Prepare mentally for Bariatric Surgery

Undergoing an operation is potentially life changing and itโ€™s not a matter of just making sure ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐˜† is ready for this but also ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ. Your journey with a bariatric procedure is long and requires commitment and dedication for the weight loss to follow.

 

1 โ€“ ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€

Bariatric surgery is not the reason for your weight loss, but the tool to help you achieve a healthier weight. All individuals are different and what we also do know is that lifestyle habits and diets play a central role in losing weight. You have to be in for the long haul as it will take up to 1 year to achieve your goal.

 

2 โ€“ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐˜‚๐—ฝ ๐—ฎ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ

Support from your medical team of doctors, physiotherapists, dietitians and therapists are essential for your surgery to be successful. But having family and friends that support and encourage you to stick to your new habits and routines are crucial. Some days will be better than others, this is normal and it is nice to know that you have friends and family there to support you to stay motivated. You can also connect with groups and communities online who have been through or currently going through the same journey as you.

 

3 โ€“ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฝ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—™๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ

One of the most discussed topics on the impact it has on our health. With the help of a dietitian you can work on the relationship you have with food, your habits around eating, what your thoughts are around food and how you use it in your daily life. This is important because after your operation your food intake will be restricted and you will be advised to have a healthy diet.

 

4 โ€“ ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฒ

This will not only help your cardiopulmonary endurance but also reduce the risk to stroke, heart attacks, it helps with mood and sleep cycles. It doesnโ€™t have to mean buying expensive equipment or gym memberships; taking a walk, doing sit to stand repetitions from your kitchen chair, pushups by pressing down from your kitchen counter and lifting milk jugs will do it too.

 

5 โ€“ ๐—ข๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€

This is a good time to review your other habits such as smoking and drinking. Not only are they damaging but alcohol is also high in calories and with reducing your inhibitions you might be more vulnerable to overeating.

๐—ฆ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด increases your risks of complications after your surgery, such as; delayed wound healing, wound infections, pneumonias, heart attacks and stroke. A therapist can help you address these habits.

 

Undergoing bariatric surgery is ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด, it makes you analyse and reflect on your lifestyle and habits and make changes for the better. It is a long journey and requires dedication. Our medical team will be with you along every step of the way to support you and make sure that you are progressing well.