If you are obese, it is critical that you do something to lose weight for your own health and wellbeing. Most people who are obese have tried different types of diet, with no success. This leads to them feeling quite hopeless and helpless, which further impacts their psychological wellbeing. Thankfully, they may be eligible to receive bariatric surgery.
People often look at the obese and believe them to blame for their condition. They feel that they must have chosen to engage in unhealthy lifestyle, and were just lazy. However, this isn’t true. Obesity is a disease and while, just like with a drug addiction, it starts with a personal choice, it escalates into something uncontrollable. Furthermore, finger pointing and laying blame doesn’t solve the situation either. Rather, people need compassion and help.
The Pros and Cons of Bariatric Surgery
While bariatric surgery is available, it is very important that you consider all the pros and cons associated with it. It is significant surgery, which has various dangers associated with it. It also means you need to complete change your lifestyle for the rest of your life. The surgery is generally only offered to those with a BMI of over 35, or those who have a slightly lower BMI but who also have associated health conditions such as type 2 diabetes.
The risks associated with the surgery are significant. They include:
- Nutritional deficiency, found in around 20% of bariatric patients. This can be combatted by properly following your dietician’s advice, however.
- Osteoporosis, caused by nutritional deficiency.
- Surgical complications, including infections.
- Lifetime problems with eating certain foods.
- The weight may come back at some point.
To determine whether you should opt for surgery, there are several questions you can ask yourself. Some of these questions include:
- Is your extra weight stopping you from engaging in normal everyday activities?
- Has your extra weight lead to you developing other medical issues that may harm your overall wellbeing, or has it started to?
- Do you feel you should have control over your weight yourself?
- Will you be able to stick to the after surgery diets and exercise programs, as well as to attend the many follow up appointments?
The biggest issue for people who have to have surgery is that they may lose the weight, but they don’t truly have control over their body ever again. That said, the reality is also that they are unlikely to lose the weight if they don’t relinquish this control and have surgery. This is particularly true if people have tried many different diets.
Whether surgery is right for you or not is a decision only you can make, under consultation of a bariatric surgeon. Should you decide to go ahead, you must learn about all the possible consequences, and you must follow your surgeon’s advice. In so doing, you will also have the greatest chance of having a successful experience with the surgery, and build yourself back up to good health.
