No wonder they only follow up the first year - if they increased the followup period to 5 or 10 years, the statistics would tell a completely different story about the success (and dangers) of WLS.