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SOUTHERN WEIGHT LOSS NZ

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SOUTHERN WEIGHT LOSS NZ

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Specialist bariatric care delivered locally across Otago & Southland. Personalised plans.

A close-knit team of clinician, dietitian and psychologist working together to provide coordinated, long-term weight loss care.Evidence-based treatment.

04/11/2026

“I love it when a bypass comes together.”

I got the cigar for the poster, but Sarah, Abby and Taylah deserve the credits.

We’ve worked together in theatre at Mercy Hospital in Dunedin for five years. These days, the next instrument is often in my hand before I’ve finished asking for it. That familiarity keeps an operation moving smoothly, saves time and helps us pick up small problems before they become complications.

I appreciate them most when things get tricky. They speak up, we work through the next step together, and my stress level drops a few notches knowing who’s beside me.

Sarah, Abby and Taylah, so many gastric bypasses and gastric sleeves have come together because of you. Thanks for five years of having my back. You’re my A-Team.

"For the record, the cigar is a prop. If you're heading for a bypass, I'll still be asking you to quit."

03/11/2026

Is weight loss surgery safe? It's the question I get asked more than any other, so here is the honest answer.

Modern weight loss surgery is keyhole surgery, and its safety record now sits alongside operations people rarely think twice about. The risk of dying within 30 days is around 1 in 1,000, similar to having your gallbladder or a hip replaced. Serious complications occur in roughly 4 in 100 patients across large international datasets.

The two complications I talk through with every patient are a leak from the staple line or join, and bleeding that needs a return to theatre. Both are uncommon, both are things we watch for closely, and both are treatable when caught early.

In my own practice, we have had no leaks and two returns to theatre for bleeding since 2017.

Safety also has a longer view. Living with obesity carries its own risks over years and decades. Large long-term studies show people who have bariatric surgery live longer on average than similar people who don't, largely through fewer heart attacks, less diabetes and fewer cancer deaths.

Here is what we do to keep the risks as low as possible. Every surgical patient sees our dietitian and psychologist before surgery. We optimise health before the operation, not after. Surgery is done at Mercy Hospital Dunedin, and every patient gets two years of surgeon follow-up and blood tests, so problems are picked up early.

No operation is risk-free, and anyone who tells you otherwise isn't being straight with you. But the question is not just "is surgery safe?" It's "is surgery safer than the alternative?" For many people living with obesity, the evidence says yes.

Got a question for the surgeon? Drop it in the comments and it might be next Wednesday's answer.

02/11/2026

A patient told me this morning that I looked tired.
Fair call. I was on call over the weekend and spent yesterday in theatre with a big cancer case. Don't worry, I had a proper sleep last night and the night before. I'm back to full speed today.

When I'm busy and time is tight, the thing that keeps me going isn't more coffee. It’s protecting a small window for my own health, usually 30 minutes in the gym, even when it’s the last thing I feel like doing. (Yes, I know the photo makes it look easy. Most days it isn't.)

But energy looks different for everyone. Movement isn't easy for every body, and it doesn't have to be the gym. It might be a walk, an early night, a proper lunch with some protein in it, or ten quiet minutes to yourself. It doesn't have to be big. It just has to be yours.

So I'm curious: what energises you when you're running on empty?

Let me know in the comments 👇

02/11/2026

Weight-inclusive care has never mattered more, and it isn't the opposite of treating obesity.

It starts with autonomy. Each person decides whether weight loss is a goal for them and, if it is, which path fits their life. A clinician's job is to inform that choice, not make it.

It recognises that health is complex. Blood pressure, blood sugar, sleep, mobility, pain, mood and energy all shape wellbeing. Weight interacts with every one of them, but it doesn't explain all of them, and two people at the same weight can have very different health.

It means weight is never the single measure of success. Coming off a medication, sleeping through the night, keeping up with the grandkids: these are the outcomes patients say matter most.

At Southern Weight Loss, respect comes first. The goal isn't to get more people into surgery. It's to make sure every person is heard, informed and offered treatment that fits them.

Know someone who deserves to be heard, not judged? Share this with them.

02/11/2026

Fertility after weight loss surgery is one of the most common questions women ask before bariatric surgery. The answer surprises many people: fertility often improves, and what matters is timing.

Obesity disrupts ovulation through insulin resistance and hormone imbalance. After surgery, cycles often become regular again, sometimes within months and well before the weight loss is finished. That is why contraception matters early, and why the usual advice is to wait 12 to 18 months before conceiving, while weight is stabilising and nutrition is settled.

Pregnancies after bariatric surgery have lower rates of gestational diabetes and of very large babies, with planning and monitoring throughout.

Southern Weight Loss provides surgical and medical obesity care across Dunedin, Otago and Southland.

Send this to someone planning a family.

02/11/2026

Loose skin after weight loss surgery is one of the most common concerns patients raise, and one of the least openly discussed. Most people who lose a large amount of weight will have some excess skin, and there are practical, evidence-based ways to manage it.

Why does it happen? Skin that has been stretched for many years loses collagen and elastic recoil. How much it tightens again depends on age, genetics, how much weight was lost, how long it was carried, and sun and smoking history. No cream, oil or supplement has been shown to remove loose skin, whatever the marketing says. What daily habits can do is keep skin healthy and the body strong underneath it.

Protein and strength work come first. Meeting protein targets and resistance training two to three times a week builds muscle that fills out the frame, and protein supports skin repair. Steady weight loss with good nutrition gives skin its best chance to adapt.

Skin fold care matters more than most people expect. Folds trap moisture, which can lead to rashes and infection. Washing daily, patting completely dry, choosing breathable cotton or moisture-wicking layers and using a barrier cream where skin rubs all help. Redness, odour or broken skin is worth a GP visit.

Support makes movement easier. Compression garments or supportive activewear reduce chafing and pulling during exercise, which makes it easier to keep moving. Moisturiser, sunscreen and staying smoke-free protect what elasticity remains.

For some people, body contouring surgery becomes an option. It is usually considered once weight has been stable for at least six months, often 12 to 18 months after surgery. In New Zealand, public funding is limited and generally reserved for functional problems such as recurrent skin infection, so it is worth raising at follow-up appointments.

Loose skin can carry an emotional weight too. Every Southern Weight Loss surgical patient has access to our dietitian and psychologist, and this is a conversation worth having with them.

Save this for the months ahead, or share it with someone on their own weight loss journey.

References in the first comment.

01/11/2026

Some weight regain after reaching the lowest point is expected after bariatric surgery. It doesn't mean the surgery is failing.

It's one of the quiet worries patients bring to follow-up appointments. The scales creep up a few kilos after months of steady loss, and the old fear comes straight back: here we go again.

But a small rise after the lowest weight is a normal part of how the body settles after surgery. The rapid loss of the first year or so slows, appetite and hunger signals find a new balance, and weight tends to level out a little above its lowest point. That settled weight is the one that matters, not the lowest number on the scales.

What clinicians watch for is different. It's regain that keeps climbing rather than levelling off, and that's much easier to address when it's picked up early.

That's exactly why follow-up runs for two years. Surgical patients at Southern Weight Loss are seen at 1, 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24 months, with blood tests and dietitian support along the way. Month 18 is often when this conversation happens, and it's usually a reassuring one.

Nobody should have to read their own weight curve alone.
No GP referral is needed. Book an

Assessment via the link in the first comment.

31/10/2026

Sunday on call in Dunedin. Another stunning day, and I get to look at it from the operating floor.

From up here you can see right across the city to the harbour and Forsyth Barr Stadium. Not a bad view for a day in theatre.

Weekend surgery doesn't happen because of one person. It happens because nurses, anaesthetists, theatre techs, orderlies, cleaners and ward staff give up their Sundays so that someone who needs an operation today gets one. Most of them will never be on a poster or a post. So this one's for them.

Proud to work at Dunedin Hospital, and lucky to live in a city that looks like this on a Sunday morning.

If you're working this weekend too, drop a 👋 in the comments.

31/10/2026

Week three after weight loss surgery is one of the hardest points in recovery, and it's rarely talked about. The early adrenaline has faded, the results are only just starting, and many people find themselves quietly asking whether they made the right decision.

That feeling is common, and it makes sense.

By week three, the body is running on far less food than it's used to, so energy often dips. The puree stage can feel monotonous, and the comfort and routine food once provided are suddenly gone. Hormones are shifting, sleep can be unsettled, and the scales sometimes pause just when motivation needs a lift. Put together, it's no surprise emotions run ahead of the results.

What helps most at this stage is keeping things simple. Protein first at every small meal, steady sips of fluid through the day, short gentle walks, and plenty of rest. It also helps to speak up. Our dietitian and psychologist are part of every surgical patient's care for exactly this reason, and no question is too small to bring to the team.

What helps most at this stage is keeping things simple. Protein first at every small meal, steady sips of fluid through the day, short gentle walks, and plenty of rest. It also helps to speak up. Our dietitian and psychologist are part of every surgical patient's care for exactly this reason, and no question is too small to bring to the team.

For most people, this phase passes. As food stages progress and the body settles, energy usually starts returning over the following weeks, and the reasons for having surgery come back into focus.

Week three is a stage, not a verdict.

If someone close to you is in the early weeks after surgery, send this their way. Sometimes knowing it's normal is enough. 💛

31/10/2026

Gastric bypass in Dunedin, Otago and Southland, with no GP referral needed and two years of follow-up included. Happy Halloween from Southern Weight Loss 🎃

Every horror fan knows this corridor. Two figures at the far end, holding hands, smiling a little too long. Come diet with us. Forever. And ever.

If you've lived that loop, you already know the plot. This diet, then the next one. The weight comes off, your hunger hormones fight back, and the weight finds its way home. All diet and no change would wear anyone down. That isn't a willpower problem. It's biology doing exactly what it was built to do.

Gastric bypass works on that biology. It changes the signalling between your gut and your brain, not just the size of your stomach. That's why, for many people, it's the first thing that actually breaks the cycle.

It isn't the only way out of the corridor, and it isn't right for everyone. That's what an assessment is for: an honest conversation with a surgeon who offers both surgical and medical options, alongside our dietitian Helen and psychologist Natalie.

You can book directly with no referral, at our clinics in Dunedin, Wānaka, Invercargill and Oamaru. Two years of follow-up is included, because the ending matters more than the opening scene.

Ready to step off the loop? Book an assessment through the link in pinned comment. Not quite ready? Drop your question in the comments and Mark will answer it.

Address

72 Newington Avenue, Maori Hill
Dunedin
9010

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 6pm
Tuesday	8am - 6pm
Wednesday	8am - 6pm
Thursday	8am - 6pm
Friday	8am - 6pm

Telephone

+6434640970

Website

https://southernweightloss.co.nz/your-pathway-to-a-healthier-life/weight-loss-dunedin/

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