Support Group: The Key to Successful Weight Loss
At the Chicago Institute for Advanced Bariatrics, we take your weight-loss success seriously, and it is the heart of our mission to help all our patients achieve their goals. While we provide state-of-the-art surgical procedures drawing upon the latest in advanced bariatric techniques, we also recognize that there are important mental and emotional components to your long-term success. Our weight loss surgeries help our patients to gain physical health, but we are also proud to provide the utmost care to support concurrent mental and emotional health gains. We know that these are all synergistic, and progress in one area affects your momentum and overall health.
That is why we offer individual counseling and nutritional guidance before and after your procedure. We also encourage our patients to join our bariatric surgery support group. Research shows that participation in a group results in better habits and greater weight loss (Annesi 2018).
Why join the bariatric surgery support group?
Your bariatric procedure is an aggressive measure to help you make positive changes to your health, and it will help you shed pounds relatively quickly (and for good) if you are able to stick to the dietary and exercise recommendations that we make. This is where the support group can play a major role in your success. Studies show that patients who attend support group meetings are able to make lasting changes to their relationships with food, improving their ability to self-regulate and stay on track with their habits (Annesi 2018).
If you attend our support group regularly, you will be able to:
- Learn more about what to expect during and after surgery, how to be prepared for what is ahead, and how to reach your goals.
- Share tricks, strategies, recipes, and knowledge with other bariatric patients.
- Talk about your struggles with other individuals who have gone through what you are going through.
- Discover a community of people who are interested in your success and are on the same path towards a healthy lifestyle.
- Encourage others and be encouraged yourself.
In short, coming to bariatric support group meetings will be a regular boost to your energy and momentum towards health. Sharing this common interest with others can help you to stay committed and continue to make healthy choices for yourself.
When should I join the support group?
Simply put, it is never too early to join the bariatric surgery support group. In fact, even before your surgery it can be helpful to attend; you can learn about what to expect and hear first-hand from others who have gone before you. And, if you are undecided about whether or not to have a weight-loss surgery, attending a meeting and talking to others who have had weight-loss surgeries can be a good way to get additional information that will help you to make the most informed decision possible.
If you didn’t join before your surgery, you can still join the meetings afterward. Most people who regularly attend the support group feel more encouraged to choose healthy foods and stick to an exercise routine than they would be if they didn’t attend. So, staying healthy is easier if you become involved in the support group. When you make a significant investment in your own health, it is important to continue to support that investment. Give yourself the best chance at success – join us!
For more information on how to join our bariatric surgery support group, contact us at 773.327.6800 today.
Reference
Annesi, J. (2018). Relationship of Emotional Eating and Mood Changes Through Self-Regulation Within Three Behavioral Treatments for Obesity. Psychological Reports. [epub ahead of print] Sept 4. doi:10.1177/0033294118795883