Obesity is a complex and challenging condition affecting many Australians. While Bariatric surgery has proven to be an effective solution, it is generally considered a ‘last resort’. Before taking this significant step, it’s important to explore all possible methods for weight loss. Today we delve into various approaches you should try before considering Bariatric surgery.
Diet and Exercise
There is a misperception that weight loss is simply a matter of eating less for a while and doing some exercise. If this were true, obesity as a disease wouldn’t exist. (After all, who would choose to be obese if reversing the condition were simply a matter of eating less until you have ‘used up’ the extra calories you had eaten?). Most people cannot exercise enough to compensate for overeating, so it comes down to what you eat and the amount you eat.
Unfortunately, obesity is irreversible. Once you have gained weight and kept that weight on for a while (years), it becomes your new set-point weight (your normal weight). For someone to lose weight they need to eat less than most people they know, and unfortunately to keep that weight off they have to continue eating the same way.Â
Anyone who is thinking about weight loss surgery will have tried a number of diets in the past. While there are many types of diet, they all work by reducing food intake sometimes combined with increasing exercise. After Bariatric surgery, to successfully achieve significant long-term weight loss requires a new diet plan, carefully designed to maximise results at each stage of the journey, while building lifelong healthy habits to maintain weight. So it is important to have tried to diet and exercise, as this is something you will be introducing into your new life post surgery.
Addressing Emotional Eating
Emotional eating is a common hurdle in weight loss journeys. Many people eat in response to their emotions rather than hunger, which can derail even the best-laid diet plans. Working with a psychologist or counsellor can help address these behaviours and develop healthier coping mechanisms.Â
Once the Bariatric surgery procedure is over, the key to success rests with the person who has had the procedure. Surgery does not cure obesity, because removing someone’s stomach or altering how their stomach works won’t prevent them from overeating. Nor will it force them to make the right food and lifestyle choices. It’s important to address issues with emotional eating before you consider surgery, as those issues will still be there after.
Weight Loss Medications and Supplements
Weight loss medications help patients in different ways to achieve and maintain weight loss. They work by reducing hunger and appetite, helping patients feel full more quickly which encourages smaller portions, healthier food choices and less snacking between meals. Some medications also address food cravings. However, for weight loss medications to be truly effective in treating obesity, they must be combined with sustained lifestyle changes. Patients generally achieve better results when they work with a team of health professionals.Â
It is important to understand that after a time, weight reaches a maintenance state and from that time the medication helps prevent weight regain rather than continuing to cause further weight loss. If the medication is stopped then it is likely that your weight will start going up again and over time you may regain all or most of the weight you have lost.Â
Although weight loss medications are a way to treat obesity they aren’t a long-term solution, but can play an important part in a person’s journey towards a healthier life and achieving meaningful weight loss. It can get you into healthy eating habits that are needed to maintain a healthy weight, long-term.Â
Understanding the Limits: Set Point Theory
We all have a unique set point. Just as your body regulates functions such as blood glucose or blood pressure, your levels of fat are also regulated and controlled by biological signals. These signals control appetite, digestion, metabolism and energy balance, determining your body’s weight ‘set point’.Â
What’s happening is that your body is fighting to maintain the weight that it believes it needs to be to function optimally. For example, if you eat less you naturally become hungrier and your metabolism will slow down. If you overeat, your appetite will decrease and your metabolism will speed up. This is our natural biological weight management system.Â
As you gain weight your set point is increased, meaning your body is then working harder to defend a higher set point than before. This can make weight loss particularly challenging, as the body resists change to maintain its set point. Understanding this theory underscores the difficulty of achieving and maintaining significant weight loss through diet and exercise alone.
The Role of a Multidisciplinary Team
Getting people to make fundamental and permanent change is difficult, and while we use surgery as a catalyst and a tool to help patients lose weight and gain health, we need a team approach to maximise the chance of success. The team we provide includes surgeons, bariatric care specialist, nurses, dietitian and psychologist. The team that a patient brings are those people who support their decision to change, such as a spouse or partner, friends, co-workers, and their general practitioner (GP). Once patients lose their excess weight, they seem to have a good chance of maintaining this weight loss in the long term (20 years or longer) and every effort needs to be made after surgery to make sure this happens.
When Bariatric Surgery Becomes Necessary
If you’ve tried various methods without achieving significant results, it may be time to consider Bariatric surgery. The next step is to speak with a specialist. To make an appointment call the practice on (02) 9553 1120 or
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