Compared to normal walking, obesity is associated with a slower, stiffer, more careful gait, posing a major challenge to mobility and physical function. Obese gait also contributes to knee osteoarthritis onset and progression, further limiting mobility and generating an obesity-immobility feedback loop that diminishes health-related quality-of-life and can lead to significant disability. Restoration of normal gait reduces functional disability among patients and is central to physical activity for postsurgical weight maintenance, and should therefore be considered a critical outcome of bariatric surgery. Six studies of postsurgical walking gait all show significant recovery of gait and function over postsurgical time periods ranging from 3 months to 5 years. Despite these promising outcomes, much work remains to be done to gain a better understanding of variation in the functional outcomes of bariatric surgery, and how best to improve gait rehabilitation for individual patients.