Life After Bariatric Surgery

Weight loss surgery is often described as “life changing”. And it really can be.

If you’re like most of our patients, you’ve been struggling against your weight for many years. You’ve tried several different approaches and become quite disheartened. Now, you’re considering bariatric surgery and wondering what your life might be like after that.

Watch Dr Lockie describe what to expect after weight loss surgery

Here’s what to expect.

You Can Expect An Initial Recovery Period

Your body has just been through surgery that’s made significant differences to your digestive system and you need time to recover. That usually involves 1-2 weeks off work and a liquid diet.

Initially, you’ll be on clear liquids only, such as water, pulp-free fruit juice or clear soups. After a few days, a full-fluid diet becomes possible. This means you can consume a wider range of fluids providing they’re still thin enough to be sucked through a straw. That may include thin smoothies and protein shakes, for example.

Around two weeks after surgery, you move onto a pureed diet. That can include fruit purees, vegetable soups, thicker smoothies or dips.

You can expect a changed relationship with food

Food is one of life’s great pleasures. It’s more than just a way to nourish our bodies – sharing a meal is also a way that we develop relationships with family and friends.

You can continue to enjoy all those aspects of food after bariatric surgery. But what you eat and how much you eat will change.

Your new eating pattern will involve smaller meals, focused on high protein, low-carb choices and ideally with practically no junk food. Eating like this will help you nourish your body, lose weight and avoid complications such as dumping syndrome.

You may need to break the habit of using food to provide comfort or relieve stress. That’s often one of the things you might work on with our psychologist Dr Michelle Van Vuuren. Becoming aware of why you’re eating when you’re not hungry can help you develop different ways of managing those feelings of anxiety, stress or sadness.

You Can Expect To Be More Active

Exercise is just as important in weight loss and weight maintenance as a healthy diet.

Your treatment team, which often includes an exercise physiologist, will encourage you to start moving more often so you get into a pattern of regular exercise.

Watch Paul Peglar, Sports Therapist & Exercise Physiologist at Start Training, explain how exercise, nutrition, and psychology all play a part in weight loss.

Like most things, this gets easier the more you do it. As the weight falls off and you feel lighter, it gets easier to move. And the more you move, the stronger your muscles become, which increases your stamina and enables you to do even more.

Our best advice? Be willing to try new things in order to find a form of exercise you enjoy. You don’t need to turn into a gym junkie unless that appeals to you! Regular exercise can involve activities such as walking, cycling, swimming, gardening and many other things.

You Can Expect Lo Lose Weight

Yes, you really can. A very high percentage of your excess weight will slip off as you now eat differently and exercise more.

The first 6 months will expect to see rapid weight loss. This continues over the next year but at a slower rate.

You Can Expect Some Mixed Emotions

Change isn’t always easy. You may have spent years imagining how great your life will be once you’re slim. You’ve imagined how you’ll be attractive, confident, vibrant and energetic as soon as the extra kilos have gone.

And now they have.

So, where’s the new you?

Losing weight often does increase your energy levels and confidence. But it’s not a magic bullet. It doesn’t fix everything you struggle with in life because many of those issues weren’t about your weight to begin with.

That’s why we provide psychological support as you adjust to life after bariatric surgery.

You Can Expect To Be Healthier

The health benefits of bariatric surgery are well documented. It lowers the risk of premature death from many diseases, including reducing the risk of:

• Heart disease – 40%
• Diabetes – by 92%
• Cancer – by 60%.

It also reduces the risk of sleep apnoea and improves musculoskeletal health.

You Can Expect To Get More Out Of Life

Many people report that their quality of life improves after bariatric surgery. Indeed, one review of the evidence found that quality of life ‘spectacularly improved’ after bariatric surgery for people with super obesity.

Improved quality of life can be seen in many different ways. For you, it may mean:

• Being able to play footie with your kids
• More adventurous family holidays
• Getting down on the floor to play with your grandchildren
• Looking better – and enjoying the compliments
• Having more energy so you can do more with your life
• Enjoying clothes shopping again
• Saying ‘yes’ instead of ‘no’ to social invitations
• Professional opportunities
• Ticking things off your bucket list.

How Can Dr Lockie Help?

As you can see, life after weight loss surgery involves many changes. You’ll be working on your diet, activity levels and mindset and getting used to a body that functions differently and looks different.

That’s why we use a multidisciplinary model of care. We know you need the expertise and support of a number of different professionals as you make those changes, including a surgeon, psychologist and dietitian. We also run patient support groups so you can draw on the experience of others making similar adjustments after their own surgeries.

If you’d like to learn more about how bariatric surgery could help you, please book a free initial consultation today.

Disclaimer

All information is general and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Dr Phil Lockie can consult with you to confirm if a particular treatment is right for you.

Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks.