A recent article on Today Health & Wellness describes how formerly severely obese 28 year-old Christine Carter faced serious challenges after receiving a gastric sleeve surgery, before successfully changing her mental approach and achieving her ideal weight. Ms. Carter’s case underlines the realities that weight loss surgeries, while highly effective, are no magic wand and need to be accompanied by a genuine commitment and psychological support.
Patients can benefit from several forms of follow-up care to support them on their weight loss journey. These include:
Psychological Screening and Post-Surgical Support – Before patients actually receive their procedure, it is crucial that they meet with a licensed clinical psychologist for an evaluation. This is to ensure that the patient is serious about changing her relationship with food following the procedure. While procedures such as the gastric sleeve and the Lap Band have been proven to help reduce the appetite and make permanent weight loss vastly more achievable for severely obese individuals, they still must be accompanied by very real changes in a patient’s overall relationship with food, and that is not always an easy adjustment. That is why, alongside psychological support, BHP patients also meet with a nutritionist to help them learn new and better eating habits. We also offer access to an online support group with 24 hour access to resources. Patients who are interested in an in-person support group can also be provided with services. Frequent topics covered include emotional eating vs. mindful eating, coping skills, dealing with psychologically-induced “head hunger” and making the all-important behavioral changes needed for weight loss
Access to Post Weight Loss Plastic Surgery – After successfully losing all 150 pounds, Christine Carter did what many patients have done and obtained a tummy tuck plastic surgery to deal with the loose folds of skin that often accompany a significant weight loss; she later showed off the results to her 128,000 followers on Instagram. BHP’s in-house team of outstanding plastic surgeons regularly performs procedures such as tummy tucks on patients who have lost a great deal of weight following a weight loss procedure. They note that many patients obtain these procedures not only because of aesthetic issues, but also because large folds of skin can also be uncomfortable and unsightly. Many patients find it easier and more convenient to obtain their weight loss procedure and follow-up plastic surgeries from a single provider.