As a society, our battle with obesity rates has been a hot topic of conversation and while there have been many initiatives put into place to encourage all of us to get active and be more mindful of the food and beverages we consume, for many weight management can be difficult. An increasing trend among plastic surgery procedures is post-bariatric procedures, or body contouring procedures performed after losing a substantial amount of weight from either diet/exercise or gastric bypass surgery. Once a person has successfully reached their goal weight, the removal of excess skin that has stretched out, due to the extra weight the body once carried, can be viewed as the last step to achieving their desired physique. However, it is my belief that being mindful of weight management before, during and after rapid weight loss is the key to living a healthier, more active lifestyle and also maintaining your results.
Being obese can cause a plethora of complications to your health. From diabetes and depression to cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders, not giving your body the nutrition and physical activity it needs to function properly on a daily basis can be detrimental. Every inch of our bodies are interconnected and our bodies function similarly to smoothly run cars. With proper maintenance and giving it the right “oil,” we are able to reduce stress, increase energy and brain function, control weight and even improve our mood.
Often times we hear the importance of exercising regularly; this alone is not going to help manage your weight. There needs to be a nice balance of exercise and diet, plus a commitment to sticking with it, to ensure gradual success. I say gradual because it’s a marathon and not a sprint when it comes to weight management; the challenge is finding what works best for you and your lifestyle. Our days may simply seem like there aren’t enough hours to go to work, get on a treadmill for 30 minutes then follow that up with making a hearty, home cooked meal. But if you were to think about all of the effort and resources needed to reverse prolonged weight gain, why not mitigate the need for multiple cosmetic procedures because your final plastic surgery results are reversed once you slip back into your previous lifestyle?
Body contouring isn’t a method for weight loss, so you shouldn’t be fooled by the idea that you can liposuction large amounts of fat to help you get to a specific weight. The work doesn’t stop after you leave the operating room and battling pockets of fat can be an ongoing struggle if you let it work its way back into your areas of concern. For those of you who are exploring your options for post-bariatric procedures, there are several procedures to help you address sagging skin and improve contours. As a double-board certified plastic surgeon, most commonly I perform arm lift, thigh lift, breast lift, tummy tuck and body lift to help patients achieve a more sculpted appearance that matches your new body.
We understand the difficulty sticking with such an undertaking as changing your lifestyle can be, but trust me when I say it’s worth it. To help better serve our patients and give them the extra resources that could benefit them, we have a Lifestyle & Weight Management Specialist to help keep you focused and motivated. Spearheaded by NESTA Weight Management Specialist Jackie Madison, our Lifestyle Change program promotes healthy active lifestyles by encouraging weight loss and management and holding you accountable each step of the way. From past experiences, we have seen many of our patients make the most out of our Lifestyle Weight Management program and we really want each of them to have continued success long after leaving our office.
If you’re interested in starting your healthy lifestyle plan or want to find out about the body contouring and post-bariatric procedures we perform, please don’t hesitate to contact Southern Plastic Surgery today. For more updates on plastic surgery and health and wellness, be sure to connect with me, Dr. David Whiteman, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.