Your Expectations: What Bariatric Surgery Is and Isn’t

As you have probably inferred from the above, bariatric surgery is an option for patients living with obesity and who may not be able to lose enough weight with diet and exercise or weight loss medications alone. While surgery may seem extreme, bariatric surgery isalso very safe, with complication rates right around those of a routine gallbladder removal.

What Bariatric Surgery Is Not

Bariatric surgery is not a cop-out or a magic bullet. Many patients believe that by having surgery, they will drop all their excess weight and go on with their lives. Easy, Done. However, this is not the case. Bariatric surgery requires a lifetime of modified diet and exercise to achieve and maintain that weight loss. To be sure, the hormonal component of bariatric surgery helps most patients make that happen. But it’s not easy to lose weight and keep it off long-term – you must be prepared to work hard.

Bariatric surgery is not the end of life as you know it—quite the opposite. Bariatric surgery can liberate you to enjoy healthier foods more. There is no shortage of bariatric foodies despite many thinking otherwise. And this surgery has made many a good cook! Plus, there are very few foods that, when consumed in moderation, are entirely off-limits for bariatric patients. In fact, we encourage patients to try different foods, occasionally outside of the bariatric diet but always in moderation.

Bariatric surgery is not extreme. When you think about the health ill-effects of a BMI over 40, a safe and effective surgical procedure with a complication rate as low as a simple gallbladder removal doesn’t seem extreme at all. It could be said that living with obesity or significant excess weight is riskier for some and, therefore, more extreme than bariatric surgery.

Weight loss surgery is not primarily geared toward weight loss. Wait, what? Well, you’d think that, based on the name, these procedures were developed mainly for patients to lose weight. But this is not the case. Weight loss is a secondary but very welcomed benefit of improving overall health by eliminating comorbid diseases associated with excess weight. Remember, therefore, that blood markers, waist size, and other health measures may be more important than the weight on the scale.

What Bariatric Surgery Is

While weight loss medication may be an excellent first step for some, bariatric surgery remains the most effective tool in the fight against morbid obesity. However, neither is a magic bullet nor easy. Both, however, can put patients on the right track toward longer-term health and weight loss.

Bariatric surgery is a life change. Patients who commit to having a surgical procedure to help them lose weight have made a promise to themselves for the rest of their lives. We won’t sugarcoat it: losing weight and maintaining weight loss is a challenge now and well into the future. However, by taking full advantage of the bariatric community, most patients can get the support they need from their peers and remain successful long into the future.

Bariatric surgery is a major surgery that must be treated appropriately. The preoperative and postoperative instructions Dr. Chang gives his patients are specifically tailored to minimize the risks of surgery and maximize results. Be sure to fully utilize bariatric surgery for the incredible tool that it is, and respect the process that has been tried and tested by hundreds of thousands of patients before.

Bariatric surgery is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of. Sure, the naysayers will believe you have taken the easy way out, but their opinion cannot be further from the truth. Instead, bariatric patients have committed to lifestyle changes that require focus and dedication for the rest of their lives.

The Bottom Line

Often, the first steps are some of the most challenging. This is to understand that you need help. You may have spent a good part of your adult life fighting excess weight and obesity and believing that you can do it on your own. The day you accept assistance and get on track toward a new life is a significant psychological and physical win. We encourage you to watch our online seminar and visit our office to learn about weight loss options.