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The following identifies areas
that will be important for patients to follow after weight loss
surgery.
Post-Surgery
Diet
Going
Back to Work
Birth
Control & Pregnancy
Long-Term
Follow-Up
Weight
Loss Surgery Support Groups
The modifications made to your gastrointestinal tract will
require permanent changes in your eating habits that must be
adhered to for successful weight loss. Post-surgery dietary
guidelines will vary by bariatric surgeon. You may hear of other
patients who are given different guidelines following their
morbid obesity surgery. It is important to remember that every
bariatric surgeon does not perform the exact same weight loss
surgery procedure and that the dietary guidelines will be
different for each surgeon and each type of procedure. What is
most important is that you adhere strictly to your surgeon's
recommended guidelines. The following are some of the generally
accepted dietary guidelines an obesity surgery patient may
encounter:
- When you start eating solid
food it is essential that you chew thoroughly. You will not
be able to eat steaks or other chunks of meat if they are
not ground or chewed thoroughly.
- Don't drink fluids while
eating. They will make you feel full before you have
consumed enough food.
- Omit desserts and other
items with sugar listed as one of the first three
ingredients.
- Omit carbonated drinks,
high-calorie nutritional supplements, milk shakes, high-fat
foods and foods with high fiber content.
- Avoid alcohol.
- Limit snacking between
meals.
Your ability to resume pre-surgery levels of activity will vary
according to your physical condition, the nature of the activity
and the type of weight loss surgery you had. Many patients
return to full pre-surgery levels of activity within six weeks
of their morbid obesity procedure. Patients who have had a
minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure may be able to return
to these activities within a few weeks.
It is strongly advised that women of childbearing age use the
most effective forms of birth control during the first 16 to 24
months after obesity surgery. The added demands pregnancy places
on your body and the potential for fetal damage make this a most
important requirement.
Although the short-term effects of obesity surgery are well
understood, there are still questions to be answered about the
long-term effects on nutrition and body systems. Nutritional
deficiencies that occur over the course of many years will need
to be studied. Over time, you will need periodic checks for
anemia (low red blood cell count) and Vitamin B12, folate and
iron levels. Follow-up tests will initially be conducted every
three to six months or as needed, and then every one to two
years.
The widespread use of support groups has provided weight loss
surgery patients an excellent opportunity to discuss their
various personal and professional issues. Most learn, for
example, that weight loss surgery will not immediately resolve
existing emotional issues or heal the years of damage that
morbid obesity might have inflicted on their emotional
well-being. Most surgeons have support groups in place to assist
you with short-term and long-term questions and needs. Most
bariatric surgeons who frequently perform weight loss surgery
will tell you that ongoing post-surgical support helps produce
the greatest level of success for their patients.
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