Change Your Lifestyle Before Bariatric Surgery

Written By: Sara Loch

Bariatric surgery is surgery to assist with weight loss, but it is not for everyone who is overweight.  Your doctor will want to discuss your lifestyle and try to identify areas where you may be able to make changes to try to lose weight without surgery before recommending you for bariatric surgery Washington DC.  There are two main reasons for this:

1. Bariatric surgery Washington DC is a serious procedure and should only be considered as a last resort. If other treatments may help, those should be done first.
2. Weight loss surgery Washington DC can be very effective, but will not work without committing to lifelong changes. You must prove that you are capable of these changes before surgery.
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Changes needed before bariatric surgery Washington DC

With or without surgery, weight management Washington DC requires lifestyle changes.  This can be very difficult if you have had a lifetime of unhealthy eating.  You may not even know what constitutes “healthy eating” or have any clue how to prepare healthy meals.  For some people, prepackaged, processed foods are the only foods they know.  Even with weight loss surgery DC, you will be unsuccessful in your weight loss endeavors if you do not change the way you think about food and learn how to make healthy choices.  You will need to avoid sugary, high-calorie drinks and learn to choose foods that that are nutritious and low calorie.  This can require very drastic changes for some people, and meeting with a nutritionist can help.

In addition to healthy food choices, an active lifestyle is needed for healthy weight management Washington DC.  You must devote time 5-7 days a week to exercise.  Sometimes meeting with a trainer can help get you motivated and teach you how to exercise.

Before you can be recommended for bariatric surgery Washington DC, your doctor will want you to demonstrate that you can make these lifestyle changes.  You may find that the changes are enough and that you are losing weight that way; or you may find that you do need the help of weight loss surgery DC.  You can learn more about bariatrics and weight management DC at http://www.medstarwashington.org/.