Weight loss surgery is considered a major procedure, and, as such, represents a life changing event. Not only will the physiology and physical structure of your body be different, but major lifestyle changes will be necessary in order for you to achieve the greatest benefit from your surgical weight loss procedure. Following are six key considerations to address after weight loss surgery.

Diet
The modifications made to your gastrointestinal tract during weight loss surgery will require permanent changes in your eating habits that must be adhered to for successful long-term weight loss. Post-surgery dietary guidelines will vary by bariatric surgeon. 

You may hear of other weight loss surgery patients who are given different guidelines following their weight loss procedure. Bariatric surgeons do not perform the exact same weight loss surgery procedure and the dietary guidelines will be different for each surgeon and the procedure they perform. The most important thing to remember is to follow YOUR weight loss surgeon's recommended guidelines.

The following are some of the general guidelines for weight loss surgery patients of the Nevada Surgical Weight Loss Center. You will progress through different nutritional phases. These phases allow your body time to heal. This progress from liquids to solids also gives you a time to change eating habits.

• Eat slowly (30 minutes to finish a meal).
• Stop drinking fluids thirty minutes before your meals and wait thirty minutes after eating to start drinking. Don’t drink fluids while eating. They will make you feel full before your have consumed enough food.
• Follow your post operative diet, as directed by your bariatric surgeon.
• When you start eating solid food it is essential that you chew thoroughly. You will not be able to eat steaks or other chunks of meat if they are not ground or chewed thoroughly.
• Limit serving sizes.
• Omit desserts and other items with sugar listed as one of the first three ingredients.
• Omit carbonated drinks, high-calorie nutritional supplements, milk shakes, high-fat foods and foods with high fiber content.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Refrain from snacking between meals.
• Keep a food diary.

Going Back to Work
Your ability to resume pre-surgery levels of activity will vary according to your physical condition, the nature of the activity and the type of weight loss surgery you had. Many patients of the Nevada Surgical Weight Loss Center return to full pre-surgery levels of activity within six weeks of their procedure. Patients who have had a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure may be able to return to these activities within a few weeks. 

Birth Control & Pregnancy
It is strongly advised that women of childbearing age use the most effective forms of birth control during the first year after weight loss surgery. 

Long-Term Follow-Up
Although the short-term effects of weight loss surgery are well understood, there are still questions to be answered about the long-term effects on nutrition and body systems. 

Nutritional deficiencies that occur over the course of many years will need to be studied. Over time, you will need periodic checks for anemia (low red blood cell count) and Vitamin B12, folate and iron levels. Your surgeon will coordinate frequent follow up visits within the first year, then on a bi-annual basis.

Weight Loss Surgery Support Groups
The widespread use of support groups has provided weight loss surgery patients an excellent opportunity to discuss their various personal and professional issues. Most learn, for example, that weight loss surgery will not immediately resolve existing emotional issues or heal the years of damage that morbid obesity might have inflicted on their emotional well-being. 

In collaboration with our surgeons, the Nevada Surgical Weight Loss Center offers post-operative support groups. The groups will assist you with short-term and long-term questions and needs. Nevada Surgical Weight Loss Center surgeons recommend ongoing post-surgical support to help produce the greatest level of success for their patients. Please call 702-313-8446 for time and location of sessions. Click here to learn more.

Skin Care after Weight Loss Surgery
What happens to my skin after significant weight loss? This is a common question from individuals considering weight loss surgery. No one can tell you what will happen to your skin after weight loss surgery, because patients are different and have led different lives. Skin reacts to major weight loss according to several variables such as how much your starting weight is, how long you carried that weight, and how many diets you’ve tried in the past. The Nevada Surgical Weight Loss Center’s program coordinator, Jeanne Guerrero is a great resource for this and other questions. Please feel free to contact Jeanne at 702-657-5697 or toll free at 1-866-896-8446.