Is Bariatric surgery right for me?
Yes.
No.
Maybe.
They are all valid answers to that question. While it may look like from the outside looking in that bariatric surgery is the answer to all your health and weight issues. And it may be. But between the before and after pictures that are shared on social media lies a significant amount of work.
If you are thinking about this surgery with the idea that this will fix all your problems without much work from you then you should NOT continue down this path. While this surgery will give you an amazing tool that will assist you in losing excess body fat and improving your overall health, it won’t do it without significant, ongoing work from you.
What does that work look like?
In the past 12 years working in the fitness and health world I’ve found that for anyone to succeed with any physical transformation they need to focus on three things:
Good Nutrition
Appropriate exercise
work towards a health(ier) mindset
Good Nutrition:
Food is the reason that you are thinking about this surgery. Or at least limiting your food intake, which is exactly what this surgery is meant to do. But it goes beyond that. This tool (bariatric surgery) changes how you eat and drink. There are some very specific rules around this that if you are unwilling or unable to follow you will not see the change you are looking for.
Appropriate Exercise:
Exercise sucks as a form of weight loss but it’s a great assist. Yet if you want to achieve the health goals that you can get from bariatric surgery you will need to consistently workout. If you don’t like exercise then to be blunt you will need to learn to like it. Hire a quality personal trainer , find activities that you love, or get a workout buddy if you need but without exercise you’ll never achieve your goals.
Working towards a health(ier) mindset:
This is the biggest and most important part of your success if you decide to have this surgery. While obesity occurs physiologically with how your body metabolizes food, there is a mental component that can promote overeating. This part is not affected by the surgery but finding the what and whys towards your unhealthy eating will pay off in the long run.
This is just a small part of what successful bariatric surgery looks like. For a deeper dive into what your first year after bariatric surgery looks like check out “Now What: What to Expect in Your First Year of Bariatric Surgery” on Amazon.
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Geof has been working with bariatric surgery clients for over a decade. His goal with Coaching For Bariatric Success is to give you the tools to make your weight loss successful for the long term.