People struggling with serious weight problems always find dieting difficult. When they’re hungry, it’s easy to grab something quick, filling, convenient, and caloric and dietary sabotage is an everyday occurrence.
Bariatric surgery can make dieting much simpler. Shrinking the stomach to a half-cup size means that overeating, while not impossible, is at least very unpleasant.
People who could not plan their meals before becoming bariatric patients find they have to plan their meals after the surgery. Weight loss of over 100 pounds is common.
Even after becoming a bariatric patient, however, it’s still necessary to be careful about what you eat. If you once had to avoid food, you may find you have to carry food around to keep from becoming too hungry and losing weight too fast!
Becoming a bariatric patient and having the surgery is just a start toward weight control, but the 60 to 150 pounds (24 to 60 kg) you lose can be the beginning of a thinner and healthier lifestyle that will last the rest of you life. First, you need to make sure bariatric intervention is right for you.
Who is the ideal bariatric patient?
Usually, the bariatric patient suited for surgical weight loss is going to be at least 100 pounds (40 kg) overweight. Bariatric bypass surgery will help them lose 60 to 70 percent – but not all – excess weight.
A suitable bariatric patient is certainly somebody who has tried other things. Diets, lifestyle changes, and maybe medications are all simpler and less risky than bariatric surgery. Deciding to go for bariatric patient status should never be the first resort, but as a last resort, it can be highly effective for the people who really need it.
Who shouldn’t try to become a bariatric patient?
If there’s anyone characteristic essential to success as a bariatric patient, it’s the ability to deal with newfound attention. If people “get on your nerves,” you should be very careful about bariatric intervention.
Why is this?
When you lose half your body weight, many people literally won’t recognize you.
People who knew you before will relate to you in a different way. All of a sudden the barber or the hairdresser or even your doctor will say, “Wow! What happened to you! You look great! Turn around and let me see you!”
People who have been overweight for a long time usually aren’t used to being the objects of aesthetic and sexual attraction. More than any other factor, the inability to get used to being the new you will drive bariatric patients to regaining weight.
You also need to plan for giving food a different place in your life.
Simply put, you won’t be able to eat like you used to. Mealtimes can still be social, but you will not be able to eat what the people around you eat.
You will not be able to eat a variety of foods. You will be able to eat about a one-quarter cup of one of two foods. You can choose what that one food will be, but you can never eat as you did before.
People have many motivations for becoming bariatric patients. Losing weight can prevent or reverse sleep apnea, high blood pressure, diabetes, and congestive heart failure.
Losing weight can change the way you are treated in the workplace, by your friends, and by your family.
Looking good and feeling good can be an adventure for you.
Just be prepared for the changes in the ways people see you and be ready to give food a completely different place in your life. Do this, and becoming a bariatric patient can change your life dramatically for the better.