by Shane Russo
Being over weight is detrimental to many aspects of life. Cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes are just a few of the health issues over weight people must concern themselves with. Health problems are not the only aspect of life that are negatively effected by carrying excess weight. The psychological toll that one must pay is also great. Self-esteem, self-worth, body image, and the over-all feeling of happiness are impacted. There is a financial price to be paid as well. While it is true that much of the food that aides in obesity comes relatively cheap, see McDonald Value Menu for an example of this, it is also true that with declining health comes increased healthcare expenses. There is also the fact that, in many stores, the “plus size” clothing costs more. Shirts for men in the big and tall section of Walmart are about two to three dollars more than their regular sized counterparts.
Due to the reasons listed above, it is no wonder that many people decide to lose weight through diet and exercise. The problem with diet and exercise alone is that they are often not enough. People generally give into temptation because, frankly, they can. Gym memberships do not cost that much and that one piece of pie won’t hurt. Right?
As a result of the roller coaster that is weight control, a increasing number of people are turning to more drastic measures to ensure long-term success. RNY Gastric bypass is one such measure but what is to stop a person from living as they always have post-op? Like many things in life, the result lays in the preparation.
Dietary counseling, psychological evaluation, and a large financial investment are the three greatest reasons why gastric bypass surgery yields long-term success. In this article, I will explain how learning to eat right, think right, and spend right before surgery can help gastric bypass patients achieve their long-term weight loss goals.
I. Post-operative nutrition is of vital importance to the long-term success of RNY Gastric bypass patients (Strohmayer, Yanagisawa, 2010).
- Learning to eat correctly before surgery increases the chances of achieving the weight loss goal (Triveri, 2009).
- The majority of patients that fail to reach their weight loss goal did not follow the nutritional guidelines spelled out for them in the the preoperative dietary counseling (Triveri, 2009).
II. Psychological evaluation helps to expose behavioral factors that can deter long-term success (Eisenberg, Duffy, & Bell, 2010 ). Show visual aid (Strohmayer, Yanagisawa ,2010).
- Many emotional and psychological issues are effected by weight loss surgery (Trevari, 2009).
- Long-term weight loss success is greater with patients that conform to follow-up schedules (Livhits et al, 2010).
- Those patients that have strong support, both before and after surgery, have a greater chance at success (Livhits et al, 2010).
III. Patients are required to front a significant financial investment before surgery in order to determine there commitment level (Triveri, 2009).
- When confronted with the heavy out-of-pocket costs of preoperative testing, many some patients choose not to go through with the procedure (Triveri, 2009).
- The out-of-pocket expenses are a precursor to the life long financial investment that the patient will be required to undertake (Triveri, 2009).
Dietary counseling, psychological evaluation, and a large financial investment are the three greatest reasons why gastric bypass surgery yields long-term success. Making sure the patients receive proper nutrition is crucial, not only for long-term weight loss, but over-all health as well.
Preoperative dietary counseling goes a long way in ensuring that patients know what they are in for. Weight loss surgery takes a huge mental toll as well. It is important to know well ahead of time if the patient has the right frame of mind to deal with things like change in body image. Is the patient even mentally stable? Preoperative psychological evaluation will help determine these things.
Along with dietary counseling and psychological evaluation, there is also a significant financial investment required by every RNY Gastric bypass patient. Some of the costs include preoperative testing, psychological screenings, dietary supplements, postoperative follow-up, new clothing. The list goes on and on.
Many patients find that, once they are armed with the knowledge, support, and monetary investment involved, then they are more prepared to tackle the weight loss challenge from a place of deeper commitment, and thus, able to achieve success.
For the full video presentation, please visit http://youtube.com/inschoolrestriction.
References
Eisenberg, D., Duffy, A. J., & Bell, R. L. (2010). Does Preoperative Weight Change Predict Postoperative Weight Loss after Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass in the Short Term?. Journal of Obesity, 1-4. doi:10.1155/2010/907097
Livhits, M., Mercado, C., Yermilov, I., Parikh, J. A., Dutson, E., Mehran, A., & … Gibbons, M. (2010). Behavioral Factors Associated with Successful Weight Loss after Gastric Bypass. American Surgeon, 76(10), 1139-1142. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Strohmayer, E., Via, M. A., & Yanagisawa, R. (2010). Metabolic Management following Bariatric Surgery. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 77(5), 431-445. doi:10.1002/msj.20211
Trevari, K. (2009). Low-fat diet. In K. Trevari (Ed.), SE/SJ WLC Handbook (pp. 30-42). Youngstown, Ohio: Humility of Mary Healthcare Partners.
Recent Comments