Weight loss surgery is the most effective treatment available for people who have long term difficulty achieving sustained weight loss. However, the surgery is not a guarantee of reaching a set target in weight.
The eventual steady post-op weight will depend on 3 things:
- The correct operation choice
- The operation being performed correctly
- The patient following the rules and guidance on lifestyle and diet change
Whilst Streamline can certainly control and optimise the first two, we can’t always ensure the final point, so we need our patients to feel supported and empowered to make the changes needed to maximise their results and keep the weight off. Sometimes this isn’t easy due to lifestyle and other reasons. That’s why we have a full multi-disciplinary team to help patients along the journey to a lower and more stable weight.
Many people who choose weight loss surgery have spent years trying and failing to keep weight off. Inevitably this leads to a fear of regaining the weight they’ve lost through surgery.
After successful surgery, most patients are extremely diligent with their diet plans and keeping up their exercise routines. However, as time goes on, people can become more relaxed about their weight loss plan, leading them to eat more and exercise less, meaning that they are no longer burning off any excess calories they are taking in.
Typically, if people start to regain weight after surgery, this will begin to happen around 2 years post-surgery. The main reasons for this are:
- Over-eating (Binge eating)
- Continuing to eat despite feeling full
- Snacking or grazing throughout the day rather than eating set meals
- Struggling to control food cravings
- Eating a high proportion of unhealthy, unbalanced meals, such as takeaways
There are steps individuals can take to prevent weight gain after weight loss surgery:
- Reach out to your healthcare team for help when you feel you’re starting to struggle
- Attend your regular appointments with your bariatric aftercare team
- Following the nutrition plans provided by your bariatric nutritionist
- Trying to avoid binge eating on snacks and grazing – avoid buying the types of foods that would usually be a trigger.
- Make exercise fun rather than something you dread
Here at Streamline, we know that everyone is individual and will adapt to life after bariatric surgery differently, which is why we have built our care plans around the importance of aftercare post surgery. We believe that the aftercare you receive is key and can make all the difference to your end result.
We recommend that if you have had weight loss surgery and are worried that you may be regaining weight that you speak to an expert, family members or friends. By talking to others, you can explore which aspects of the lifestyle changes you are struggling with and create ways to motivate yourself to keep up with your diet plan and exercise routine.
Bariatric surgery is only the first step. By making lifestyle changes that stick, you’ll notice weight loss that stays off and Streamline will support you throughout your journey.
To enquire with Streamline about the weight loss procedures we offer, please call 0333 016 3030 or fill in the online enquiry form below.