When you have weight loss surgery, your worries about your
weight are over.....now that you've lost weight from your
surgery, you don't need to think about weight issues,
right? Weight loss surgery is not a cure for your weight
woes. The surgery does not do all of the work for you. As
we know, weight loss surgery is a tool. Weight regain can
occur. It is a tool that WE choose to use. If you want to
lose ' choose to use your surgery.
If you've gained weight after your surgery, medical
conditions and anatomic surgical issues need to be
addressed by a physician and necessary blood tests.
Regular follow-ups throughout a post-operative patient's
life are important. By regular physical exams, follow-ups,
and blood tests potential problems can be detected early
and treated.
When health and medical issues have been eliminated as a
cause for weight regain, the next step is to focus on the
behavioral changes required for long-term weight loss
success. Problems with a surgical procedure are usually
not the cause for weight regain. More common factors are
returning to the old habits that caused us to need weight
loss surgery in the first place.
If you've regained weight, it is common to feel as though
we have failed. After all, we've failed to lose weight and
keep it off each time we've tried. So many times during
our pre-dieting career, we felt like failures each time the
diets did not work long-term. You are not a failure!! It
is common for weight regain after weight loss surgery. You
are not alone. The great aspect of weight loss surgery is
that if you have regained weight, you can lose it. Your
tool is with you to help in losing regained weight.
If you are concerned about weight regain or have gained
weight that you'd like to lose, here are some suggestions
to get back on track and stay on track:
* Check your protein intake each day. Are you eating
enough protein? Protein provides satiation and is
important for maximizing weight loss. At meals, eat
protein first. One suggestion is to eat two bites of dense
protein for every one bite of vegetable, fruit or complex
carbohydrate serving.
* Are you drinking a minimum of 64 ounces of water daily?
Water is water. You can flavor your water with the
powdered flavorings without carbonation. Water is not
soda, tea, coffee, or juice. Water is a key component of
getting back on track. Many times we interpret thirst as
hunger. Make sure you are continually hydrating throughout
the day. Sip your water throughout the day to maximize the
hydration to your body.
* How is your activity level? Are you exercising
regularly? Have you decreased the frequency and/or
intensity of your exercise? It is also the small
activities. Take the stairs instead of the escalator,
select a parking place furthest from the store, take a walk
instead of sitting during your work breaks. If you want to
lose it, you must move it.
* Grazing is a sure thing in regaining weight from surgery.
Grazing is different than snacking. Snacks are planned;
grazing is unplanned eating that usually lasts for an
extended period of time. Rather than eat regular meals
with planned snacks, grazing can creep back in our lives
very easily. Grazing often leads to consuming too many
calories, which causes weight gain. You can eat around
your surgery by grazing. You don't fill your pouch enough
to register that you've eaten yet you consume excess
calories. Usually grazing is on high carbohydrate, sugary
foods.
* Identify and stop emotional eating. Zero into your
emotions rather than eat over them. Check in with yourself
if you're eating from physical hunger or head hunger. Head
hunger feeds emotions and can result in weight gain.
Physical hunger feeds your body and results in good levels
of energy and health.
If you've regained weight, think back to a time
post-operatively when you were successfully losing weight.
What were you doing? What habits had you created that led
to your success? Have you returned to old habits that made
you heavy? To lose weight, go back to the basics of what
worked for you. You were successful in losing weight, you
can do it again.
The significant weight loss that occurs within the first
period of time after surgery is a big motivator. Food
urges return and we must learn to cope with food urges and
emotions without acting on them by eating. Isn't it more
important to feel good about ourselves than make an
unhealthy choice and gaining weight?
Weight loss surgery is a wonderful tool to lose weight.
Success from our surgery depends on adopting lifelong
healthy habits that include changes in our nutrition,
exercise, and behavioral health. What you eat and how you
eat changes after surgery, but the benefits of weight loss
and improved health are yours. Your surgical tool is yours
to use; for weight regain you can choose to lose.
----------------------------------------------------
Cathy Wilson is a certified life coach and weight loss
coach. Cathy lost 147 pounds six years ago. Her passion is
to help clients achieve weight loss and life goals. Cathy
works with clients to create a weight loss life plan that
is customized to each client. Cathy is a member of the
International Coaching Federation, International
Association of Coaches, and Obesity Action Coalition.
Visit Cathy's website:
http://www.LoseWeightFindLife.com
No comments:
Post a Comment