You have struggled all of your life with obesity. Dieting and exercising alone never gave you the results you needed to live a healthy lifestyle. So you turned to bariatric surgery. By following the diet and exercise recommendations of your health professional after surgery, you have been able to lose a large amount of weight in a year’s time. You should feel proud of your accomplishment, but have a new body image issue to deal with. Because you lost so much weight at a relatively quick pace, your skin is left hanging and sagging on your body. Instead of loving your new body, you feel ashamed and embarrassed by this new development. 

There are plastic surgery options for excess skin issues that can occur after bariatric surgery.  Plastic surgery can be used to address sagging breasts, hanging skin on the arms, tummy-tuck for excess skin on the abdomen, face lift for excess skin on the jowls and chin, as well as hanging skin on the thighs.  You can choose to have just one of these surgeries, or have a combination of surgeries.  A combination of skin removal surgeries tailored to your specific needs is known as a body lift.  While a body lift will often garner the desired physical appearance and allow the patient to wear the clothes they imagined when they began their weight loss journey, it is a very complex surgery.  With complexity of the surgery comes increased risk and recovery time. 

Choosing to have plastic surgery after your bariatric procedure should be given as much consideration as you gave your initial surgery.  Included in your consideration should be the cost of plastic surgery.  At your consultation, your surgeon will give you a quote on the procedures you wish to have done.  However, the initial quote does not take into account any unforeseen circumstances or complications during surgery.  The surgeon’s fee alone for a single procedure can cost anywhere between $3,000 and $7,000.  This does not include the anesthesiologist’s fee, cost of x-rays and lab tests, or medical facility costs.

Plastic surgery can get you closer to the ideal body you have been working towards, but its benefits are purely cosmetic.  It is a costly procedure, and can have a long, painful recovery period.  You should weigh your options careful before you decide on post-bariatric plastic surgery.   

Focus 28 Team

www.focus28diet.com

Living life as an overweight person can be a danger to your health, your self-image, and your social interactions.  Because of these dangers, bariatric surgery has become a more and more popular weight loss aid.  However, it is not a decision to be taken lightly.  While weight loss surgery can help the right candidate, it is not for everyone.

What does a good candidate for weight loss surgery look like?  A good candidate will fall in the morbidly obese range, meaning they are in imminent danger of deadly disease directly resulting from being obese.  Someone with a body mass index (BMI) of 50 or more, or someone who is 100 pounds or more overweight is considered morbidly obese.  Even if you fall in this range, you should exhaust all non-surgical options for weight loss before you consider bariatric surgery.  Surgery comes with risks and complications.  It is expensive and can require extensive recovery time if anything goes wrong.  But, if you have had many failed attempts at dieting and exercise as a means to lose weight, bariatric surgery could be the extra help you need.

Even if you meet the profile of a good candidate for bariatric surgery from a physical standpoint, you need to address psychological issues as well.  Many obese people suffer from psychological problems such as depression and anxiety.  These problems may stem from the failed attempts at dieting and the inability to lose weight.  On the other hand, psychological issues may be the cause of weight gain in the first place.  You should undergo a psychiatric evaluation before you decide to have gastric bypass or Lap Band surgery.  Be honest with yourself, and consider what emotional issues may prevent a successful bariatric surgery.

What does a successful bariatric surgery entail?  A surgery resulting in long-term weight loss requires a lifestyle overhaul.  You will have to stick to strict diet for the rest of your life to get the proper nutrition you need after surgery.  To maintain weight loss, fitness has to be incorporated in your daily routine.  Drastic weight loss can affect your relationships.  You may find that you have to let go of certain people to have healthy relationships as you move on after bariatric surgery.  It can change the way you look and dress, changing how society views you.  You will need loads of support along the way, from family and friends, to counselors and therapists, to support groups and image consultants.

It’s wonderful if you feel you’re ready to change your life through bariatric surgery.  However, take the time to educate yourself on how it can affect the rest of your life for better or worse.  As you have probably experienced, there is no quick fix for weight loss, and bariatric surgery is no exception.  Addressing all of the issues related to bariatric surgery will only aid you in sustaining long-term weight loss should you decide on gastric bypass or Lap Band procedure.

Focus 28 Team

www.focus28diet.com

Gastric bypass or Lap Band surgery can be life changing if successful.  Like any life altering event, no one should go through it alone.  Finding a friend or relative to support you through the process from the beginning will be instrumental in your success.

You will likely encounter many sources of support through your bariatric surgery journey.  Support groups, counselors, your lifestyle coach, your doctor and nutritionist can all play a part in aiding you down this life changing path.  In general, candidates for bariatric surgery are morbidly obese, meaning they are 50% heavier than what is healthy, or they need to lose 100 pounds or more.  Losing such a large amount of weight is a difficult task, even with the help of bariatric surgery.  In addition, the struggle does not end with losing the weight.  When you successfully lose that amount of weight, you will be a new person.  People will look at you differently than before, and you will feel differently about yourself.

While it is helpful to enlist the support of others along the way, you should have someone to lean on even before you decide bariatric surgery is right for you.  This person should know you well.  They should love and care about the person you are before the surgery and want to see you succeed.  It is common for relationships to change or be strained after a successful bariatric surgery.  People can become jealous of your transformation.  How do you find someone you can trust?

Use your instincts.  Are there friends or family in your life who you feel may not fully support your transformation?  Have they turned on other friends or family before?  These people will not be good candidates for support.  Choose someone who has been there for you in the past.  Perhaps they have helped you through difficulty before.  Make sure you have a mutual understanding with the friend or family member you choose.  Be sure they have the desire and resources to help you.  Don’t choose someone who has psychological or health issues of their own.  They may not have the means to focus on your problems as well as theirs. 

A friend or relative supporter should be there to hear you out when you feel hopeless.  They should motivate you when you think something is impossible.  They should be your number one cheerleader when you succeed.  Don’t go it alone – find the support you need in a friend or family member as you embark upon your bariatric surgery journey.

Focus 28 Team

www.focus28diet.com

The weight loss success of your bariatric surgery depends upon the diet and exercise habits you adhere to post-op.  While a healthy diet will help take the weight off in the beginning, following a good exercise regime will help maintain the goal weight that you have worked so hard to achieve. 

Ideally, exercise should begin before your operation to aid in losing the 10% of your body weight most doctors require before bariatric surgery.  Even on the first day after your surgery, you can begin forming an exercise routine.  Especially in the beginning, your exercise program should be supervised by your doctor.  Exercise that works the abdominal muscles such as lifting weights, abdominal crunches, and swimming should not be done until you are healed from surgery.  If everything goes without complications, you should be able to do some light stretching the first day after your surgery.  Walking is also a great exercise to do initially after surgery.  Start by taking a few steps.  Even if you are only able to do a few minutes at a time, keep at it each day.  If you are new to exercise, walking is great.  Anyone can do it and it requires very little cost or equipment.

Once you are healed from your surgery, you can begin to work out in a wider range of motion.  In order to stick to an exercise routine, you need to enjoy it.  Try things that sound appealing to you.  Maybe you love to swim, or maybe you’ve always wanted to try rock climbing.  Enlist a friend or join a class to keep you motivated.  Mix up your activities so your routine doesn’t become boring.  Incorporate different types of exercise into your program.  For example, aerobic, cardio, and weight training exercise help sculpt the body in different ways.  Exercise should be enjoyable, and the more fun you make it, the more likely you are to stick to a program.

If you have never exercised before and aren’t sure where to begin, consider enlisting the help of a personal trainer.  They can tailor a program to your fitness goals and motivate you to push yourself to new fitness levels.  With or without the help of a professional, exercise is instrumental in losing and maintaining weight loss after bariatric surgery.  Not only does it burn fat, it helps prevent sagging skin due to rapid weight loss, releases endorphins for mental well-being, and can be a great way to meet new people and try things you never thought possible before your bariatric surgery. 

Lisa Avellino

Focus 28 Fitness Expert

lavellino@focus28diet.com

www.focus28diet.com

It’s no secret that people who are obese face greater risk for some diseases. Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke probably sound like the familiar culprits of being too overweight. Unfortunately, there are many other diseases that can directly be attributed to being obese. Sleep apnea is caused by fatty deposits in an overweight person’s breathing passages. Obese people may have an enlarged heart because the muscle has to work so much harder than it would in a person at a healthy weight. Too much body fat can scar the liver causing liver disease. What about sexual health? Overweight people risk erectile dysfunction, ovarian cysts, incontinence, and infertility. Obesity causes hernias, gout, arthritis, and kidney failure. Excess body fat also affects the brain, and can cause depression.
 

Bariatric surgery is often considered for cosmetic purposes, but perhaps the greater benefit of the surgery is a decrease in health risks. Bariatric surgery works by reducing the size of the stomach, and in turn, reducing the amount of food intake. After gastric bypass or lap-band surgery, only a small amount of food can be eaten. Instead of regular meal size, only about a half cup can be ingested at a time. With the help of the bariatric surgery, portion size is greatly reduced, and substantial weight loss can be achieved.

But does bariatric surgery eliminate all of the health risks associated with being overweight? What gastric bypass or lap-band surgery can do is lower blood pressure and cholesterol through weight loss. High blood pressure and high cholesterol are linked to many of the diseases caused by obesity, especially stroke and heart disease. Disease such as sleep apnea and liver disease can be reversed by a reduction of fat in the body due to weight loss.

Another health benefit to bariatric surgery is that it has been shown to eliminate type 2 diabetes in patients, meaning they no longer have to use insulin to control the sugar levels in their bodies. This is significant because many times, diabetes is cured in patients even before they have had time to show significant weight-loss. It has been suggested that the surgical attachment of the lower small intestine that takes place during gastric by-pass surgery is the cause. This is one benefit of bariatric surgery that could not be achieved as quickly through non-surgical weight loss. While surgery comes with its own risks, it is safe to say health hazards can be greatly reduced and even eliminated with bariatric surgery. 

Focus 28 Team

www.focus28diet.com

Many components must come together for a successful bariatric surgery result.  You will need to learn a completely different way of eating.  Vitamin and protein supplements will become part of your diet.  You may be beginning a fitness program for the first time. 

As you lose the weight, you may have issues with self-image.  Your relationships will be put to the test as you make the transformation.  Sound overwhelming?  It can be, especially if you go at it alone.  Don’t embark on your bariatric surgery alone.  Consider joining a program the takes a comprehensive look at bariatric surgery.  It can be the help you need to create and embrace this new lifestyle.

These bariatric programs, such as Focus 28, take a multi-faceted approach to weight loss after bariatric surgery.  For example, Focus 28 focuses on nutrition, fitness, image, and empowerment.  The programs have a high success rate because they take on weight loss not from just a physical standpoint, but emotional as well. 

From a nutritional standpoint, Focus 28 offers a 28 day “boot camp” to jump start your weight loss success.   The boot camp kits contain the dietary supplements your body needs to lose weight most effectively.

As far as fitness goes, Focus 28 will provide a fitness consultant that can tailor an exercise program to your specific needs.  An effective fitness program is vital in sustaining weight loss.

Focus 28 also offers the help of image consultants.  Feeling comfortable in your new skin after surgery goes beyond nutrition and fitness to the way you see yourself and what image you want to project.  Weight loss is difficult to maintain without a healthy self-image.

An empowerment expert can also be enlisted.  Bariatric surgery is not only about reaching weight loss goals, but being empowered to reach other life goals as well.  Taking control of your weight is just one part of taking control of the rest of your life.

Choosing bariatric surgery is a lifetime commitment to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Many patients find difficulty maintaining the strides they have made in weight loss over a long period of time.  A bariatric program can give you the tools you need to sustain healthy living long after your bariatric surgery.

Focus 28 Team

www.focus28diet.com

Candidates for bariatric surgery often have psychological issues that accompany obesity, and psychological testing is usually required to ensure that your surgery can be successful. Food addiction, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem can both stem from and perpetuate obesity. It is so important to address these psychological issues both before and after gastric bypass or Lap Band surgery.

There are several support outlets for psychological issues related to being obese. Before bariatric surgery is even considered, you may want to seek weight loss counseling. Addressing addiction and depression issues through long-term counseling has shown to improve the chances of losing weight and maintaining weight loss. Long-term counseling may be the support you need to garner weight loss without the risk of surgery.

Should bariatric surgery prove to be the next step in a healthier lifestyle, consider enlisting the help of a lifestyle coach.  Gastric bypass or Lap Band surgery is only the first step toward a long journey of changing your life so you can really live. A lifestyle coach can help you address the psychological issues of being obese and going through major weight loss. In addition they can help change your daily routine to help quit old habits and realize your potential weight loss success. Your lifestyle coach will assist you in discovering the tools you need to balance your inner emotional life and the way you physically live.

Another way to cope with psychological issues is to join a support group of people who have also gone through bariatric surgery. They have likely dealt with similar obesity-related psychological issues such as depression and food addiction.  Just knowing someone else has faced and overcome similar struggles can be a great motivator.

The internet is also a wonderful resource. There is a wealth of information waiting to be tapped into online. Join an online forum to enter into conversation with others about the psychological effects of bariatric surgery. Everyone has different experiences with living as an obese person as well as overcoming obesity. Much can be learned from the sharing of experience. In addition, you can be as anonymous as you want, giving you the courage to address psychological concerns you may not be comfortable sharing face to face.  3

Help with psychological issues relating to obesity can be sought one-on-one, in a group setting, or online. Whichever route you choose to seek help, it is vital to have mental and emotional support for the challenges you will face with your bariatric surgery.  The more support and guidance you have in your corner, the better results you will achieve after gastric bypass or Lap Band surgery. 

Focus 28 Team

www.focus28diet.com

As an obese person, you lived a certain way.  You ate a particular way, you had a certain set of activities, and you had your own routine.  People viewed you in a certain light, whether they knew you or not.  But now, your success with gastric bypass or Lab Band surgery has changed all of that.  You have a whole new routine of healthy eating and exercise.  You have a new body and people have begun to see you differently, perhaps.  The way you see yourself has changed.  There is a new-found confidence in you.  You’re a brand new package, but how do you present that package to world?  How do you want to display the positive changes you have made?

This is where an image consultant comes in.  An image consultant can help you to meld together all of the aspects of your life that have changed because of your bariatric surgery.  Some aspects an image consultant may address are wellness, fitness, beauty and fashion.

Wellness:  While your doctor and nutritionist may have helped you with post-surgery eating habits, there are other aspects of wellness your consultant can help you address.  What are you missing in your wellness routine?  Maybe it’s spirituality, or maybe it’s quality sleep.  Maybe it’s the people you surround yourself with.  Your consultant can help you with ways beyond eating to improve your general well-being.

Fitness:  Healthy eating habits are responsible for taking much of the weight off in the beginning, but fitness will maintain the results you have worked hard to achieve.  Your image consultant can help you incorporate fitness into your routine.  Maybe you were afraid or embarrassed to work out in a gym or join a yoga class before.  Let your consultant guide you in your new options for fitness that your new body renders.

Beauty:  Your body has been completely altered now that you’ve lost the weight.  You feel more beautiful than ever on the inside, but how do you reflect that on the outside?  What is your idea of beauty and how do you want others to see you?  Your image consultant can help tailor a look that is more in line with the way you see yourself.

Fashion:  Clothes are a huge nonverbal communicator.  They can say “I’m a professional,” or “I’m warm and open.”  Perhaps you felt your clothing options were limited before your surgery.  Whether you have reached your ideal body weight, or have just hit your first milestone, your image consultant can help your clothes reflect the positive changes in you.

An image consultant can help you put on display the brand new package you’ve become after bariatric surgery.  Some bariatric support programs, such as Focus 28, have image consultants on staff.  An image consultant is a great resource when you feel you need help in getting others to see what you already know about yourself.

Focus 28 Team

www.focus28diet.com

Deciding to go through with bariatric surgery is life-altering. It’s vital to realize that losing weight through surgery will have implications on how you eat for the rest of your life. Like most life-changing choices, bariatric surgery is not done alone. Many people in your life will play an important role in your weight loss surgery. On your team of supporters, your nutritionist will be your coach in preparing for your operation and getting results post-surgery.

If you’re considering bariatric surgery, it is probably because you have exhausted non-surgical options and have struggled with dieting in the past. Be forewarned; gastric bypass or lap-band surgery is not an escape from dieting. Even with the help of bariatric surgery, significant weight loss won’t occur without a healthy, portion controlled diet. Especially if dieting has not worked for you in the past, a nutritionist is your key to staying on the right track after your operation.  

Pre- Surgery:

Once you have decided on bariatric surgery, your nutritionist can tailor a diet plan for you and your specific needs months prior to the operation. He or she will closely monitor your progress. If you are able to meet weight loss goals through diet alone, your nutritionist may suggest you forgo the bariatric surgery and stick to the diet regime. If diet alone is not getting you results, your nutritionist will continue to help you on your path to surgery.  He or she will educate you on how to eat as you recover from your bariatric operation and how to achieve and maintain weight loss over time.  With help from your nutritionist, eating healthier and smaller portions before your surgery will be helpful in adjusting to your new post-operation lifestyle. 

Post-Surgery:

Bariatric surgery is a process that does not end with your operation. Post-surgery, you will need the support of friends and family, support groups, plastic surgeons, therapists, and your nutritionist to meet your weight loss goals.  Both gastric bypass and lap-band surgeries alter the capacity of the stomach drastically.  The smaller stomach size causes a feeling of fullness more quickly, and you should not feel the need to eat as much as before the surgery.  Because you will be eating much less, it is important that you are getting the proper nutrition from everything you do eat.  Your nutritionist should help you choose foods that are low in fat and sugar and high in protein.  With the help of your nutritionist, you can loss the weight and maintain a healthier lifestyle through bariatric surgery. 

Focus 28 Team

www.focus28diet.com

Bariatric surgery is a lifetime journey that begins from the moment you decide gastric bypass or Lap Band surgery might be right for you.  As you make your decision, begin the process of losing pre-op weight, and adjust to your new lifestyle after surgery, an online bariatric surgery forum can be a valuable source of information and support.

An online forum is a formed by a community of people that have similar interests or share a common goal.  It acts as a message board where people can begin a dialogue on a variety of topics.  Not only can you learn a lot from postings on online forums, you may also begin to form bonds with forum members.  Forums can be a great online resource for those in all stages of the bariatric surgery process.

Unsure about how to join an online forum?  A good place to start is to search the internet for forums related to bariatric surgery.  Sites such as www.obesityhelp.com, and www.lapbandtalk.com have online communities and forums you can join for free.  Start by browsing the message board.  There will be a variety of topics, ranging from pre-op questions, to hair loss issues, to “anyone else’s legs falling asleep?”  Click on a topic to read other members’ questions and responses and to post your own.

Online forums are a great place to get advice from people going through similar challenges that bariatric surgery can present.  Even if you think you’re alone on some issue, chances are someone else has been there too.  You probably have a lot of support from friends and family and health professionals, but if none of them have experienced bariatric surgery, you may be missing an important link.  An online forum can connect you to thousands of people at different stages of bariatric surgery. 

In addition to learning from and connecting to other bariatric surgery patients, you can share your own experiences.  Your own valuable advice can help pull someone else through a difficult spot.  Many sites enable you to track your weight and post pictures of your progress.  Through these online tools, you have access to a whole new community to share in your successes.

Focus 28 Team

www.focus28diet.com