Achieving Your Weight Loss Goal With Bariatric Surgery

By Author: Dr. David Provost
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For people who struggle with obesity, losing weight means more than seeing a magical number on the scale. It means being able to breathe normally after walking up a flight of stairs, shopping for clothing in regular size stores - even feeling confident in social situations. Still, setting a weight loss goal is the first step toward that new life, and for many obese Americans, weight loss surgery is the most viable option to achieve the number of their dreams on the bathroom scale.
If you're a post-op bariatric patient, you may have waited as long as two years or more to reach your desired weight and body mass index. And, you probably had to climb quite a steep learning curve, in terms of changing your diet, supplementing your nutrition, adding physical activity to your daily routine, and negotiating the emotional consequences of your procedure.
The culmination of all this hard work is the dream number you have finally reached - whether it was on the scale or on the label inside your jeans. Come what may, you now weigh what you want to weigh. What comes next? You may possibly feel some disappointment, if only briefly, ...
... since you have reached the top of the mountain. There is no longer a weight loss goal to work toward, since that work is finished.
Now, there is the long-term maintenance, and this brings challenges of its own.
A lot of times, after the honeymoon period when the weight seems to magically melt away, post-op patients have to learn to deal with mental and emotional challenges, says Dr. David Provost, one of the nation's leading bariatric surgeons, who practices in Denton, Texas. Fortunately, thousands of others have traveled this journey, he notes, and each new generation of patients can learn from the experience of other bariatric patients and their health care providers.
If you're close to your weight loss goal, here are a few tips to keep in mind for maintaining your health over the long term:
Now that you weigh what you want, you may feel aimless and depressed. If left unchecked, these types of emotions can lead to a relapse into bad habits - i.e., bad food choices and a sedentary lifestyle. The best solution, simply, is to establish new goals - even if they have nothing to do with weight loss. Why not commit to training for a half-marathon, or take up a new sport, like tennis or kayaking? Regained momentum creates energy, and this leads to positive results.
By the same token, losing all your extra weight may diminish your motivation to eat a well-balanced diet. After all, just because you stick to a pre-set calorie count doesn't mean you're getting all the nutrients you need. Fruits and vegetables are often ignored in favor of low-cal caramel rice cakes and fat-free frozen yogurt. To improve your health while maintaining your waistline, look for ways to get more vitamins into your diet. Consider planting a small vegetable garden in your backyard, shopping at your local farmers market or organic food store, or joining an online forum where users share recipes for healthy home-cooked meals.
Unless you keep regular track of what you eat and how much you exercise, you can expect to gain weight (again). For many people, this kind of self-maintenance can feel onerous and become a grim way to live. The solution is to get others involved in your progress - or, better yet, use your present success as a way to reach out to others who need encouragement. Chances are strong that the details of their struggles with weight and lifestyle are very similar to ones you have already conquered, and they could benefit from your guidance.
Bariatric procedures, such as adjustable gastric banding and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, can help you shed pounds rapidly and achieve your weight loss goal in as little as a year. But, the only way to keep the weight off is to adopt new, healthy habits like getting the right nutrients and staying physically active. By setting new goals for yourself and plugging in with a support network, you can stay motivated and energized, and set a positive example for others.

Bariatric surgery has been proven effective in helping patients who struggle with obesity achieve their weight loss goal. Dr. David Provost is one of the nation's leading bariatric experts, and works with individual patients to determine their weight loss goal, discuss surgical options, and establish guidelines to achieve a healthy lifestyle.