Obesity comes with many health risks that can be reduced or eliminated through weight loss. Bariatric surgery has helped many people who were obese to lose weight and improve their health. Among the benefits of weight loss surgery are reduction or elimination of symptoms and severity of type 2 diabetes, a healthier heart and arteries, joint pain relief, resolution of sleep apnea and obstructed breathing and a higher level of self-esteem.
Most people who have weight loss surgery need to lose at least 65 pounds. The change in your appearance and how you feel is dramatic. You may have felt like you would never see those numbers on the scale again, and never again fit into your new size of clothes. The new you revealed in part by your weight loss can change your attitude and outlook on life.
Although it may feel “easy” to lose weight immediately following weight loss surgery, it is possible to gain some or all of the weight back after time. Long-term studies show that most people maintain 50% of their weight loss following bariatric surgery. To maximize your chance of success and keeping off all the weight, there are steps you can take.
Some of the reasons why people regain weight after weight loss surgery are behavioral. For example, patients with a history of drug or alcohol abuse may have increased difficulty in long-term changes in how they approach eating and food choices. Lack of a support system in the form of family and friends or medical and psychological counseling has also been linked to regaining weight.
A physiological reason that you may not expect is whether you lost some weight prior to surgery. Losing weight will increase the average amount of weight lost after surgery and the likelihood of keeping it off. It also reduces the risk of surgical complications.
Ways to maximize your chances of keeping the weight off include:
1. Seeking treatment for binge eating and other eating disorders before surgery. Addressing the reasons for overeating before bariatric surgery helps reinforce behavioral changes afterwards. Many doctors and insurance providers mandate therapy before and after the procedure to deal with these behavioral changes and concerns.
2. Joining a weight loss surgery support group. Regularly seeing and speaking to people who have also had weight loss surgery helps reinforce good habits and encourages sharing of successful and unsuccessful behaviors.
3. Good communication with your surgeon. Be sure to follow your post-surgery instructions exactly and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Tell your doctor if you are having difficulty eating smaller amounts or having food cravings.
4. Seeing a counselor experienced in eating disorders and weight loss surgery. Talking about your feelings can reinforce the positive changes that weight loss surgery has brought to your life and hearing that what you are thinking and feeling is normal can go a long way towards restoring your confidence.
5. Eating the right foods in the right amount. Just because your stomach is smaller doesn’t mean that you can eat two ounces of fudge instead of two ounces of chicken. As always, healthy dieting is about choices and owning your outcomes.
At the Atlantic Center of Aesthetic & Reconstructive Surgery, our skilled plastic surgeons perform post-obesity surgery to remove excess skin and complete body contouring. Call the Atlantic Center today at (954) 983-1899 or request an appointment online. We have locations serving Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, Weston, Boynton Beach, and Naples.
