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The following identifies areas that will be important
for patients to follow after weight loss surgery.
Diet
Going Back to
Work
Birth Control
& Pregnancy
Long-Term Follow-Up
Support Groups
Diet
The modifications
made to your gastrointestinal tract will require permanent
changes in your eating habits that must be adhered to for
successful weight loss. Post-surgery dietary guidelines will
vary by surgeon. You may hear of other patients who are given
different guidelines following their weight loss surgery.
It is important to remember that every surgeon does not perform
the exact same weight loss surgery procedure and that the
dietary guidelines will be different for each surgeon and
each type of procedure. What is most important is that you
adhere strictly to your surgeon's recommended guidelines.
The following are some of the general guidelines for our bariatric
patients. You will progress through different nutritional
phases. These phases allow your body time to heal. This progress
from liquids to solids also gives you a time to change eating
habits.
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Eat slowly (30 minutes to finish a
meal). |
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Stop drinking fluids thirty minutes
before your meals and wait thirty minutes after eating
to start drinking. Don’t drink fluids while eating.
They will make you feel full before your have consumed
enough food. |
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Stay on your liquid diet for the full
three weeks. |
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When you start eating solid food it
is essential that you chew thoroughly. You will not
be able to eat steaks or other chunks of meat if they
are not ground or chewed thoroughly. |
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Limit serving sizes. |
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Omit desserts and other items with
sugar listed as one of the first three ingredients. |
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Omit carbonated drinks, high-calorie
nutritional supplements, milk shakes, high-fat foods
and foods with high fiber content. |
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Avoid alcohol. |
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Limit snacking
between meals. |
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Keep a food
diary. |
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Nutritional postoperative
classes and counseling are provided for all of our bariatric
patients. Classes and counseling are provided by the
Memorial Hospital of Tampa Weight Loss Center by a registered
dietitian/licensed nutritionist. |
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Going
Back to Work
Your ability
to resume pre-surgery levels of activity will vary according
to your physical condition, the nature of the activity and
the type of weight loss surgery you had. Many patients return
to full pre-surgery levels of activity within six weeks
of their procedure. Patients who have had a minimally invasive
laparoscopic procedure may be able to return to these activities
within a few weeks.
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Birth
Control & Pregnancy
It is strongly advised that women of childbearing age use
the most effective forms of birth control during the first
16 to 24 months after weight loss surgery. The added demands
pregnancy places on your body and the potential for fetal
damage make this a most important requirement.
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Long-Term
Follow-Up
Although the short-term effects of weight loss surgery are
well understood, there are still questions to be answered
about the long-term effects on nutrition and body systems.
Nutritional deficiencies that occur over the course of many
years will need to be studied. Over time, you will need periodic
checks for anemia (low red blood cell count) and Vitamin B12,
folate and iron levels. The surgeon will coordinate follow-up
tests every three to six months or as needed, and then every
year.
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The widespread use of support
groups has provided weight loss surgery patients an excellent
opportunity to discuss their various personal and professional
issues. Most learn, for example, that weight loss surgery
will not immediately resolve existing emotional issues or
heal the years of damage that morbid obesity might have inflicted
on their emotional well-being.
Memorial Hospital of Tampa
Weight Loss Center offers post-operative support groups. The
groups will assist you with short term and long-term questions
and needs. Our surgeon recommends ongoing post-surgical support
to help produce the greatest level of success for their patients.
Please call 813-342-1428 for time and location of sessions.
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The actual weight a patient will lose after the procedure
is dependent on several factors. These include:
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Patient's
age |
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Weight
before surgery |
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Overall
condition of patient's health |
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Surgical
procedure |
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Ability
to exercise |
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Commitment
to maintaining dietary guidelines and other
follow-up care |
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Motivation
of patient and cooperation of their family,
friends and associates |
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In general, weight loss surgery success is defined
as achieving loss of 50% or more of excess body weight
and maintaining that level for at least five years.
Clinical data will vary for each of the different
procedures mentioned on this site. Results may also
vary by surgeon. Ask your doctor for the clinical
data stating their results of the procedure they are
recommending.
Clinical studies show that, following
surgery, most patients lose weight rapidly and continue
to do so until 18 to 24 months after the procedure.
Patients may lose 30 to 50% of their excess weight
in the first six months and 77% of excess weight
as early as 12 months after surgery. Another study
showed that patients can maintain a 50-60% loss
of excess weight 10-14 years after surgery. Patients
with higher initial BMIs tend to lose more total
weight. Patients with lower initial BMIs will lose
a greater percentage of their excess weight and
will more likely come closer to their ideal body
weight. Patients with Type 2 Diabetes tend to show
less overall excess weight loss than patients without
Type 2 Diabetes. The surgery has been found to be
effective in improving and controlling many obesity-related
health conditions. A 2000 study of 500 patients
showed that 96% of certain associated health conditions
studied (back pain, sleep apnea, high blood pressure,
diabetes and depression) were improved or resolved.
For example, many patients with Type 2 Diabetes,
while showing less overall excess weight loss, have
demonstrated excellent resolution of their diabetic
condition, to the point of having little or no need
for continuing medication.
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