Why rent your weight loss
when you can own it?
GLP-1 medications — Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound — deliver results only while you keep injecting. Often for life. With high costs and real side effects. At Obesity Control Center, many patients achieve lasting change with one procedure and a 5-year support team.
Approximate U.S. retail ranges. Many patients break even within 12–18 months.
What they don't always tell you about the shot.
GLP-1 drugs work — while you take them. The story most marketing skips is what happens at month 13, year 3, and the day the prescription stops.
The injection treadmill
A weekly pen at $700–$1,300/month, indefinitely. Insurance coverage is inconsistent and often withdrawn. Discontinuation rates within the first year are high.
A one-time, durable solution
OCC bariatric procedures change physiology, not your monthly bill. Backed by a 5-year follow-up program and decades of pioneered technique.
The side effects worth knowing before another refill.
Educational summary based on general medical consensus from sources such as the Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Health, and published GLP-1 trial data. Talk to your physician about your specific situation.
GI distress
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation — the most common reasons patients stop.
"Ozempic face"
Rapid fat loss in the face and body, including loss of lean muscle mass.
Gallbladder issues
Increased risk of gallstones and acute gallbladder disease reported.
Pancreatitis (rare)
Boxed warnings and ongoing FDA monitoring for pancreatic events.
Muscle loss
Up to ~25–40% of weight lost on GLP-1s can be lean mass, per published analyses.
Cost / coverage
Insurance commonly drops weight-loss indications, leaving full retail cost.
Many patients seek alternatives for sustainable freedom from the weekly routine.
The cost reality, year by year.
Approximate U.S. retail ranges for self-pay GLP-1 therapy compared with an all-inclusive bariatric package at OCC. Your actual numbers vary by plan, drug, and dose.
Illustrative. Sources: published GLP-1 list pricing and JAMA Surgery cost-of-care analyses suggesting surgery yields lower total cost over a 2-year+ horizon for eligible patients.
What's in the package
- Surgery, anesthesia & on-site ICU access
- Hospital stay & medications
- Hotel + airport / border concierge
- Pre-op labs & nutritional planning
- 5-year #OCCFamily follow-up program
12–18 months
Typical break-even point vs. continued GLP-1 therapy. Every year after is savings.
~2/3 of the weight comes back within a year of stopping.
Published GLP-1 trial extensions (e.g., the STEP program and subsequent meta-analyses) report that participants regain roughly two-thirds of lost weight within ~52 weeks of discontinuation. OCC's surgical approach is designed to be durable — and our 5-year support team is built around keeping it that way.
Illustrative of population-level patterns. Individual results vary.
Over 10,000 recent surgeries. A growing share once on GLP-1s.
Many patients arrive having tried — and faced challenges with — GLP-1 medications. In our experience, a significant portion now enjoy sustained results, improved health, and freedom from the weekly injection routine.
"I was on weekly injections for almost two years. After my procedure with OCC, I finally feel like I have my life — and my energy — back."
"The all-inclusive part was real. Flights, hotel, follow-up — handled. No more $1,100 monthly pen refills."
"I lost weight on a GLP-1 and gained most of it back. A year after surgery, the difference is night and day."
"The five-year follow-up is the part nobody talks about. It's the reason this is sticking."
Generalized accounts shared with permission. Individual results vary.
The clinic patients pick for the transition off GLP-1s.
JCI accredited safety
Joint Commission International standards, on-site ICU, low complication rates.
Pioneering technique
Dr. Ariel Ortiz & team — Improved Gastric Sleeve®, Magnetic Sleeve Plus™, complex revisions.
Tailored for GLP-1 patients
Evaluation pathway designed for patients transitioning off injectable therapy.
5-year #OCCFamily
Structured nutrition, mindset and clinical follow-up well past the surgical recovery window.
From a refill cycle to a one-time procedure.
Free GLP-1 cost review
Share your medication history, weight goals & timeline — we'll send a personalized comparison.
Virtual consultation
Speak with an OCC patient coordinator and review surgical candidacy with our team.
Travel & procedure
All-inclusive concierge: flights, hotel, border, surgery, and recovery — handled.
5 years of support
Structured nutrition, mindset coaching and follow-up checkpoints with the #OCCFamily.
The questions patients ask first.
Stop paying rent on your weight loss.
Send us your medication, weight and goals. A patient coordinator will reply within one business day with a personalized comparison — no obligation.