Many people are living longer, staying healthier, and living more productive lives owing to bariatric weight loss from the surgery and lifestyle changes. Often times people have the bariatric surgery and a weight loss goal in mind.
But there is a crucial component between the bariatric surgery and the goal weight that is often overlooked, or at least underestimated. And that is the strategy to achieve the weight loss. Strategies will include changes in diet and activities, relationships and coping skills.
Your doctor did the surgery. Now the lifestyle changes are up to you. So here are several crucial habits to start today.
Plan for Bariatric Weight Loss
If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. So, have a plan for bariatric weight loss. Then stick to the plan. And your excess weight will drop off.
Bill Streetman’s maintained 200-pounds lost since the gastric bypass surgery in 2010. Bill’s advice: Don’t consider weight loss surgery until you have a pre- and post-surgery diet and exercise plan.
Planning that includes the pre-surgery period will create an environment where I am more likely to succeed in my long-term goal of losing weight and maintaining that loss. The most important trait that will need to be learned and implemented is to eat by design and election. By having a pre- and post- bariatric surgery nutrition and exercise plan, you’ll be able to modify your approach on the fly. Read Bill’s 4 Strategies to Weight Loss Surgery Success.
Get Bariatric Weight Loss Support
Don’t make this journey in isolation. You need allies. Friends and advisors with whom you will swap stories, celebrate the wins, and work through the rough patches together.
Sandi Henderson’s lost 250-pounds since 2004. Sandi attributes one of the keys to her success: I was not alone on my journey.
I also created a strong support system: attending support group meetings regularly, meeting with my doctor regularly and creating a network of friends on similar journeys to associate with outside of the meetings… I asked for help and received it as needed. This is crucial to immediate and long-term success. Read about Lap-Band Surgery Success Sandi Henderson.
Self Love after Bariatric Weight Loss
Finding self acceptance after bariatric weight loss can be one of the most empowering benefits of the surgery.
Jen lost 135-pounds and kept it off after the gastric sleeve surgery. She says: Being obese I carried a lot of guilt and sadness…
I knew if I didn’t get underneath those thoughts and issues I couldn’t be successful in the long run… I’ve seen too many people not know themselves well enough… Getting to know yourself on a deeper level can be scary. I think people shy away from it because they are afraid of what they might confront and need to deal with. But without an willingness to get uncomfortable, I don’t think change is possible. If I had skipped the mental work of anything about this process… I wouldn’t be where I am today. Read Jen’s story of Finding Self Acceptance after Weight Loss.
Living larger than ever,
My Bariatric Life
