Reasons for Weight Gain After Bariatric Surgery (What to Do)

Reasons for weight gain after bariatric surgery and what to do

What’s the one question that is on everyone’s mind before getting bariatric surgery? Let us tell you. It’s “will the weight loss be permanent?” Thinking about weight gain after bariatric surgery is quite understandable. Bariatric surgery is a big step. You need to make sure the weight you lose never comes back. But sadly, it does. It does come back if you’re not careful. This is a nightmare for a person going for bariatric surgery. You go through a procedure, spend your hard-earned money and end up looking the same. To avoid this, first, you need to understand the process of bariatric surgery.

Weight loss in bariatric surgery doesn’t occur overnight. It occurs in steps. The surgery makes your stomach smaller. You eat less and feel full. You gradually lose weight over the period of 6-8 months. But if you’re not adhering to the regime, you can gain weight after this period. It can happen for many different reasons. Here is why you gain weight even after losing it.

How do you regain weight after bariatric surgery?

Right after bariatric surgery, people are very careful with what they eat. They are given a proper diet plan with an exercise regime. The first few months will go as planned. They make their own food. They avoid eating out. They control the temptation to eat junk food. But slowly it starts to fade. The exercises decrease and eating increases. The weight loss slows down. People fall into their old eating habits. You need to understand that even after you hit your target weight, you need to follow the diet plan that is given to you. If the weight is decreased, the calories consumed also should drop. If you eat the same as you ate before, obviously you’ll gain weight.

This problem persists for a large majority of the people. But it is not very difficult to manage. Let’s see in detail how you can manage weight and make sure it is not regained.

Reason 1: Understand what food is to you

Many people who opt for bariatric surgery have more food intake than usual. That’s why they end up weighing more than usual. Their relationship with food is complicated to say the least. While others think of food as sustenance, they think of it as emotional support. They eat to relieve stress. They eat when they’re anxious. Food is comfort for them. They eat because they want to feel good. This needs to change even before you go for bariatric surgery. You need to rethink your relationship with food. If you keep doing this after bariatric surgery, there is no way you can lose weight. No weight loss procedure will work for you if this doesn’t change. Keep emotions out of your eating. See food as fuel, not comfort. Seek comfort elsewhere. There are many ways to cope with your emotions. Find better ways to manage your emotions. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t like food. You can enjoy it. Just don’t bring your emotional baggage with you when you eat.

Reason 2: Adopt healthier eating habits 

The most common misconception among people is, healthy food is not tasty. That’s why gaining weight is easier than losing. This is simply not true. Healthy food isn’t advertised or talked about as much as junk food. It can be flavourful and delicious. It has a lot of variety. You won’t end up eating salads all the time. Educate yourself about food and find recipes that work the best for you. You can ask Ansh Obecure at Radiance Hospitals’ dietician everything you need to know about food. Educate yourself as much as you can. It won’t be enough to follow a diet for a few months. Adopt a healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life to avoid weight gain after gastric sleeve.

Reason 3: Give fitness utmost importance

The time has gone when fitness can take a backseat. After you go for bariatric surgery, you need to change your lifestyle for life. You can’t do a few exercises twice or thrice a week and call it a day. Do more and you’ll get more. Make fitness a priority in life. Don’t miss your exercises because you don’t feel like it. Stay physically active throughout the day. This is not just for the recovery period. You have to adopt this healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life. If you don’t, you can fall back to where you started. Your weight will come back and all this effort will amount to nothing. 

Reason 4: Get an expert’s after surgery support

Lastly, don’t be alone in this journey. Talk to your surgeon about your goal. Ask him questions regarding the surgery and weight loss regime afterward. Not many hospitals offer post-operative support. This is where Ansh Obecure at Radiance Hospitals differs from others. They have a dedicated team of highly experienced specialists for bariatric surgery. They provide complete post-operative care including a detailed diet plan and exercise regime to avoid weight gain after gastric bypass. They have in-house physiotherapy which is useful after surgery. Bariatric surgery also takes a toll on your mental health. It is important to keep a well-balanced mind. Ansh Obecure at Radiance Hospitals’ bariatric surgery team also has a psychologist who helps manage your anxiety about weight loss. Getting help from experts makes sure your weight loss journey stays on track.

Always keep this in mind: everyone makes mistakes. You can slip up during the weight loss procedure. There can be weight gain after weight loss surgery. What’s important is to forgive yourself and keep moving. This won’t happen often if you have a trusted partner in this journey of weight loss. Make Ansh Obecure at Radiance Hospitals your partner. Contact us now.