by Ahsan Bhatti, MD
When you tell others that you are considering or are pursuing weight loss surgery, you’re going to be met by a number of different reactions. Many will be excited and offer words of encouragement, but a small minority may think that you’re just looking to “take the easy way out.” We hate hearing this, because we know just how hard sustained weight loss can be even when bariatric surgery is pursued. In today’s blog, we explain why weight loss surgery is by no means an “easy” way to lose weight.
Weight Loss Surgery Doesn’t Mean Easy Weight Loss
If you think you’re going to have it easy because you chose to pursue weight loss surgery, or you want to change the mind of a few skeptics, keep reading this blog. Here’s a look at why bariatric surgery certainly isn’t an easy way to lose weight.
- It’s Not A First Option – For starters, you can’t just walk into a weight loss clinic and request weight loss surgery. A bariatric procedure is never the first line of treatment, so before you’ll even be considered as a weight loss surgery candidate, you’re going to have to try and fail for weeks with conservative methods, like diet and exercise. If weight loss surgery is even in question, it means that you’ve already put in a lot of work and failed to find the success you had hoped to achieve.
- Major Lifestyle Changes Still Needed – All the surgeon is going to do is rework your digestive system so that you feel fuller faster. They aren’t going to be removing hundreds of pounds off your body while you’re on the operating table. You’re still going to be the catalyst behind your weight loss success or failure, because you’re still going to need to exercise and mind your diet in order to see the results. If you live a sedentary lifestyle and eat a poor diet, which can be easy to do, you’re not going to see much weight loss. It’s going to be hard, but if you put in the work, we’re confident it will be worth it.
- Long Term Improvements – The goal isn’t to lose weight quickly and then gain it back over the years. We want sustained weight loss, and in order to do that, you have to stick to those dietary and exercise improvements. It’s easy to do a crash diet for a week before you go on vacation, but the short-term results you see won’t last. In order to have long-term weight loss, you’re going to need to get regular exercise and continue to make good choices when it comes to your diet. Doing that over the long-term certainly isn’t easy.
- It’s A Major Surgery – There is no such thing as a simple surgery, and although techniques have improved and bariatric surgery has become very safe, there are inherent risks with every procedure. Even if everything goes as expected, you will need to recover from the trauma of surgery. There are risks and recovery involved with all surgical procedures, and those factors should seriously be considered before moving forward with an operation.
When you really think about it, there is nothing easy about pursuing surgery for weight loss. You’ve already put in a fair amount of work if you are even eligible for surgery, and you’re going to need to put in the work and make some long-term lifestyle changes if you ever hope to have prolonged success. It won’t be easy, but we know that for the right patient, it will be worth it.
To learn more about bariatric surgery and your options when it comes to weight loss, reach out to the team at The Bhatti Weight Loss Center today at (952) 368-3800.