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Life
After Surgery
The following identifies areas
that will be important for patients to follow after weight
loss surgery. 
Diet
Going Back to Work
Birth Control
& Pregnancy
Long-Term Follow-Up
Support Groups
 The
modifications made to your gastrointestinal tract will require
permanent changes in your eating habits that must be adhered
to for successful weight loss. Post-surgery dietary guidelines
will vary by surgeon. You may hear of other patients who are
given different guidelines following their weight loss
surgery. It is important to remember that every surgeon does
not perform the exact same weight loss surgery procedure and
that the dietary guidelines will be different for each surgeon
and each type of procedure. Gastric By-Pass and Lap-Band Dietary
Guidelines have been provided below. What is most important is that you
adhere strictly to your surgeon's recommended guidelines. The
following are some of the generally accepted dietary
guidelines a weight loss surgery patient may encounter:
- 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.
- Don't drink fluids while
eating. They will make you feel full before you have
consumed enough food.
- 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.
- Limit snacking between
meals.
- Gastric By-Pass Dietary Guidelines
- Lap-Band Dietary Guidelines
 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 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.
It is strongly advised that women of childbearing age use the
most effective forms of birth control during the first 16 to
24 months after weight loss surgery. The added demands
pregnancy places on your body and the potential for fetal
damage make this a most important requirement.
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. Follow-up tests will
initially be conducted every three to six months or as needed,
and then every one to two years.
 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. Most surgeons have support groups in place to
assist you with short-term and long-term questions and needs.
Most bariatric surgeons who frequently perform weight loss
surgery will tell you that ongoing post-surgical support helps
produce the greatest level of success for their patients.
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