Wegovy and Ozempic in New Zealand: When Will They Be Available for Weight Loss?

Which is the Safest Weight Loss Surgery?

‍Exploring the Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve, Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, and One-Anastomosis Gastric Bypass at rfynd Weight Loss

If you’re considering bariatric surgery, safety is likely one of your top concerns—and rightly so. At rfynd Weight Loss, we’re often asked:
“Which weight loss surgery is the safest?”

The good news is that all three of the surgical procedures we offer—Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve, Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RNYGB), and One-Anastomosis Gastric Bypass (OAGB)—are safe, well-established options when performed by an experienced surgical team with the right pre- and post-operative support.

That said, “safest” doesn’t always mean the same thing for everyone. The safest option for you will depend on your medical history, lifestyle, and goals.

Here’s how the three procedures compare.

1. Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve (Sleeve Gastrectomy)

Often considered the safest first-line surgical option

What it involves:
About 80% of the stomach is removed, leaving a narrow “sleeve” that limits food intake and reduces hunger hormones.

Safety profile:

• No rerouting of the intestines = fewer anatomical changes
• Shorter surgery and hospital stay
• Lower risk of nutrient malabsorption compared to bypass procedures

Risks to consider:

• Can worsen or cause reflux in some people
• Irreversible (as part of the stomach is permanently removed)

Who it may be safest for:
People looking for a simpler procedure with a solid safety profile and effective long-term results, especially if they don’t have severe reflux or diabetes.

2. Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RNYGB)

Tried-and-tested, especially for diabetes or reflux

What it involves:
A small stomach pouch is created and connected to the small intestine, bypassing most of the stomach and the first section of the intestine.

Safety profile:

• Decades of clinical use with well-documented outcomes
• Often improves or resolves type 2 diabetes quickly
• Can help with severe reflux or heartburn
• May provide more weight loss than sleeve in some cases

Risks to consider:

• Longer surgical time and slightly higher risk of complications
• Requires lifelong vitamin and mineral supplementation
• Small risk of internal hernia or marginal ulcer

Who it may be safest for:
People with reflux, diabetes, or who need significant weight loss and have no issue with a more complex procedure.

3. One-Anastomosis Gastric Bypass (OAGB or Mini Bypass)

A newer, simplified alternative to RNYGB with growing popularity

What it involves:
Similar to RNYGB, but with just one connection (anastomosis) between the stomach pouch and the intestine.

Safety profile:

• Shorter operation time than RNYGB
• Effective weight loss and diabetes resolution
• Slightly fewer surgical steps than RNYGB

Risks to consider:

• Can cause bile reflux in some people
• Nutrient deficiencies are still a consideration
• Long-term data is growing but not as extensive as RNYGB

Who it may be safest for:
People who want the effectiveness of a bypass with a simpler surgical approach—provided they are carefully screened for reflux risk.

So... Which Is the Safest?

In general terms:

• Gastric Sleeve is safest in terms of simplicity and fewer long-term nutritional concerns.
• RNYGB is safest for those with reflux or diabetes who need metabolic benefits.
• OAGB offers a middle ground—simpler than RNYGB, with strong results—but requires careful patient selection.

The safest surgery is the one tailored to you. That’s why at rfynd, every client goes through a full clinical review with a bariatric surgeon before making a decision.

How rfynd Prioritises Safety

Your safety is at the heart of everything we do. When you choose Rfynd, you can count on:

• Expert surgical teams in accredited private hospitals
• Pre-surgical assessments to determine the right procedure for your health
• Ongoing post-op support including medical, nutrition, and coaching follow-up
• A New Zealand-based team who understands your health system and lifestyle

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Thinking About Weight Loss Surgery?

If you're wondering which weight loss surgery is safest for you, the best next step is to book a consultation with our expert bariatric surgeon, Dr Peter Carr-Boyd. During your consult, Dr Carr-Boyd will assess your individual health needs, explain your options, and guide you toward the procedure that offers the best balance of safety and long-term success.

👉 Book a consult with Dr Peter Carr-Boyd today

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We all have desires and wants, goals and dreams!  These are what motivates us. The great news is that we all have potential to bridge the gap between our current state and our desired state. It often just requires a change in our behaviour. Easy right??. Not always. This is where a coach comes in.

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Many studies have found that merely instructing someone to make behavioural changes often leads them feeling frustrated, depressed, and angry when the desired result is not achieved. We can all relate to this in some way, I’m sure. Human behaviour cannot easily be changed unless there is internal motivation to do so.  Internal motivators are the  fuel source for peak performance and positive change. A coach specialises in drawing on your internal motivations and helps develop strategies to help you achieve your goals.

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Let’s dive into behaviour and explore how a coach can help change certain behaviours that might be doing us harm, and  stopping us reaching our potential.

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It would be great if new 'desirable' behaviours would just appear, and the undesirable ones disappear; unfortunately they often do not. Behaviours are ‘learned’ which means neural connections have been made in our brains that enable us to easily recall and carry out the behaviour. Some of these are helpful like not touching a hot object or running away from a lion, but some are harmful like eating too much sweet food even though it tastes so good!

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A little science about food and energy to whet the appetite. While there are centres in the brain (the hypothalamus) that regulate energy intake within narrow limits, there are other areas (the mesolimbic system) that provide the emotional, pleasurable and rewarding aspects of eating: here is where we can be led astray!  This “reward” centre can greatly influences us and allows our brains to crave and to enjoy food even when we’re completely full. We all indulge!  Because of the power of these pleasure centres, the desire to eat can be triggered by emotions such as sadness, or environmental triggers, such as the smell or sight of delicious fast food, rather than just energy depletion.  And here is where we need to think what might trigger the drive to eat in us individually. Are we feeling down? Are we influenced too much by that freshly baked cake? Are we working too hard? Probably.

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The reward that is associated with eating can become an addictive behaviour and a nasty cycle can ensue resulting in weight gain, unless we unlock the triggers behind these behaviours. Enter the health coach.

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For any undesirable behaviour to be changed we need to first look at the parts that make up the behaviour. Firstly,  the triggers (called Antecedents) that prompt or cue the behaviour. Secondly, the action, or the Behaviour itself. And thirdly, the Consequences (or outcome) that reinforce the behaviour. In short, it’s all about the ABCs (antecedents, behaviour and consequences). When an individual and their coach has identified a behaviour they’d like to change, the initial focus is on identifying and understanding  the ABCs of that specific behaviour.

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Embarking on a journey to change long-standing habits, particularly around food and weight loss, can be challenging and sometimes overwhelming. But remember, you don’t have to do it alone. Health coaches are here to guide you every step of the way. They understand the complexities of behaviour change and are trained to help you uncover the internal motivations that drive you. With their support, you can develop personalised strategies that align with your goals, making the path to a healthier you not only achievable but sustainable. Stay encouraged—positive change is within your reach, and your health coach is here to support you on this journey.

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At rfynd, we have a range of programs that have the option of health coaching support. We know habit change is hard, and we want to support you the best we can to make the changes stick.

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By Lexi Andrews, Health Coach at rfynd.

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Health and wellness coaching is a transformative process that empowers individuals to achieve sustained change in their lives, leading to a biological transformation of mindset and behaviour. This transformation is facilitated through four key coaching mechanisms: fostering growth-promoting relationships, eliciting self-motivation, building confidence, and guiding the process of change. Let's delve into each of these mechanisms and explore how they contribute to lasting change.

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Mechanism 1: Growth-Promoting Relationships

At the heart of effective coaching lies the establishment of a growth-promoting relationship between the coach and the client. This relationship is grounded in the principles of humanistic psychology, which emphasise the inherent potential of individuals to be creative, resourceful, and resilient. Rather than viewing clients as broken or needing to be fixed, coaches adopt a strengths-based approach, recognizing the client's capacity to optimise health, well-being, and performance in life and work.

In a safe, nonjudgmental, and invigorating space, skilled coaches help clients discover what they truly want and need. They assist clients in carving away the layers of life's clutter to reveal their best selves, much like Michelangelo's famous quote, "I saw the angel in the stone and carved to set it free." This process involves valuing the client's learning journey more than the coach's expert knowledge, fostering a partnership where both coach and client learn and grow together.

A crucial aspect of this relationship is the coach's mindful presence. Coaches support clients in developing new behaviours and mindsets by facilitating client-directed neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to grow, adapt, and change. This involves rewiring the brain by forging new neural connections and networks, a process that can take months or even years to solidify.

Through coaching conversations, clients focus their brain's attentional resources on personal ambitions and growth, enhancing their brain's ability to learn and adapt. In today's distraction-filled world, undistracted attention is a rare and valuable state, enabling the brain to enter an integrated, coherent state where creativity and learning thrive.

Coaching is inherently a creative process, helping clients imagine new possibilities and develop new mindsets. This creativity is supported by seven brain activation states identified by Carson (2010), which include absorbing new information, intense reasoning, envisioning outcomes, brainstorming, experiencing a flow state, and evaluating options to implement action plans.

In essence, coaching relationships engage, arouse, energise, and challenge clients to do the work needed to change their brains. Coaches employ both "doing" skills, such as listening and inquiry, and "being" skills, such as mindfulness, empathy, and authenticity, to promote brain learning and growth.

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Mechanism 2: Elicit Self-Motivation

Motivation is a critical driver of change, and coaching helps clients tap into autonomous motivation, which leads to sustainable change. According to Deci and Ryan (2002), motivation can be categorised into two types: external and autonomous. External motivation involves external influences, such as doing something to avoid conflict with others, and is often short-lived.

In contrast, autonomous motivation is future-oriented and aligned with personal values and desired identities. It involves connecting behaviours to meaningful future outcomes or the identity one wishes to project. For example, a client may be motivated to become fit and strong to have the energy to make a difference daily or to prevent future health issues that could burden loved ones.

Autonomous motivation also includes activities that produce flow experiences, where individuals engage in activities they love for their own sake. Although finding such activities can take time, they provide a powerful source of motivation for health behaviours.

Coaches support clients in developing future-oriented, positive identity-based motivation by exploring the "why behind the why." By digging deeper into their motivations, clients can tap into longer-lasting, meaningful reasons for change that sustain them through the challenges of daily life.

Authentic motivation enhances cognitive function, attention, emotion regulation, and creativity, providing a reliable source of energy for the change journey. It taps into intrinsic and biological energy sources, such as the drive to help others, be a role model, and make life meaningful.

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Mechanism 3: Build Confidence

While motivation is essential, it must be accompanied by self-efficacy or confidence in one's ability to overcome obstacles. Confidence is built through diligent efforts over time, and small successes contribute to an upward spiral of motivation and confidence.

Many individuals face challenges that have led to failed change attempts, resulting in low self-efficacy or chronic contemplation. Coaches help clients overcome this by leveraging positive emotions to enhance resilience, creativity, and problem-solving.

Coaches also tap into Deci and Ryan's (2002) self-determination theory, emphasising the importance of competence. People are more successful when they apply their strengths, talents, and values, leading to quicker mental processing and creative solutions.

The Transtheoretical Model of Change (Prochaska, 1995) provides coaches with tools to assess client readiness for change, self-efficacy, and processes of change. This model helps clients identify their stage of change and develop personalised plans to navigate challenges.

Coaches engage clients in creative brainstorming and relational flow, generating new insights and increasing hope and optimism. This process empowers clients to find new paths around obstacles and harvest valuable learning from setbacks.

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Mechanism 4: Process of Change

The final mechanism involves guiding clients through the process of change, similar to structured projects with strategies, goals, and timelines. Coaching often begins with assessments to track progress, followed by envisioning the ideal future and designing experiments and action plans to achieve goals.

Behavioural or SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound) goals provide clear targets for clients to work toward. Clients may set skill-building, performance, or habit-based goals, with regular progress reports and milestones to celebrate achievements. Accountability is a crucial aspect of the change process. Clients determine how they want to be accountable, using tools like mobile apps for tracking and reporting progress. Coaches also connect clients with other health experts and resources as needed.

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While coaching sessions may follow a structure, coaching is not formulaic. The heart of coaching lies in relational flow, where both coach and client engage in intuitive, creative exploration. These peak moments lead to shifts in perspective and insights that drive lasting change.

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By Margaux Pelletier, Health Coach at rfynd

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