Bariatric surgery – not the ‘easy option’

Not only as a nation but worldwide we are seeing obesity rates steadily increase. There are many different arguments as to what could be causing this and how we fix the epidemic, but we are not going to debate them today. Today we are going to explain why bariatric surgery isn’t the ‘easy option’ that people can often make it out to be.

This view unfortunately is common, most likely due to the way that it is viewed in the media. For example, “Rosie O’Donnell says Gastric Sleeve Surgery Changed My Life” or Sharon Osbourne speaking to Entertainment Tonight said, “I felt like such a cheat when I had that band on my stomach”. While having surgery was a big part of their journey to success, it’s also clear that when you read their stories or talk to anyone else who’s succeeded with weight loss surgery, while the surgery was successful, it was successful as a catalyst for change. While the surgery helped them or made them lose weight for a while, it’s the changes that they have introduced into their lives that have led to their success. While they started thinking that surgery was an easy way out, they eventually realized that it was a hard but effective way in to a normal life again. Those seeking out bariatric surgery to help them with their long-term obesity issue can be fooled by the apparent simplicity of it all but none of us can really expect results without effort.

Over 65% of Australians are overweight, obese or morbidly obese; while it’s clear that not every overweight or obese person is badly affected by their weight there are many who put up with disease, disability and the risk of early death without seeking treatment. For a lot of people, the fact that they have been called “failures” is a lot of the problem. When people go on a diet, we know that 95% will not lose weight, and while we blame the person dieting for this we should probably blame the person who told them that the diet they were offering was going to be a magic cure. Surgery is no magic cure, it locks you in to a whole lot of obligations for eating and exercise, but 85-95% of people will lose a massive amount of weight and keep it off for 5, 10, 20 or more years….if, and only if they commit to conversations about lifestyle change and come back for conversations at least yearly, lifelong.

Why bariatric surgery isn’t the ‘easy option’

First and foremost, bariatric surgery is still major surgery, no matter how you package it. All surgery carries different risks and bariatric surgery is no different. But let’s consider some reasons why it isn’t the ‘easy option’.

• Changes in eating habits – no matter what type of bariatric surgery you undergo, you will be required to change your eating habits, pre and post-surgery. You are being asked to change lifelong habits, which anybody can empathize is not going to be easy. Imagine giving up your cookie with your coffee every morning, or your favourite takeaway meal on a Friday night. Not to mention the dietary changes you have to adhere to post-surgery, not only to lose weight but to reduce surgical side effects, to prevent other health issues such as constipation, or in rare cases malnutrition.
• Making good choices – leading on from the last point, it isn’t just about changing your eating habits, but also changing your food choices. You can change the volume of food that you consume thanks to surgery, but ensuring that you are putting the right types of food into your body will help your long-term weight loss success and health. We want people to “eat to live” rather than “live to eat”. This is often one of the most challenging things for people as they need to be re-educated in the nutritional contents of food and become much more aware of what they are eating, for the rest of their lives, whilst having to take nutritional supplements for the rest of their lives too.
• Exercise – yes, even after bariatric surgery you are still required to exercise. Of course you aren’t expected to start running 10km every day, but moderate exercise several times a week is part of the overall journey towards better health.
• Risk of complications and weight regain – although bariatric surgery is a proven tool to help those suffering with long-term obesity/morbid obesity, there is still the risk of complications with every surgery. And it doesn’t mean that you can never regain the weight. Often patients find themselves back where they started after failing to follow the above changes in lifestyle. It is this risk of regaining the weight, the risks involved in the surgery and the life-long commitment to change of lifestyle that means it is not an easy option.

If you are considering bariatric surgery and would like to know more information then please contact us to make an appointment by calling 02 9553 1120 or contacting us online.