One of the most rewarding things about working in the field of Bariatric Surgery and Medicine is being part of the journey to a healthier life for a lot people, and also the strong sense of community and friendship that arises among post bariatric surgery warriors. There are several online communities that exemplify what I talking about, like My New Body Obesity Center Support Group (Facebook Support Group in English), Grupo de Apoyo My New Body Obesity Center (Facebook Support Group in Spanish), Weight Loss Surgery Singles (Facebook dating community). In these communities, and also among communities for people looking to gather more information about Weight Loss Surgery, a series of acronyms of abbreviations have developed, a cultural code very frequent in North America. For this reason, I have compiled the most frequent abbreviations and acronyms used in Weight Loss Surgery, I hope this will guide you and help you get a better grasp on the lifestyle changes after surgery.  Here, a list with Weight Loss Surgery common abbreviations I have compiled. Please let me know if I have missed one, to expand the list:

• WLS: Weight Loss Surgery.
• BMI: Body Mass Index.
• RNY: Roux-en-Y (Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass)
• VSG: Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy or Gastric Sleeve.
• MNB: My New Body Obesity Center.
• DS: Duodenal Switch.
• HW: Heaviest Weight.
• SW: Starting Weight.
• LW: Lowest Weight.
• CW: Current Weight.
• EWL: Expected Weight Loss.
• NSV: Non-scale Victory. .
• OAC: Obesity Action Coalition.
• PCOS: Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome.
• OH: Obesity Help.
• TT: Tummy Tuck.
• EKG: Electrocardiography.
• CPAP: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
• GERD: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
• GI: Gastrointestinal
• BM: Bowel Movement
• SF: Sugar Free

And, not necessarily related to WLS but commonly used in online forums…

• TMI:
• WTG:

If you are looking to learn more about Bariatric or Weight Loss Surgery, contact us and one of our patient coordinators will help you.