Weight loss surgery such as gastric bypass can pose some sticky problems for patients because of the body’s decreased ability to absorb necessary nutrients from your food.  Even if you adhere to a healthy diet and take dietary supplements, exhaustion can be difficult to overcome.

There are three very simple ways to increase your energy after your surgery, aside from the obvious need to make healthy choices when eating.

Amp Up with B-12

While taking any vitamins will at least help to promote your health, most vitamins lack the proper ingredients and dosages you need after gastric bypass surgery.

Most vitamins don’t contain enough B-12, which isn’t easy to digest anyway and can be more difficult for bariatric patients.  B-12 helps not only to increase your energy, it also speeds up your metabolism helping you to lose weight faster.   You just need the portions proper for your needs; usually you can only find this in a good gastric bypass supplement.

Exercise the Drowsy Away

Although it seems like it only makes us tired, regular exercise builds stamina and endurance.  It increases the amount of adrenaline your body produces, giving you more energy and also aiding metabolism.  You will lose weight and feel great! You’ll also sleep much more soundly.

Most doctors recommend yoga, swimming, biking or hiking for bariatric patients.  Talk with your physician about what will work best for you.

Sleep it Off!

While sleeping too much is certainly counterproductive, getting too little will only make you lackadaisical.  Getting enough rest is vital to your recovery.  It will also allow your body to build energy, defeating dreadful fatigue.

If for any reason these tips don’t do enough to improve your stamina, talk to your doctor.  It could be something as simple as not getting adequate nutrition from your current bariatric supplements, many of which use absorption-hindering filler. Be sure to address any concerns you have with your physician.  The most important thing is to be healthy!

Maintaining a Healthy Appetite

Even though bariatric surgery is supposed to help you run out of room faster, it can be difficult at first to tell when you are hungry.  You may have the desire to eat even though your body is full.

Under-eating can also be an issue.  It is very important to maintain the calories and vitamins you need to recover.  Eating too little will not help you lose weight any faster, and can cause anemia.

Making healthy choices when planning your bariatric diet is essential to help you succeed.  Avoid foods that are high in fat or sugar, and drink water instead of juice or soda.  Both carbonated beverages and those that contain alcohol will fill you with unhealthy carbohydrates and can cause an upset stomach.

Malabsorption of the vitamins your body needs can also be a problem.  Different procedures like gastric bypass surgery makes the room you have to digest your food much smaller. Much of the intestinal tract that would have helped you to break down and absorb your vitamin supplements before your surgery is no longer accessible afterwards.

In order to prevent malabsorption, make sure you take quality bariatric vitamins which are designed for your gentle digestive tract.  You want to find something that has all the nutritional value your body needs, in the proper doses.  Do not take regular multivitamins, they are difficult to absorb and contain unnecessary fillers like glucose, sucrose, artificial colors and flavors.

Fatigue After Weight Loss Surgery

Many patients feel lethargic after weight loss surgery.  The biggest reason for this is a lack of sufficient vitamin B-12.  Find a good bariatric supplement that contains adequate amounts to meet your requirements.  B-12 helps increase your energy and it is effective in helping people lose weight by speeding up your metabolism.

Bariatric Vitamins

Due to the loss of natural bariatric vitamins produced in your body, it is essential to make sure you are getting enough through dietary supplements.  Some women suffer from hair loss and brittle, discolored nails after their surgery.  By taking bariatric supplements you can avoid this.  In fact, many women report that their nails become more beautiful after taking bariatric vitamins.

After any surgical procedure, hair loss may become a problem.  This is due to the shock your body experiences during surgery, and a lack of nutrition afterward.

Getting the right vitamins will help reverse the process.  Hair loss is usually only temporary.  It will return when your body no longer has to compete over vitamins.

Bariatric surgery can put a lot of stress on the body.  Maintaining proper nutrition will help expedite your recovery.

Some concerns many women have after their weight loss surgery are easy to alleviate with the proper encouragement and emotional support.  To help you succeed in this journey, you need to be optimistic.  Here are some common questions that may arise.

Will My Family be Proud of Me?

Of course they will!  But sometimes issues pop up just the same.

You are doing something to actively make a drastic change occur in your life.  Some families may feel threatened, especially if weight maintenance is difficult for other members in the family.

They may feel threatened as you start to lose weight.  They might be unwilling to aide you with your recovery, or pessimistic with regards to exercise.  They may also be reluctant to consider your dietary needs.

Do not fear that they do not love you or aren’t proud of you.  They may just be worried that you won’t need them once you’ve met your goals.  Assure them that you value their opinions, and let them know how important their help is for you to succeed.

Will My Husband Still Love Me?

For some couples, marital problems can begin after you’ve had surgery.  Many spouses worry that you are not losing weight to improve your health.  They may fear that you are trying to attract someone new, and that when you’ve met your goals you will leave or replace them.

Especially if your spouse struggles with their weight, they may feel insecure that you are losing so much while their difficulties persist.  Make sure they understand that you are doing this for your own health and self-esteem, and that you still love them.  Let them know that it is because of their love and encouragement that you are able to do this.

My Family isn’t Supporting Me on My Strict Bariatric Diet.  What Can I Do?

First, know that you are not alone! This is one of the most frequent issues that arise after surgery.

It is challenging already to adopt new eating habits.  Having others disregard your dietary restrictions can make things especially difficult.  If you cannot get your family to start eating healthier foods with you, you may be up for a real challenge.

Having junk food in the house, or watching other people eat unhealthy foods, can cause constant temptation.  Don’t give in!  Don’t let anyone sabotage your aims.  After a few weeks, greasy burgers and soggy fries won’t look nearly as appetizing as they used to–trust me!

In the meantime, try to discuss these and any other issues you may be having with familial support.  If you talk to them about it, they will feel less threatened and will start encouraging you.

If you need to, enlist the aid of outside help from a bariatric professional counselor.  No matter what do not give up, you have what it takes to get thin again!

Bariatric surgery does not adversely affect the life span in male bariatric patients, says the Veteran Affairs secretary Eric K. Shineski. The agency compared rates of 850 “high-risk” patients–those of advanced age and obesity–to 41,000 equally overweight veterans who had not undergone weight loss surgery.

The study–the first of its kind strictly for male gastric bypass patients–found that certain factors after gastric bypass surgery actually work to increase lifespan.  To find out what those factors are, click the link to read read the agency’s bariatric news release.

Bariatric Surgery Improves Diabetes

The Houston Northwest Medical Center recently announced that gastric bypass surgery can significantly–and positively–impact diabetes in overweight patients. The medical center reported that over 75% of diabetic patients were able to quit there medications within six months of bariatric surgery.

The medical center also found that weight loss efforts helped by bariatric surgery were up to five tiems more likely to succeed in eliminating diabetes, than were other weight loss methods.

Houston Northwest Medical Center also found several other ways that weight loss surgery can improve your health. Click here to read about them.

Study Shows You Will be Able to Exercise!

Having problems with your energy level or other exercise-related concerns after bariatric surgery?  Don’t worry. You should be able to run, row, or jog with the best just as soon as you heal up, a University of Texas study recently found.

The study found that bariatric patients were about to handle increasingly more exercise, burning between 1,500-2,000 calories a week!  The exercise didn’t just help with weight loss efforts–it also improved participants’ overall fitness and sense of well-being.

To find out just how much you can (and should) exercise in order to lose more weight and improve your overall well-being, visit the bariatric news release.