Bariatric surgery is an increasingly popular option for severe obesity. On one hand it offers the chance of rapid weight loss, but on the other, the prospect of surgery and huge changes may be immensely scary. 

Pre-surgery

Bariatric surgery will transform eating, weight, work, relationships, social life, body image and self-esteem. These transformations should be positive, but they can still be stressful and frightening. Many patients will need plenty of support and guidance in the time before the procedure, and many will need to lose weight prior to the procedure.

Post surgery

Bariatric surgery is traumatic, and by its nature it forces the patient to eat with restraint and within certain strict guidelines. This puts the patient under huge amounts of stress and may result in anxiety attacks around food, chewing and spitting out, and the development of disordered eating patterns. There may also be issues around expectations, and some patients may struggle if the weight loss does not reach their goals. In addition, body image distress may increase with excess skin following the rapid weight loss.

Symptoms Checklist:

  • anxiety over eating and food aversions 
  • dumping syndrome
  • chewing and spitting out of food
  • plugging
  • eating-out the pouch
  • emotional eating
  • vomiting
  • grazing
  • eating in the absence of hunger 
  • night eating
  • consuming excessive amounts of high-calorie liquids
  • loss of control over eating

HOW WEIGHTMATTERS CAN HELP

DOCTOR

Our private doctor will monitor co-morbidities pre- and post-surgery with various blood tests, and advice on any wound healing, scarring or excess skin

DIETICIAN

Our dietician will provide vital nutritional advice for both preparation prior surgery and essential nutritional steps of guidance required post surgery

INDIVIDUAL THERAPY

Our therapists will support you by exploring the pros and cons in making the huge decision of having surgery, and how this will change your life. They can provide a solid base as you deal with the impact of weight loss and what happens when your weight loss plateaus. They can teach you new ways to soothe emotions and support you as you cope with a changing body shape and in untangling negative beliefs about weight, shape and size

GROUP THERAPY

Our Food Group provides an environment where you can explore your relationship with food, eating, weight, shape and size

FAMILY THERAPY

Our family therapist can support you in updating family or relational dynamics that have lead to your obesity, which may need changing as your weight and eating patterns change post surgery

BODY THERAPY

Your body therapist, after receiving permission from your specialist, can work on improving skin tone and reduce the appearance of scars with a targeted course of treatments.

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