What is Bariatric Surgery?
And is it right for you?
I’m going to be honest. As a dietitian, I had my preconceived notions and biases about weight loss surgery. I thought it was the easy way out. And I was WRONG. Weight loss surgery is not a magic pill, it will not solve the world’s obesity problems and it is absolutely not the easy way out. After working in the bariatric field for some time now, I have come to appreciate how life changing surgery can be; for the better and sometimes unfortunately for the worse. I have seen clients lose 150lbs in a year and say surgery was the best decision they ever made. On the other hand, I have seen clients who return to their old eating habits and regret the decision. So, what exactly is bariatric surgery and who should get it?
Surgery should be considered as the last resort after unsuccessfully trying to lose weight on your own through methods such as conventional dieting and exercise.
Bariatric surgery is a surgical treatment to help individuals lose a significant amount of weight. Surgery should be considered as the last resort after unsuccessfully trying to lose weight on your own through methods such as conventional dieting and exercise. The requirements for surgery, developed by the National Institute of Health, include having a BMI greater than 35 with comorbidities or having a BMI greater than 40. I personally would recommend it for those who have more than 75lbs to lose. There are different types of surgeries, the most common being the gastric sleeve and gastric bypass. Both have their benefits and risks. The gastric bypass involves repositioning your intestine so that the food you eat is not fully absorbed. The gastric sleeve involves removing 80% of your stomach so that you will get full quicker and it also produces less hunger hormones making you less hungry, both resulting in you eating less. Both surgeries reduce calorie intake which lead to weight loss.
I have seen that the most successful weight loss surgeries happen in patients that change their lifestyles prior to surgery.
Weight loss surgery is a great tool to achieve weight loss and improve your health. However, at the end of the day it is just a tool. A lot of work still has to be done by the individual, but the surgery makes it much easier for you to do your part. I have seen that the most successful weight loss surgeries happen in patients that change their lifestyles prior to surgery. To be approved for surgery, most insurances require individuals to commit to a supervised nutrition program for 3 or 6 months. This may seem like a long time or a hassle, but it is a great way to: 1. Prepare you for the lifestyle change that comes with surgery and 2. Determine if surgery is right for you. If sticking to the behavior changes required for surgery is not something that you can do for 6 months, then it will be difficult committing to it forever after surgery. And if you're not ready to make these changes now, then you'll end up doing more harm than good in the long run. Most people think they will definitely change and follow all the rules once they have surgery. Unfortunately, surgery does not magically make you eat healthier, nor does it fix the emotional reasons why we eat.
