Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) is often viewed as a quick fix for morbid obesity. One day a person is fat, the next they are not. While it may appear to onlookers that a gastric bypass patient is losing the weight without personal struggle or effort, this really isn't true. WLS patients must follow four rules for success and they experience four phases of growth following surgery.
The four rules for successful weight loss and long-term weight maintenance are: Eat protein first; No snacking, Drink lots of water and Exercise daily. Adherence to these rules moves the patient smoothly through the four stages of bariatric growth which I define as: Conception, Infancy, Adolescence and Maturity.
Conception begins when patients consider surgery as a treatment for morbid obesity. It could be prompted by a life threatening illness such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol, asthma, heartburn or sleep apnea. Or perhaps lifestyle prompts it ? a person may lack the energy to play with their children or pursue the activities they love. Maybe self-esteem is so low because of obesity that a drastic measure ? surgery ? is needed to restore a sense of self-worth.
Conception is followed by birth, an event left entirely to a carefully selected surgeon and staff of healthcare professionals. The surgeon partitions off most of the stomach creating a pocket or pouch that will hold one ounce of food. In most gastric bypass surgeries the digestive system is re-routed to bypass the intestine and shortcut to the bowel. This prevents too many calories from being absorbed and stored by the body in the form of fat. The patient wakes from the surgery a bariatric infant.
Infancy On the second day of my WLS infancy my surgeon stood at my hospital bedside and showed me a cup, the size in which sacramental communion is offered and he said "This is the size of your stomach now."
Just like bringing a newborn home from the hospital the bariatric patient brings home a tiny newborn tummy that has all kinds of requirements and restrictions. This new tiny tummy is completely foreign to the behaviors and habits that caused obesity. There is not one single thing an obese person has done in the past that they can continue doing. Patients who strictly follow the four rules quickly become acquainted with their new tiny tummy. This is the time of rapid weight loss. For the first time most morbidly obese patients are consistently losing lots of weight, something they have never experienced before. Infancy for most bariatric patients lasts from nine to 18 months.
Similar to parents of a firstborn child who focus completely on their new baby, during bariatric infancy patients completely focus on their new tiny tummy. Then one day, without fanfare, they wake up and rediscover themselves. They enter adolescence.
Adolescence Adolescence is the stage when patients test the system. Many patients don't dump, vomit, snack or eat the forbidden foods until they reach adolescence. But once they approach or reach target weight a mental bad boy shows up in a shiny black corvette saying take a ride on the wild side. So a patient jumps in the bad boy's fast ride and speeds down a dangerous road. They break the rules! Perhaps they eat sugar which results in a blood sugar imbalance called "dumping" or they may stuff themselves with starchy carbs causing vomiting. In the worst case, a patient returns to snacking, a little treat of hard candy here and a handful of popcorn there. Mark my words, nothing stops-short weight loss or maintenance more quickly than a little bit of rule breaking. But like any teenager, we all have to learn it on our own.
The good news: the duration of adolescence is up to the patient! A patient only hurts themselves when they break the rules. Successful WLS patients commit to themselves early to be in control of their own gastric bypass growth cycle. However, some WLS patients get stuck in adolescence. I've heard many say, "Oh, I can eat anything I want, just not much of it." Don't believe it for a minute. They aren't saying how often they vomit, or dump or how they never quite achieved their weight loss goal. Weight loss patients who eat anything they want are abusing their tool and stuck in perpetual adolescence.
Maturity At maturity a patient understands the gastric bypass system and is living the life they dreamed. They have achieved desired weight loss and are maintaining a healthy weight. A diligent patient can enjoy this phase for the rest of their life.
I believe WLS maturity is reached when patients understand one word: respect. Respect for the tiny tummy, respect for the science of the body, and respect for oneself. Sure, we all experience an occasional lapse of judgment; that old lover of ours ? food - is flaunting temptations every single day. But the gastric bypass patient is a brave and powerful person.
Successful patients build on infant and teenage experiences and become an adult embracing all the good things gastric bypass has facilitated. The battle against obesity isn't easy; patients will fight old habits for the rest of their life. Gastric bypass is a tool, a weapon in the battle against obesity, but it is the patient who wins the war.
Kaye Bailey is a weight loss surgery success story having maintained her health and goal weight for 5+ years. An award winning journalist, she is the author and webmaster of http://www.livingafterwls.com and http://www.livingafterwls.com - Fresh & insightful content is added daily, check in often.
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareHow was it for you? Did you get through the... Read More
There is no question that having a massage makes you... Read More
In this age being ignorant is like committing a crime.... Read More
Are you just exploding with the presence of light all... Read More
Your pants are a bit tight, you can't seem to... Read More
I gotta confess: I'm completely addicted to crisps. Any kind... Read More
Many people have asked me what foods they should eat... Read More
A very interesting story was reported recently by WebMD.com. A... Read More
It has been 15 years since I was diagnosed with... Read More
As a Master swimmer I am made painfully aware, each... Read More
In health clubs, they run classes that call themselves "aerobics".... Read More
I really like Dr. Phil, so I wanted to like... Read More
We all know that losing weight and improving your overall... Read More
Most people who want to burn off some excess pounds... Read More
We know that children are becoming obese at an alarming... Read More
Sometimes, just the thought of starting on a diet and... Read More
One common question I receive is, "What do you do... Read More
Everyone from politicians to parents is talking about fighting the... Read More
I just finished working my quads on a weight machine.... Read More
Diet is a dreadful word for most of us because... Read More
You are not a kid any more and becoming a... Read More
Drink plenty of water. Our body needs a lot of... Read More
I was thinking about diets and such and it occurred... Read More
Are you a 'look-and-lose' dieter? Have you studied every diet... Read More
Unfortunately, obesity is reaching epidemic proportions, with over 60% of... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..You may be considering a low carb diet program, but... Read More
You have probably heard the old myth, that you should... Read More
Well, with the success of my article, "Wrinkle Remover That... Read More
One pound of fat equals 3500 calories. Want to lose... Read More
Fat is fuel. That is basically what it is. A... Read More
Before you try starving yourself or turning to diet drugs... Read More
1. Include in your diet things that contain more water... Read More
Low carb diets, though popular, have met with much controversy.... Read More
Did you ever think about the fact that losing 2... Read More
Dieting Dilemma No 1: When Life Gets in the WayThat... Read More
Are you often overcome with an urge to splurge on... Read More
There are a lot of "crash" diets out there that... Read More
I had lost nearly fifty pounds before anyone mentioned my... Read More
Here are a few free tips on losing weight that... Read More
The people of earlier times depended on the rich resource... Read More
To continue the educational series on your health and fitness... Read More
Watching television exercises our eyes but nothing else. Unfortunately, it... Read More
I would like to introduce you to an incredible new... Read More
Most men and women put on weight differently. But on... Read More
In this age being ignorant is like committing a crime.... Read More
You step on the scale and groan at the number... Read More
These fat burning tips can help you discover a fat... Read More
April 14, 2005 federal judge Tena Campbell of the federal... Read More
WOW!! Here we are on lesson #10. Hasn't it been... Read More
When you truly consider the weight-loss process, the battle waged... Read More
Weight Loss |