Emotional Eating and Bariatric Surgery
We all have different coping mechanisms, and some may be healthier than others. Many people binge eat in moments of sadness, depression, and anxiety. This can lead to or contribute to obesity or morbid obesity in some cases. With excessive weight comes a number of health issues, including hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes, and joint pain. These are common reasons why patients come to Tijuana Bariatrics in search of answers.
Custom bariatric surgery may be recommended to help you lose weight if you are obese or morbidly obese, and it can help to some extent with emotional eating. The issue is complicated, but let’s consider some of the basics below.
How Your Diet Changes After Bariatirc Surgery
After you undergo bariatric surgery, you will typically feel fuller sooner because of changes to your digestive tract. Your stomach size is smaller, and your appetite is changed. You will be eating different kinds of foods following surgery, and you will be eating multiple small meals a day.
Of course, sensations of hunger and fullness are not an issue when it comes to eating for emotional reasons. The reason for eating is to satiate a psychological need rather than a physiological one.
Dangerous Potential for Overeating Despite Fullness
If you overeat after bariatric surgery, this can lead to serious discomfort and a condition known as dumping syndrome. This leads to nausea, vomiting, and a host of other problems. This can put your health and wellness at risk if it happens continually, which is why the underlying source of emotional eating may require professional attention.
Getting Help for Emotional Eating Problems
People who eat for comfort and emotional needs may want to consider meeting with a counselor or therapist to work through problems and identify certain aspects of their lives that could use changes. A therapist will help put problems or anxieties in perspective and suggest new behaviors or ways of thinking that are better for patients in the long run.
This focus on the emotional and psychological needs of patients after weight loss surgery doesn’t get discussed enough. Many people need the support of loved ones to deal with the changes they are going through. If seeing a therapist may prove helpful, do not feel embarrassed or ashamed. Many people can benefit from getting professional health for these sorts of issues, and it may be an important part of changing your life for the better.
Analyze Your Cravings and What Triggers Them
When you notice a craving for a certain food even though you are not hungry, consider the reasons you want to eat the food. Is it because you are angry or upset? It is to help delay some other action or activity? Can the craving for food be replaced by something else? Are you simply eating our of sadness or boredom?
These are all important questions that make us consider our relationship to food and our relationship to others. Be sure to think about these issues closely, and do not be afraid to bring them up with your therapist or your loved ones. Discussing these issues is important, and your honesty and willingness to change can help improve your overall health.
Contact Tijuana Bariatrics
For more information about diet and emotional well-being after you have undergone bariatric surgery, be sure to contact our weight loss surgery center today. Here at Tijuana Bariatrics, we will help address a multitude of issues related to weight loss and recovery for the long run.
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Mood Swings After Bariatric Surgery
After undergoing bariatric surgery, many patients experience some difficulties adjusting to their new lifestyle. This is to be expected. Life after bariatric surgery involves a lot of changes to your diet, your activity level, and your body. This can lead to mood swings, irritability, and even low moods. It’s a joyful experience to be getting healthier, but there is a struggle involved.
At Tijuana Bariatrics, we place a great deal of emphasis on bariatric surgery recovery and lifestyle changes. This post-op focus can lead to better long-term outcomes for patients. With that in mind, let’s consider mood swings after weight loss surgery and what can be done about them.
Changes to Your Relationship with Food
One of the common reasons for these mood swings involves changes in your relationship to food. Sometimes people eat out of comfort. After a weight loss procedure, you may not be able to eat certain foods, at least not in the quantity you used to. Rather then finding psychological comfort in food, it’s more likely to become just of a source of nourishment.
This change can be quite a problem for people, leading them to feel distressed and unsure about what to do.
Emotional Needs Are Part of Total Wellness
Keep in mind that these feelings are normal and that it’s okay that you feel the way you do. Many other patients have felt the same way as they adjust to life after bariatric surgery. You are not alone in this journey, and thankfully there is plenty that you can do to improve your emotional and mental well-being after weight loss surgery.
Speak with a Therapist or Counselor If Needed
Many people who’ve undergone bariatric surgery would benefit from speaking with a therapist or counselor as they recover. In fact, many people in general might benefit from speaking with a good therapist.
A therapist can offer some much needed perspective, and can provide a compassionate view of your life and your current situation that you may not be giving yourself. Therapy itself is an ongoing process, and it’s a helpful part of discovering the new you in this new chapter in your life.
Be Open with Your Loved Ones About Your Emotional Needs
If you are going through an emotional struggle after surgery, be open about it with your loved ones. Their support in all this can be crucial for your recovery and your overall sense of well-being. This honesty, vulnerability, and intimacy are all normal parts of improving your health and your outlook on life.
Seek Support Groups with Other Bariatric Surgery Patients
We mentioned that you are not alone in this journey. It’s important that you reinforce that. In addition to seeking professional help and being honest with your loved ones, find other bariatric surgery patients to speak with and share stories. You might connect with these people in person, or you can find various groups online as well. Whatever the case may be, finding a community and discussing your triumphs and struggles is so important as your recover and consider what life has to offer in the future.
Contact Tijuana Bariatrics
For more information about the side effects of bariatric surgery and what you can do to ensure proper healing and recovery, be sure to contact our team of weight loss surgery specialists today. The team at Tijuana Bariatrics looks forward to your visit and discussing these matters in much greater detail.