Maintaining Long-term Weight Loss after Gastric Sleeve and Gastric Bypass
Weight loss immediately after Gastric Sleeve and Gastric Bypass surgery is rewarding. Your body is adjusting to the changes and often times the weight seems to be coming off with little or no effort. However, when the honeymoon period ends, the real work begins.
Weight loss surgery is not the end of the weight loss process, it’s the beginning. Gastric Sleeve and Gastric Bypass procedures are only tools to jumpstart weight loss. For long term success and weight maintenance, it’s important for patients to adopt healthy lifestyle changes, full of exercise and nutritious choices for life.
Here are my top tips for Gastric Sleeve and Gastric Bypass patients to maintain their weight loss throughout their life:
- Weigh Yourself Every Week After Gastric Sleeve Surgery
I hear a lot of patients say they rely on how their clothes fit to determine if they’re losing, maintaining or gaining weight. But the fact of the matter is your clothes stretch, but the scale doesn’t lie. Weighing yourself once a week is the best way to maintain your weight. It allows you to spot weight gain fast, and take the steps immediately to get yourself back on track. - Be a Conscious Consumer
It’s important to know what food your body is taking in, and that means reading the nutritional labels, counting calories and keeping a food diary. There are two web sites that can help you with the process - fitday.com and caloriecount.about.com. You just fill in the food and portion size and they do the counting for you. Many people are unconscious eaters; they don’t realize the extent of the amount of food they’re consuming each day. - Exercise
There’s no getting out of exercise, it’s essential to maintaining weight loss after gastric sleeve and gastric bypass surgery and an important addition to your lifestyle to maintain your health for years to come. Remember to start slow, with a walk, and work your way up to more strenuous exercise – jogging and resistance training - as your ability progresses. It can be intimidating to get started so if you need help, don’t be afraid to ask. At the New Jersey Bariatric Center® we offer beginner exercise classes once a month. The key is to find a qualified professional such as a physical therapist to give you the proper instruction so you get started safely and in the right direction. - Evaluate Weight Gain
Most of my patients who start to gain weight back often say they can’t figure out why because they’re eating habits remain healthy. After all that hard work to get the weight off, it’s often hard for to come to terms that your eating habits may be causing weight gain. Weight loss is hard, and over your lifetime, you’re going to gain a little weight. The key is to not beat yourself up about it and drive yourself to a place of emotional eating where food becomes comfort. When you’re honest with yourself and address the problem, then you’ll be able to get yourself back on track. Remember it’s a lifestyle change you’re making, and you’ll hit some bumps along the road, but it’s a journey worth taking to maintain your health. - Don’t Deprive Yourself
Don’t be afraid of food, especially treating yourself once a week. The more you deprive yourself of something the more you crave it. By giving yourself a little treat, you’ll be able to fend off the everyday temptations. - Follow the Post-Surgery Guidelines
I find it’s a good rule of thumb to stick to the guidelines your doctor gave you post-surgery – eat slow, no snacking/grazing, eat three times a day, no liquid calories, and no fast food. Not only are they good guidelines post surgery, but they apply to helping you maintain your weight loss and healthy lifestyle. - Visit Your Surgeon Regularly
It’s also key to visit your bariatric surgeon at least once a year. They can help you spot the trouble areas, help you deal with weight struggles early on and perform a nutritional evaluation to make sure you’re maintain the vitamin and protein levels needed to live a healthy life.
The decision to undergo any bariatric surgery procedure should be made carefully after thorough consultation with an experienced bariatric surgeon who can evaluate your specific needs and health goals.
To find out if you qualify, call 908-481-1270
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Ajay Goyal, MD, FACS, is founder and director of the New Jersey Bariatric Center®, a surgical & medical weight loss center with offices in Springfield, Somerville, Hoboken, East Brunswick, Sparta, and Totowa, New Jersey. New Jersey Bariatric Center® helps patients achieve long-term weight loss success through the most advanced bariatric surgery procedures, including gastric sleeve and gastric bypass procedures. New Jersey Bariatric Center’s approach to patient care has resulted in complication rate that is lower than the national average.
