Weight loss surgery

Weight loss surgery is one of many options available for those categorized as obese. But weight loss surgery is not a miracle cure. It takes as much work to succeed in losing weight after weight loss surgery as it does to be successful losing weight through diet and exercise. The difference is that, with weight loss surgery, you’ve got science helping you stick to that diet plan.

Is Weight Loss Surgery the Right Decision for You?

If you are wondering if weight loss surgery is the right solution for you, there are a few questions you should ask yourself:

  • Have you tried, and failed to lose weight with traditional diets?
  • Did you try to diet for a long period of time without cheating and still fail?
  • Has your doctor prescribed a drug for weight loss that has failed?
  • Have you tried any over the counter weight loss medications and failed to lose a significant amount of weight?
  • Have you been unsuccessful I losing weight after adding a moderate exercise routine to your daily schedule?
  • Has your primary care physician suggested that you might be a good candidate for weight loss surgery?

Honesty Can Equal Success
One of the most important things you can do for yourself before you decide to have weight loss surgery is to be honest with your self about the failure of other diet plans you’ve tried. If you consistently fail when dieting because you do not stick to the plan, because you cheat on the diet, or because you do not exercise, then weight loss surgery may not work for you. You see, if you have weight loss surgery but continue to exert little control over your impulses, then you will not have a long term weight loss.

Many people think that weight loss surgery will do the work for them. They assume that after the surgery, their desire to eat will be reduced and that will make the difference between success and failure for them. In reality, many obese people have a desire to eat not from actual hunger, but from psychological factors. In order to avoid painful emotions, to comfort themselves, to feel happy and hopeful, many obese food turn to food. Weight loss surgery is not going to remove this tendency from you. You will still have to fight off the urge to ease disappointment with ice cream, soothe nerves with pretzels and coddle fragile self esteem in mashed potatoes and gravy.

It is advisable that you get help from a counselor or therapist for these types of eating disorders before and after your weight loss surgery. Why put your body at risk with these complicated surgeries only to have to face the same demons and end up in the same position within five years?

Risks of Weight Loss Surgery
Whether you choose gastric bypass surgery, lap band surgery, or stomach stapling, there are many risks associated with the surgery. Surgery is dangerous for anyone, but on obese patients, it is even more challenging. It is difficult to regulate the amount of anesthesia needed during the surgery, since the patient’s weight makes them especially hard to regulate. There is a risk of blood clot or hemorrhage. There is also a risk of infection and leaks from stomach staples if stomach stapling is done.

With these risks in mind, it is important that you discuss with your primary care physician and surgeon what can be done during surgery if there is a problem, and whether or not it is actually worth it in your case to undergo these risks.

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Last updated on Sep 14th, 2009 and filed under Weight Loss. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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