Dr. Alexa Roth

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Dr. Alexa Roth Bariatric Surgeon | Medical Weight Loss MD | Double Board-Certified | Patient-First Care for Southeast Idaho

10/20/2026

If you’re one of the few remaining successful lap band patients, congratulations and disregard.

For everyone else, I’ll just say this.

Everything good was once new. But everything new isn’t necessarily good.

Let’s learn a lesson from the early 2000s.

FDA-approved in 2001, the lap band quickly became one of America’s most popular weight-loss treatments.

But 20 years later, we have to ask: Where was the long-term data?

Band failure, complications, and removal proved remarkably common. In fact, only around 10% of patients achieved the outcome they hoped for without weight-loss failure or major complications.

In 2026, I applaud the patients who have done well with their bands and avoided problems.

For patients still struggling with obesity or dealing with band-related complications, let’s stop settling and start exploring more effective treatments.

If you’re local to Idaho and need follow-up care for your band, I’m here to help.

☎️ 208-239-2760
🌐 DrRothWeightLoss.com, link in bio

10/19/2026

Whether it’s about bariatric surgery or medical weight loss, the judgment surrounding obesity treatments can be powerful.

It can make us feel lesser than.

It can keep us from seeking the life we want to live.

But here’s the thing.

Nobody’s living in your body. Nobody else gets to decide what’s right for you.

So if they want to judge? Let them.

Do your thing, girl.

10/15/2026

At 5’5”, I’m fortunate to have a few natural attributes that work in my favor 😆👠

I’m a female minimally invasive surgeon.

Here’s something most people never think about: traditional laparoscopic instruments were largely designed around men’s hands, grip strength, and arm reach. The operating room setup, including table height and positioning, has historically favored the average male surgeon’s body dimensions. For smaller surgeons, this can mean working with instruments that don’t fit their hands well, reaching farther than is comfortable, and maintaining awkward positions during long operations.

Women have been adapting, problem-solving, and getting the job done for decades, regardless of their hand size or arm length.

Robotic surgery is changing the game further. With improved ergonomics, adjustable controls, and a console that accommodates different body types, it can reduce some of the physical barriers surgeons have traditionally faced.

Have you ever stopped to think about the ergonomics of surgery? 👀

10/13/2026

Knowing what to eat and being able to lose weight are two very different things.

But this is the truth:

Struggling with weight isn’t simply a knowledge problem.

Eating and nutrient storage represent a complex interplay between your gut, brain, hormones, hunger, and satiety signals.

In obesity, this interplay can work against you, particularly when highly palatable foods activate powerful reward pathways.

Advanced obesity treatments like bariatric surgery and weight management medications can help by changing these dysregulated signals.

So if you know what to eat but you’re still struggling to control your weight?

You’re not failing. You may just need more than nutrition advice.

New to this account? Welcome! Follow along if this helped you, and check out my website to learn more about evidence-based obesity care.

10/12/2026

What’s inside this OR may shock you.

A lot of people think bariatric surgery is scary. But as a bariatric surgeon, the OR is where I’m at my happiest, my most focused, and my most peaceful.

What happens in here is controlled, precise, and transformative.

The benefits of procedures go far beyond numbers on the scale.

1️⃣ MORE YEARS OF LIFE:
A meta-analysis of 174,772 patients found metabolic and bariatric surgery was associated with a median 6.1 years longer life expectancy compared with nonsurgical obesity care. For patients with type 2 diabetes, the estimated difference was 9.3 years.

2️⃣ DIABETES RESOLUTION

Diabetes can improve remarkably quickly after bariatric surgery. Most patients experience remission within hours to days. Remission rates vary depending on diabetes duration, procedure, and individual factors.

3️⃣ FEWER MEDICATIONS

Within one year of bariatric surgery, medication use for common chronic diseases declines by 50–75%, including medications for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. That means fewer prescriptions and a reduced burden of obesity-related disease.

Weight loss surgery isn’t for everyone. But the evidence shows us that, for appropriately selected patients, the benefits can extend far beyond weight loss.

And that is why I love what I do.

Follow along to learn more about me and my practice as a comprehensive obesity care provider in southeast Idaho.

Sources

Syn NL, et al. Association of metabolic-bariatric surgery with long-term survival in adults with and without diabetes. The Lancet. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33965067/

Segal JB, et al. Prompt reduction in use of medications for comorbid conditions after bariatric surgery. Obesity Surgery. 2009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19763709/

10/08/2026

Can you undo your bariatric surgery?

Short answer: not completely.

Bariatric surgery creates permanent structural changes in the gastrointestinal tract. These changes can be modified or revised—but they are not fully reversible.

Data tells us that 90% of surgical patients maintain at least 50% of their excess weight loss long-term.

Yet despite these population outcomes, some patients do experience variable amounts of weight regain.

Let’s talk about why.

We see treatment tolerance with all forms of obesity treatment—from lifestyle changes, to GLP-1s, and even bariatric surgery.

Obesity is biology. And biology can adapt.

Weight recurrence can happen for many reasons—biological, behavioral, and environmental. Hunger may increase. Patients may experience a loss of restriction, even when their bariatric procedure looks completely normal internally.

These changes aren’t moral or surgical failures.

They’re part of the metabolic progression of a powerful chronic disease.

Each person with obesity has their own unique disease process.

And this explains much of the variability we see in treatment responses and long-term results.

The possibility of partial weight regain does NOT mean don’t have surgery.

It does mean that we’re up against a chronic disease.

Surgery is a permanent tool for a chronic disease.

Just because the disease changes or progresses over time, that doesn’t mean the tool stops working.

Follow along to learn more about my life and practice as a comprehensive obesity care specialist in southeast Idaho.

10/07/2026

12 years as America’s most popular bariatric surgery—but there’s still one thing most people don’t know about sleeve aftercare:

Acid reflux symptoms need to be evaluated.

And there’s a connection between sleeve gastrectomy and Barrett’s esophagus.

Reflux after sleeve gastrectomy is relatively common, affecting 30–40% of patients. Many patients have mild symptoms and can manage them with acid-suppressing medications.

But common does not mean okay to ignore.

Here’s why:

Chronic acid and bile exposure can injure the esophagus and, in some patients, lead to Barrett’s—a precancerous condition that can increase the risk of esophageal cancer.

And sometimes, patients with significant esophageal pathology have absolutely no reflux symptoms.

National and international guidelines address endoscopic surveillance after sleeve gastrectomy, yet in my experience, these recommendations are still underutilized.

In my practice, appropriate postoperative evaluation of our sleeve patients has allowed us to catch multiple cases of Barrett’s esophagus and one case of esophageal cancer, all detected early with excellent outcomes.

I also see patients after surgery performed elsewhere who have lived with severe reflux symptoms—and sometimes significant esophageal damage—for years without appropriate evaluation.

The possibility of reflux does NOT mean the sleeve is a bad operation.

But for patients with persistent, severe reflux or significant esophageal damage after a sleeve, appropriate evaluation and treatment—both medical and surgical—can be life-changing.

Here’s the bottom line:

If you had a sleeve and have never had an endoscopy after surgery, talk to an experienced bariatric surgeon about whether you should be evaluated.

Get yourself checked.

Local in Idaho? More resources at DrRothWeightLoss.com — link in bio.

10/05/2026

Forever grateful to have a job where I can help amazing people get their lives back. Wouldn’t trade it for anything 🫶🏻

10/01/2026

This was the most beautiful sunset.

For about 45 seconds, all of the colors of Idaho flashed before me.

There are amazing days, and there are harder days.

But I have a magical job in a magical place.

09/30/2026

It’s an exciting time in obesity treatment. We have more tools than ever before, and we can achieve truly phenomenal results when we choose the right treatment for the right person.

Bariatric surgery isn’t everyone’s cup of tea—and that’s okay. Truthfully, most people living with obesity in the U.S. will never choose surgery.

This is the important part:

Being afraid of surgery doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see a comprehensive obesity medicine specialist. A good provider will respect your preferences, give you an honest opinion, and help you understand all of your options.

We make the best decisions when we have all the information.

Questions? I’m here. Visit my page and check out my website if you’re local here in Idaho. I’m happy to be a resource.

Address

777 Hospital Way, Suite 115
Pocatello, ID
83201

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 12pm

Telephone

+12082392760

Website

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