Useful Tips for Success after Weight Loss Surgery

Obesity has been declared as an epidemic by the World Health Organization and there has been an increase in awareness about the health threats it can cause in the recent years.

Obese or overweight people can overcome this health issue by losing weight through dietary reform and exercise. However, it does not necessarily wok for everyone. A lot of people go for weight loss surgery in order to solve the problem of obesity comprehensively and to get rid of threats such as reduced life expectancy, lethal diseases and other social problems.

This method of the treatment of obesity is quickly gaining popularity.

Weight Loss Surgery is also carried out on people suffering from diabetes for improvement in the treatment.

Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery, which is also known as Bariatric Surgery, involves surgical practices which aim at reducing the weight of the body through altering the physical structure and capacity of the digestive tract. This surgery is largely of the following types.

Adjustable Gastric Binding

Reducing the effective size of the stomach through binding. The procedure involves restricting the stomach opening with a silicon band which is adjustable by means of a port just placed under the skin by injecting or removing saline through it. This is the safest surgical procedure of all.

Vertical Banded Gastroplasty

Stapling the stomach to create a smaller stomach portion by reducing its functional size.

Gastric Bypass Surgery or Biliopancreatic Division

Resecting of the small intestine and routing it with a smaller stomach pouch.

Intragastric Balloon

Installation of a deflated balloon in the stomach to reduce its capacity to store food.

Sleeve Gastrectomy: Surgical removal of a portion of the stomach to reduce its size. The procedure is named so because the reduced stomach looks more like a sleeve or is shaped like a banana after its openings are bound together by means of surgical staples. This is an irreversible surgical procedure with significant weight loss rate and is successful among people with very high BMI values.

Gastric Plication

A variant of Sleeve Gastrectomy that involves suturing, or restriction by means of fixing with needles, the stomach tissues instead of its permanent surgical removal. The process has lower weight loss rate though than sleeve gastrectomy.

Who Should Opt for Weight Loss Surgery?

While going for weight loss surgery is largely a question of choice, there are guidelines for people who are recommended to undergo the procedure. People whose Body Mass Index, which is a measure of the proportion of a person’s weight to their height, is above 40 should undergo the surgery. In case of patients suffering from diabetes, the body mass index lower limit is 35. More complications may arise in people with different BMI specification. You should understand that weight loss surgery requires permanent lifestyle changes before you go for it.

Tips for Success After Weight Loss Surgery

While you consider weight loss surgery, or even if you have had it done, the real point of concern is how it will improve your lifestyle. The surgery has significant success rate but has frequent complications as well. However, you should make certain lifestyle changes to ensure that the surgery proves effective.

The following are a few tips for success after weight loss surgery.

• Constantly seek guidance from your nutritionist or physician.
• Make regular follow-up visits.
• Don’t take or discontinue any medicine without your doctor’s advice.
• Strictly following a liquid diet until the stomach and the digestive tract heels.
• Stay away from high calorie and low nutrition drinks.
• Do not consume carbonated drinks at all.
• Be careful while consuming milk and watch for lactose intolerance.
• When you resume with solid diet, make sure you don’t let your stomach do much work by chewing your food well.
• Don’t take in too much fluid around your solid meal.
• Eat small meal portions.
• Focus on a protein rich diet.
• Use whole grain cereals and avoid the consumption of simple carbohydrates.
• A sugar-free diet must be maintained after at least two weeks of the surgery.
• Follow a sugar-free diet as much as you can afterwards.
• Drink water regularly and avoid dehydration.
• Give up on snacks.
• No overeating.
• Don’t eat when you are not hungry.
• Try to overcome caffeine intake or at least minimize it.
• Alcohol can be dangerous for you so avoid its consumption.
• Women who have had this surgery should avoid pregnancy for no less than a period of 24 months.
• Try to return to an active normal life after surgery as soon as you can.
• Start exercising.

While your life will not become perfect after weight loss surgery and you may not completely get rid of your health problems, you would be able to greatly reduce more serious risks and increase your life expectancy. Following your doctor’s advice and making the necessary lifestyle and dietary habit changes can play a great role in reducing your troubles.