Most People Who Decide On Weight Loss Surgery Don’t Know What’s In Store For Them

As weight loss surgery becomes increasingly popular, with commercials for lap band surgery airing on late night TV, surgeons have adopted advanced techniques to help patients make a smooth transition into post-surgery life. The fact remains, though, that the best way for bariatric surgery patients to ensure optimal results post-surgery is to thoroughly prepare in advance for the physical and psychological challenges that lay ahead of them.

“Weight loss surgery is an effective tool for weight loss,” says psychologist Doreen Samelson, author of The Weight Loss Surgery Workbook. “But as with all tools, learning to use it is essential.” Especially since, Samelson points out, weight loss surgery requires that you make permanent lifestyle changes, which means committing yourself to eating an entirely different way for the rest of your life.

Although weight loss surgery is often portrayed as a quick fix for obesity, it is anything but. Most bariatric surgeons require patients to commit themselves to major lifestyle changes, such as elimination of disordered eating, cognitive restraint in eating, dealing with psychological hunger, and compliance with special pre-surgery diets. In her book Samelson helps readers use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to make these critical pre-surgery lifestyle changes and prepare to change their eating habits for lasting post-surgery success.

“Weight loss surgery can change your life, but it’s not for everyone,” she points out. “Deciding whether or not it’s for you is an important decision. And successful long-term weight loss after surgery requires a willingness to make lifestyle changes.”

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