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5 Things to Avoid Saying to Someone Who’s Had Weight Loss Surgery

Look around you and you will see that being overweight has reached epidemic proportions. In South Africa, not only are there millions of overweight adults, South African children are 5th on the scale of worldwide obesity. The level of obesity is huge, and despite all the money spent on reducing obesity, the number of overweight people is increasing.

The solution for many is watching our portion sizes, making sensible food choices and an increase in exercise. Many people get medical advice and resort to weight loss surgery which limits the amount of food the stomach can hold. People who have undergone this surgery often have to cope with a barrage of insensitive questions hurled at them. Feelings of disdain and contempt are wrapped up in these questions and can often cause self-worth issues.

5 Things to Avoid Saying

  1. Don’t Say ‘Is fat an family issue with You?‘ -the truth is you may well be prone to obesity if one or both of your parents is obese. It may just be a case of learning bad eating habits. There are however people who do actually inherit a tendency in their genes which makes them prone to overeat. People who grow up in a family who is obese may even develop psychological problems because of being overweight or obese. These feelings can affect their relationships with family members and they may have feelings of animosity towards them for ‘giving’ them their overweight problems.
  2. Don’t Say ‘It Must be Nice to Eat Anything Now Hey?‘ The weight-loss surgery patient won’t be comfortable eating as they used to. The gastric band system makes you feel full quicker so you eat less. The capacity of the stomach has been reduced and the surgeon will provide nutrition guidelines. After the stomach has healed, you can only eat a little, so you need to make sure the food is packed with vitamins and nutrients advised by a dietitian. By 5 Things to Avoid Sayingbelonging to support groups, you’ll record more weight loss and live healthier than those people who don’t.
  3. Don’t Say ‘Do You have a Lot of Loose Skin?‘ Patients who have had a gastric bypass/lap band lose an extraordinary amount of fat and weight. Unfortunately this does result in excess skin in the stomach area, the face and arms. The truth is that when you have lost SO much weight, the only way to tighten the skin is through plastic surgery as well as face and body contouring. After spending so much on weight loss surgery, it would an insensitive question to ask, as the patient may be unable to afford additional enhancing surgery.
  4. Don’t Say ‘Shew, did you really have Weight Loss Surgery?‘ There is no easy solution to weight loss. Weight loss surgery doesn’t usher in a a slim new you; it is merely the start to a new lifestyle. The idea behind weight loss surgery is to maintain a healthy weight. This will only be achieved with a change in your exercise routine and your eating habits. Weight loss surgery isn’t a magic wand that ushers in a sedentary lifestyle and endless sugary treats. Hard work lies ahead. The person recovering from weight loss surgery may even need to work with medical professionals such as obesity specialists and behaviour therapists to overcome all the problems surrounding obesity.
  5. Don’t Say ‘Are you Going to be In the Running for a Relationship Now?’ Relationships will have been tricky before weight-loss surgery. People with obesity often have low self-esteem and neglect their self-care. After weight loss surgery, the patient may need mental, physical and emotional therapy to change their mindset in order for them to achieve their dreams. A professional team can help with removing disharmony and assist with identifying those barriers that prevent the person to achieve effectiveness and fulfillment.