Tips to Help You Prepare Physically for Weight Loss Surgery

When someone is going to have weight loss surgery, it is important for them to prepare themselves both mentally and physically, but how exactly can someone prepare their body for weight loss surgery?

 

Here are some tips:

  1. Make sure your diet includes nutrients that can aid with your recovery such as; protein to help the body repair itself and keep muscle density up and Omega-3 that will help reduce inflammation.
  2. Practice new eating habits before surgery – After weight loss surgery, you will have to change your eating habits, so it is a good idea to prepare yourself and your stomach for this by; reducing your portion size, eating slower, chewing more and putting your fork down between bites. By practising this new eating style, the changes to your daily food routine will be easier to put into practice after your surgery.
  3. Drinking more water will help to ensure that your body is hydrated and ready for surgery.
  4. Stopping smoking at least 6-8 weeks before surgery can help to improve your body’s ability to heal after weight loss surgery as the blood flow won’t be as restricted, potentially reducing your recovery time.
  5. Start building in regular exercise in the weeks leading up to your surgery. Developing a routine now will make picking it up again after surgery and a period of recuperation, easier. Walking is an excellent exercise and one you will be recommended to start as part of your recuperation programme. Try downloading an activity app to keep you motivated and track your improvements. Active 10 is supported by the NHS and is designed to help people build up their activity levels gradually.
  6. Watch those triggers – Try keeping a diary of when you feel most like snacking. The aim is to see if there is a pattern, an emotion or an event that seems to trigger a need to snack.  Your weight loss surgery will help ease feelings of hunger, but it won’t necessarily change your day to day habits or emotional responses to certain situations.   By first understanding, if you have any triggers you can start to make changes in how you respond to them.  Try speaking to others who have gone or are going through weight loss surgery, The Gastric Guru forum is a great place to start.
  7. Practice dealing with stress – if you find yourself comfort eating as a way to deal with stress try finding other alternatives than food, this will help you increase your chances of losing and maintaining weight loss.

Some ways to deal with stress are:

  • Exercise
  • Connecting with people
  • Having ‘me time’
  • Trying ‘mindfulness’
  • Using calming breathing exercises

These are all great ways that you can prepare your body for weight loss surgery. Before your surgery, you will also be advised by your consultant or surgeon on how to adjust any medication you are taking.

For more information on weight loss surgery at Streamline Surgical, please call 0333 016 3030 or fill out our online enquiry form.