Follow-Up Care Critical to Weight Loss after Surgery
Losing weight is a process. It takes time. And if you’re like most people, that’s a commodity that’s always in short supply. When you’re pressed for time, have a busy schedule, or conflicting appointments, you’ve got to make some tough decisions and decide what’s most important.
Make your own meals, or go out to eat? Watch TV or go to the gym? Meet up with friends at the last minute or keep your doctor’s appointment after your second weight loss surgery? If you’re serious about losing weight after revisional bariatric surgery to correct a problem or get back on track with your weight loss goals, keeping your appointments with your doctor is critical.
Patients Who Keep Appointments Lose More Weight
In fact, research shows that keeping the follow-up appointments with your doctor can significantly increase the success of your surgery and help you achieve optimal weight loss. In the study published in the journal Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, researchers looked at long-term weight loss results over a four-year period for patients who received laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery.
During the first year after surgery, most patients lost 65 to 70 percent of their excess body weight. However, as time went on, the patients who skipped follow-up appointments began to fall behind in weight loss compared to those who continued to meet with their doctor regularly. After four years of follow-up, the patients who met with their doctor for all follow-up appointments after laparoscopic bariatric surgery lost 24 percent more weight than those who didn’t keep their follow-up appointments.
Accountability Promotes Lifestyle Changes
What happens at a follow-up appointment? In most cases, you’ll weigh in to measure your progress, have your blood pressure checked, discuss your diet and exercise habits with your doctor, address any concerns you may have, and schedule any follow-up procedures if necessary. It might not seem important, but simply keeping those follow-up appointments raises the accountability factor and helps you develop the day-to-day habits after surgery that will help you lose weight and keep it off for good.
Revisional bariatric surgery can improve a prior weight loss surgery, correct a problem or complication, and get you back on track to lowering your Body Mass Index, achieving a healthy weight, and improving your quality of life. Keeping your follow-up appointments after surgery is just as important as eating healthy and getting regular exercise to get the results you want.
A Little Reminder Can Make a Big Difference
We’re here to help. After surgery, when you schedule follow-up appointments with your doctor, we’ll send you friendly reminders to help you keep your appointments. All you have to do is show up. It’s one more way to tip the scale in the right direction. For more information on the revisional bariatric procedures performed by New York’s top bariatric surgeons, call 800-633-8446 or contact us today. You can also choose to use our Live Chat function that is in the top right corner of the page for an immediate discussion.
