Friday Fitness Fun Fact
If you're considering weight loss surgery, prepare to make changes that last a lifetime. "You've got to be willing to face lifestyle changes that last forever."
You must come to grips with eating patterns that have doomed you in the past, she explains. "Every severely obese person says they eat because it's fun, they're bored, they're at the movies and it's a social thing. They eat when they're happy, they eat when they're sad."
There is also the commitment to eating very small portions. If you overeat, you risk vomiting. Also, too frequent overeating can eventually stretch the new stomach pouch, which means you won't lose weight -- and could regain weight, explains Madan.
"It's not a punitive lifestyle ...You simply become a taster of many things," Fernstrom tells WebMD. "You find that you're perfectly full with one egg, maybe a couple of strawberries for breakfast. It's just enough." The First Year
- Immediately After Weight Loss Surgery. For the first two weeks after surgery, Madan prescribes a liquid protein diet. Then, patients start eating pureed and soft food -- food the consistency of scrambled eggs.
You'll start walking -- even just five minutes at a time, working up to 30 minutes a day, he says. "That can be a huge deal for some people." If you have arthritis, especially if it's in hips and knees, he advises water aerobics.
- One to Three Months Post-Surgery. At this point, people start trying "regular food" to see what they can tolerate. The timing depends on the type of weight loss surgery. "Try different foods, to see what will go down easily," says Madan. "If it doesn't, just stay away from it for awhile. Wait a month and try again."
Don't set yourself up for disappointment, says Beverly P., a Memphis patient who lost 200 pounds with gastric bypass surgery. "It takes awhile to train your mind not to want much food. Don't fill up a big dinner plate, use a smaller plate. Eating can still be enjoyable -- but you don't need to eat enough to feed several more people."
- Six Months Post-Surgery. At six months, you'll have lost a lot of weight. If you've had gastric bypass surgery, you will have lost about 30% to 40% of excess body weight. With gastric banding surgery, you lose 1 to 2 pounds a week -- so by six months, you'll have lost 25 to 50 pounds.
- Nine Months Post-Surgery. If you had any problems at the six-month visit, your surgeon will want to see you at this milestone, too. Vitamin deficiencies or lack of sufficient weight loss are the typical issues being addressed at this point, says Madan.
- One Year After Surgery. Between 12 to 18 months after surgery, you will have lost a great deal of weight, says Madan. With gastric bypass surgery, you likely are close to your goal. If you had gastric banding surgery, you should have lost over 100 pounds. If weight loss has lagged, it's important to find the cause -- like eating too many snack foods.
Keys to Success: Healthy Food and Exercise
Your food choices must change, too, to ensure that you're losing weight -- and that you're getting proper nutrition. Too much of a sweet, sugary food will move through the small intestine too quickly. This causes "dumping" -- running to the bathroom with diarrhea, or simply a feeling of nausea.
You can't ignore exercise any longer. "If you've always been a couch potato, you'll have to do things differently after surgery," she adds. "When you expend more calories, you keep weight off. We see people who have gotten their lives back. They're in aerobics classes, yoga classes. They become an inspiration to others."
Getting moral support is definitely a plus. Organize a circle of friends to cheer you along the way, advises Joy R., a member of WebMD's message boards. "My friends made it much easier ... just being there and telling me I was doing great!" By Jeanie Lerche Davis WebMD Feature
