When looking into the option of having weight loss surgery, most people will focus on their physical health. Whilst this is an important factor, mental health is a key factor in the success of weight loss surgery because this can affect a person’s eating, exercise, and day-to-day habits. You need to be mentally ready for weight loss surgery to increase the chance of success.
Realistic expectations
It is important to set realistic expectations about the weight loss that you will see after the surgery. You will not wake up immediately thin. The weight loss surgery is designed to provide you with a greater chance at weight loss by reducing your desire and ability to eat large quantities of food, not to take away weight. By reducing the amount that you eat, weight will be reduced gradually over time, so it is important to set long-term goals that can be achieved over a period of time.
Stress eating?
With this in mind, it is important to consider whether you stress eat. If the answer is yes, then you will need to work out what is causing this stress and try and find ways to alleviate it or deal with it in different ways. For example; instead of turning to food when you are feeling stressed, you could go for a walk or take the time to write about what is causing the stress. Going through any kind of surgery is always stressful, so by addressing this issue before weight loss surgery, you will be in a much better mindset afterwards, which will help you to stay strictly on the diet plan recommended by your dietician.
Do it together
Having support to help you and keep you motivated is key to ensuring that you are mentally focused on weight loss and that you are ready for the surgery. By having someone there to talk to, you can share worries, have help setting realistic goals, and having the knowledge that there is someone there for you can put you in a better state of mind to deal with the challenges you face with your weight loss journey both before and after surgery.
If you are worried, say something
If you have any worries about the weight loss surgery or what happens after, you should talk to your consultant. They will be able to provide you with all the information you will need and put your mind at ease, making the whole process less stressful, more fulfilling, and help you to achieve the results you want.
Ensuring that you are mentally prepared for the process involved in weight loss surgery is vital to ensuring its success. You need to be motivated to hit your realistic goals and happy to ask questions that are worrying you and therefore causing you stress. Even if you don’t want to talk to family and friends about your weight loss process, you will always find support and guidance from the team at Streamline Surgical.
To enquire with Streamline about the weight loss procedures we offer, please call 0333 016 3030 or fill in the online enquiry form below.