With two-third of Americans qualifying as overweight or obese, it's no surprise the number of weight-loss surgeries is steadily increasing. According to healthcare market research firm Kalorama Information, the number of weight-loss surgeries performed annually has increased an average of 20 percent every year from 1994 to 2009, with an estimated 350,000 procedures performed in 2009.
About Weight-Loss Surgery
Weight-loss surgery helps you lose weight by one of two methods: by limiting the amount of food your stomach can hold or by reducing the amount of nutrients you absorb from your foods. Both methods help you lose weight by restricting your caloric intake, but patients considering weight-loss surgery should understand that post-surgical lifestyle changes are required in order to achieve and maintain an increased state of health and desired weight loss. Weight-loss surgery is a tool that can help you accomplish this, but it should not be seen as a quick fix for weight loss.
Caloric Intake and Expenditure
To lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you consume. According to the American Council on Exercise, attempting to lose weight by reducing caloric intake alone is successful for only about five percent of dieters. The best way to lose weight and to keep it off is with a combination of diet and exercise. Even with the assistance of weight-loss surgery, if you continue to eat a high-calorie diet and live a predominately sedentary lifestyle, you may not lose weight as quickly or lose as much weight as you would like. Regular exercise will also help improve your cardiovascular health and give you more energy.
Commitment to a Healthy Lifestyle
Dr. Carlos Barba, bariatric surgeon and director of the bariatric surgery program at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, believes that a lack of commitment to a healthy lifestyle is the most common cause of weight-loss surgery failure. Following your weight-loss surgery, your doctor or clinic will provide you with tools and resources to help you succeed, which often include nutritional counseling and personalized exercise plans. Weight-loss surgery is only one part of a healthy weight-loss program, emphasizes Dr. Barba. Success requires a lifelong commitment to personal fitness.
Types of Exercise
The type of exercise that you do is relatively unimportant. Joining a gym is not always necessary and may be intimidating and uncomfortable if you are not accustomed to exercising in public. Your doctor will likely recommend that you start slowly with a simple walking routine, which you can gradually increase and augment over time. Dan Beuttner, a National Geographic explorer who has studied the lifestyle habits of some of the world's longest-living people, believes that regular, low-intensity activity is more beneficial to overall health than strenuous aerobic workouts. Even light activities such as gardening or playing with your children--anything that gets you moving--can count as exercise.
Results
If you were not in the habit of exercising before your weight-loss surgery, you will most likely see results quickly. As you lose weight, you will eventually reach a plateau and discover that you have to work harder to get the same results. With a healthy diet and regular exercise routine, weight-loss surgery patients can lose anywhere between 25 to 75 percent of their excess body weight within three years. A continued commitment to diet and exercise is crucial to prevent regaining weight after your initial weight loss.
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