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“Most of our patients have tried diet and exercise for their whole lives,” Rogers said. “Yet a lot of them have still been overweight or obese since middle school.”
She notes there are certain people who don’t qualify for weight-loss surgery, such as anyone who has an untreatable medical problem that causes them to gain weight and people with poorly controlled psychological disorders.
For those who are good candidates, Rogers points to three main keys to post-surgery success:
1. Making better choices. “Exercise and eating smaller portions have to be part of your lifestyle change in order to be successful,” she said.
2. Keeping all follow-up appointments with your physician. “There’s a lot of evidence that people who see their doctor regularly after surgery do better,” Rogers said.
3. Maintaining a food journal. Rogers has her patients keep a food journal of everything that crosses their lips. “It’s unbelievably helpful at getting people back on track because it forces them to be accountable,” she said.
Rogers said some people are afraid of bariatric surgery because of “horror stories” about complications they hear in the media or elsewhere. But for almost everyone, the benefits outweigh any risks.
“For most people, it’s safer than choosing to live their lives as obese,” she said. Yet many do — with one in three individuals being greater than 20 percent over their ideal body weight, and about 5 percent living with serious weight-related health problems.
Learn more:
- For this advocate, sweet victory — Penn State Medicine
- Ask Us Anything About…Surgical Weight Loss
- Dean’s story – ‘The Voice’ recaptures his life — inspiredtogether.org
(This is a modified version of an article originally published in January 2015.)
The Medical Minute is a weekly health news feature brought to you by Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Articles feature the expertise of faculty physicians and staff, and are designed to offer timely, relevant health information of interest to a broad audience.