4 Myths of Weight Loss Surgery
4 Myths of Weight Loss Surgery
(and the real truth...)
LET'S BREAK IT DOWN...
Weight loss surgery is a life changing procedure- and potentially life saving procedure- to help you lose a significant amount of weight by restricting the amount you can eat at a time. As many individuals turn towards this proven method to lose weight and improve their health, there are many who are unwilling to consider this form of treatment for various reasons.
Before making your assumptions about weight loss surgery, lets break down the top 4 myths.
1. Surgery is the easy way out
I wish I could tell you that it was...I really do, but that would just not be true. While I myself have not undergone weight loss surgery, I have helped hundreds who have and I've seen that it's no magic bullet. The most successful patients I've worked with step up to the plate every day and put in the effort to make lasting changes that will help them reach their goals. For anyone to see the full effects of surgery, it's essential to adopt changes to lifestyle and diet to support healthy weight management. Some doctors and clinics may even recommend or offer additional services from a dietitian and psychologist to help you make these adjustments.
2. You'll regain most, if not all, of your lost weight
Although some individuals who have undergone weight loss surgery may regain some weight in the years after their procedure, it's not the norm. According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), up to 50 percent of bariatric surgery patients may regain weight in the years after surgery, but it usually only amounts to 5 percent of the weight lost. Success will come to those who have embraced the recommended post-operative dietary and lifestyle guidelines.
3. Surgery is more risky than obesity itself
Historically, obesity has acquired a reputation to be centered around lack of willpower or carelessness of lifestyle, but this needs to change. It's crucial that we treat obesity as what it truly is, a disease, and one that is often linked to other serious health conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and others. Left untreated, obesity can even lead to death.
Weight loss surgery on the other hand is an incredibly safe procedure. A study from Cleveland Clinic's Bariatric and Metabolic Institute compared the complication and death rates of common surgical procedures (laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, appendectomy, colon resection, hysterectomy, heart surgery, and total knee replacement) to that of the gastric bypass and found that the 30-day complication rate for the gastric bypass was 3.4 percent (or about the same as for the laparoscopic gallbladder surgery and hysterectomy). Additionally, studies have shown that bariatric surgery patients are able to reduce their mortality rate by up to 89 percent compared with severely obese people who avoid treatment.
4. You can eat whatever you want after surgery, just smaller amounts
Unfortunately, this is just wishful thinking. Taking in smaller portions of fast food, sugary coffee drinks, high carb snacks, and other indulgences will only help with weight loss to a certain point. To get significant and long-lasting results means forming a new relationship with food- a relationship founded on food as fuel, not just as fun. Now don't get me wrong, you shouldn't be forcing yourself to eat foods you don't like, but rather eating more of the healthy options you do enjoy. Finding a healthier life and body means doing an overhaul on your diet and learning more about how to fuel yourself properly.
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