Before patients undergo bariatric (weight loss) surgery, it’s common for the bariatric surgeon to ask the patient why they want to have surgery in the first place.
The answer can help the surgeon tailor the bariatric treatment plan toward the patient’s goals.
Some patients want bariatric surgery to give them a slimmer body. They dream of one day looking in the mirror and seeing a trim waistline that looks attractive in various clothes.
Other patients lament the excess belly fat that hangs from their abdomens. This skin flap can sometimes cause rashes and infections as skin rubs against the skin.
Then, some patients want nothing more than to boost their current state of health. They want to climb stairs without feeling like they will pass out. A common theme is that they want to watch their children and grandchildren grow up, so they wish to live as long as possible. Having bariatric surgery is a good way to ensure that happens.
If you’re currently at the research stage of weight loss surgery, have you considered this question? Which is most important to you: A slimmer body, less belly fat, or improved health?
Here are some points to help you answer that question when it comes time to consult with a bariatric surgeon.
Can Bariatric Surgery Give You a Slimmer Waist?
A high body mass index (BMI), the definition of obesity, can cause your waist to grow in kind. Before you know it, your wardrobe has undergone a big transformation, no pun intended.
One primary goal many patients have when undergoing bariatric surgery is to shrink their waist to a healthier and aesthetically pleasing level.
A trimmer waist will also make it possible to wear a wider variety of clothes. Since fat cells aren’t known for growing evenly around the body, having a large waist can make some clothes fit awkwardly.
By losing the bulk of the excess fat through bariatric surgery, you can fit into most clothes without dreading the fitting room experience.
The fact is, yes, bariatric surgery can give you a slimmer waist. You can lose much of your excess weight, no matter which procedure you choose.
You can bring your BMI down to a healthier level, which will also have waist-slimming effects.
Surgical procedures like the gastric sleeve and bypass procedures can help you lose up to 60% to 80% of your excess weight. That’s 60 to 80 pounds if you are currently one hundred over your baseline BMI.
A loss like that is bound to make your waist smaller, but it’s not just your waist that shrinks when you lose significant amounts of weight. You’ll find yourself getting slimmer all over, including your face.
Some people may even come up to you and say that you look like a completely different person. Try not to take offense. They only respond to the dramatic change you’ve undergone by having life-changing and life-saving bariatric surgery.
Can Bariatric Surgery Give You Less Belly Fat?
The primary goal of bariatric surgery is to help you lose fat all over.
As you have probably heard, it is impossible to spot reduced fat. You can’t lose fat on your belly faster than any other part of your body, in other words.
Your bariatric surgeon will focus on belly fat as part of your bariatric treatment. That’s because the more fat you have on your abdomen, the higher your risk for various illnesses, including cancer.
As bariatric surgery helps you drop the excess pounds, you will eventually have less fat in your stomach.
Will you have a flat tummy after bariatric surgery? That’s not an easy question to answer.
Your belly fat level on your abdomen will depend on various factors, including lifestyle, food choices, activity level, skin elasticity, and genetics.
After the weight has come off, there are ways to give you a flatter tummy with less belly fat. This is one of the reasons it pays to choose your bariatric surgeon carefully.
Bariatric Surgery and Post-Bariatric Body Contouring
One of the best reasons to choose Dr. Babak Moeinolmolki of Healthy Life Bariatrics as your bariatric surgeon is because the doctor is one of the few in the country who is dually trained in minimally invasive surgery and post-bariatric body contouring. He is the only one in Southern California with that distinction.
If having less belly fat is one of your goals, Dr. Moeinolmolki can continue your weight loss treatment plan with body contouring procedures like the tummy tuck and smart liposuction. These cosmetic procedures can give you a trimmer waist, flatter tummy, and more attractive contours once the weight has come off.
Can Bariatric Surgery Improve Your Health?
What if you want a healthier body rather than a slimmer body? Can bariatric surgery give you boosted mobility, a surge of energy, and a renewed zest for life?
Absolutely!
Let’s talk about mobility first. Losing even 20% of your excess weight treats many obesity-related illnesses. One of those happens to be osteoarthritis.
With the weight no longer encumbering your joints, you can move around much more easily. If you were taking medications due to comorbidities like arthritis or type 2 diabetes, you may find that you can throw out your prescriptions at your doctor’s behest.
With more mobility comes a surge of energy. Remember those hormonal changes from bariatric surgery we discussed earlier? One of those helps to boost your metabolism. This means that your body begins to burn calories more efficiently. If you can couple this with healthier eating, you’ll finally see that eating healthy food gives you plenty of fuel for living the life you want to live. We’re talking about a majorly improved quality of life, with a newly improved body to go along with it.
With you able to move around more and with more energy to live life on your terms, there’s no telling what you might be up for.
Many bariatric surgery patients want to do things they never thought possible once the excess weight is out of the picture. Some take up new hobbies like scuba diving or even skydiving.
At any rate, many successful bariatric patients are glad they can finally get down on the ground and play with their children or grandchildren when before that would not have been possible.
Of course, losing weight is never easy, and bariatric surgery only gives you the tools to lose weight. The surgery itself is not a magic wand.
However, as long as you follow your bariatric surgeon’s recommendations, there is no reason you can’t go on to lose all the excess weight, making yours a bariatric surgery success story.
Bariatric Surgery Can Give You Slimmer, Trimmer, and Healthier Body
The beauty of weight loss surgery is that you can achieve all three goals with a single procedure.
With the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and even with non-surgical treatments like the gastric balloon, you could be well on your way to achieving a slimmer body, less body fat, and improved health.
Are You Ready to Discuss Bariatric Surgery and What it Can Do for You?
With the New Year dawning, it’s time to think about how you want to usher in the future. Do you want to do the same old thing and live as you have been?
Or would you rather take charge and treat your obesity once and for all?
Bariatric surgery allows you to defeat obesity on advantageous terms.
You might be an excellent candidate for bariatric surgery if you have tried everything to lose weight, including countless diets and exercise programs.
Choosing Dr. Babak Moeinolmolki and Healthy Life Bariatrics allowallows you to achieve your slimmer body and health goals and your post-bariatric body contouring goals afterward.
Ready to learn more?
What do you have to lose? Call Healthy Life Bariatrics throughout Southern California to schedule your consultation with a world-renowned bariatric surgeon, Dr. Babak Moeinolmolki. Dial now to get started. (310)861-7844.