More than half of the total number of patients gain back 5% of their weight in just 2 years of Bariatric surgery. So what are the steps to improve the success of weight-loss surgery? Experts in the field, as well as people with long-term benefits of the treatment, have agreed on this: the surgery is just the beginning. The trick behind permanent weight loss is making lifestyle changes. Let’s discuss are five important steps to avoid weight regain after bariatric surgery.
- Post-op support for success
Having the chance to openly discuss expectations, concerns, and challenges with like-minded people who went through a similar process can be crucial. Support groups across social media give you the answers to several questions while guiding you better. These support groups are known to provide information to manage plateaus or food alternatives in the various stages of post-op recovery. They are also good at offering critical moral support, encouragement both before and after the surgery.”
- Put together a health team
A crucial addition to all support systems is an expert team for guiding you through your process, such as a therapist who specializes in emotional eating, a dietician, etc. Many studies have proven more weight loss in people who regularly follow up with a nutritionist. Bariatric surgery is one of the most effective tools or weight loss surgery in the toolbox for building success in the long run. Committing to a consistent lifestyle modification is a compulsion, and working with a team of specialists in the field can allow a patient to stick to as well as maintain such changes. Dietitians offer support while answering important questions and also hold you accountable for preventing pre-surgery eating habits from coming back.
- Reconsider your thoughts about food
For a lot of patients undergoing bariatric surgery, their thoughts about food are usually very complicated. Relearning the whole concept of using food as fuel rather than a source of emotional comfort is a crucial part of the process. Weight regain usually occurs if this relationship with food continues to be unchanged. If you used to struggle with emotional eating pre-surgery, understand that these emotions will still be there. It’s a good idea to create a fine relationship with food in order to ensure that the emotions that initially resulted in your weight gain is reduced or even stopped altogether. Along with your team of healthcare professionals, pinpoint your emotional connections with food while working to change such patterns before as well as after surgery to have your best shot at success.
- New eating habits for the long run
As you hit your plateau phases, it often gets easy to go back to old habits and completely ignore all kinds of dietary rules. Ensure that you are prioritizing nutrient-rich foods. Protein is extremely important right after surgery and will continue to be, but you must also consume lots of fruits and vegetables. Within a few years after surgery, with the stomach gradually expanding and appetite starting to increase, including low-calorie but high-volume foods such as vegetables in the diet is the key to avoiding weight regain.
- Fitness should be your priority
Your body is built to move. So, the more you move it, the better it will work. Your goal should be to be physically active on most days in a week. Make it a point to incorporate cardiovascular as well as resistance exercises for preservation and building of muscle mass. This is an important component of a healthy metabolism. Know that walking is the basis of all exercise after surgery. Target small but attainable goals which you will be building from. You can increase your walking time or distance by 10% per week, or even once in 2 weeks. After reaching a good distance and time, you might want to improve your speed.
Top Tips:
- Consume proteins, fruits, whole grains, and vegetables.
- Choose foods with low fat.
- East at least 3 full meals every day.
- Meet your fluid needs with 50-65 ounces of non-calorie drinks.
- Separate food and fluids by 30 minutes.
- Continue your medication and supplements.
- Workout for 250 to 300 minutes every week.
Understand that mistakes are inevitable, but you don’t have to turn them into major setbacks. In case you are slipping towards your old eating habits, you should feel free to ask for help. By creating a stable support system, bettering your food relationship, and focusing on healthy habits, bariatric surgery can result in weight-loss success in the long run.
