Long-term maintenance after bariatric surgery in Turkey is essential for achieving lasting success and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. It’s about more than just the surgery, it’s about making lasting changes that support your results. Here are a few key points:
- Sustainable lifestyle changes help you keep the weight off and live a healthier life.
- Regular monitoring of your weight and health prevents complications and ensures you’re on track.
- Continued nutritional guidance from your dietitian supports you in developing long-term healthy habits.
- Managing plateaus and avoiding weight regain can be challenging, but with the right strategies, it’s possible.
- Routine medical check-ups and psychological support ensure your journey stays on course long after surgery.
Importance of Long-Term Maintenance after Bariatric Surgery
Bariatric surgery is the first big step in your weight loss journey. The post-bariatric surgery period is crucially important for your recovery and the success of the surgery.
The stomach can stretch anatomically. A stomach stretch will indirectly lead to weight gain. To prevent this, there are a few steps you can do for long-term maintenance.
Sustainable Lifestyle Changes
During your recovery period, you will continue your diet with a dietitian. This process will teach you how to balance your food and portions. With the method you learn, you will be able to manage your weight stalls.
You will start exercising and find the best workout routine for you. This way, you will be focusing more on muscle gain which will lead to faster metabolism and fat loss.
Monitoring Weight and Health
Your metabolism and what’s happening in your intestines are crucial for your health. A healthy intestine is a must for weight loss. However, healthy intestines are also crucial for vitamin absorption, quality sleep, and overall health.
With diet and exercise, you will be able to monitor your health and analyze your weight. Many metabolic surgeons suggest their patients get an intolerance test to see which foods they can digest or not. This will be crucially important in monitoring your health and weight.
Continuing Nutritional Guidance
When you get your bariatric surgery in Turkey, clinics provide you with year-long dietitian support. This helps you navigate weight maintenance in Turkey, as you adapt to new eating habits and try different foods. You’ll use the information you learn for a lifetime, but whenever you have questions, your dietitians will be there to guide you.
Handling Plateaus and Weight Regain
After your surgery, you will gradually start losing weight, however, you will experience weight stalls or plateaus. Your body will want to preserve the fat as a survival mechanism. Breaking these plateaus could be challenging, however, with a few tips you can easily end your weight stalls. Here’s what you can do:
- Increase the amount of water you consume
- Do not change your diet and keep up with it
- Try to be more active
- Reschedule your sleep and try to be asleep, especially during the 10 pm-2 am period
- Let your dietitian know when you are experiencing plateaus.
Regular Medical Check-Ups
Bariatric surgery follow-ups are important to monitor your recovery and the success of the surgery. After your surgery in Turkey, you will have three follow-ups; one in three months, one in six months, and one after completing a year. You don’t have to come to Turkey for your follow-ups. During these follow-ups, your doctor will ask you some questions about your recovery and might ask for blood tests.
After completing a year-long recovery, you can continue checking your blood and general check-ups to support your overall health.
Psychological Support
Bariatric surgery is not only a weight loss surgery. It affects your overall life. During this period, you might need psychological support. Patients find relief after joining support groups and sharing their experiences with similar destinies.
There are many support groups on social media platforms that you can attend after getting your surgery in Turkey. Our team will always be here to guide you and help you.
Success Stories
Check out some success stories of our patients.
Clapa Denis
Hi, I’m Denis, I had my gastric sleeve on 26/04/2022.
I’ve had an amazing experience with the Arpanu Bariatrics team, I was 153kg and I am 80kg now, I’ve been like this for 1.2 years now, same kg, no losing no gaining anymore.
Happy with your customer service and everything, thank you so much ✅
I’ve put a picture with me of how I was and how am I now ❤️
Alice Bentley
I flew l from London to Turkey for a gastric sleeve surgery. Everything was included I simply had to book my flight. I was pointed to a place to meet my driver at the airport and had to was 20 mins or so but had a luxury air conditioned private bus to myself.
Whilst there are cheaper options, I do feel I was extremely well looked after by Dr Ceyhun Aydoğan and his team you will receive a nutritional specailst who supports you through all the stages of recovery which will be for a year, a translator mine was extremely friendly and also explained everything and was with me every step of the way. She was super lovely. Everyone was extremely friendly, helpful and went above and beyond every step of the way.
I went with Dr Ceyhun Aydoğan and his team due to his reputation and awards he has won I researched and was impressed with his reviews. I believe quality and reputation is important and this is why I chose him and his team.
There’s also a booking guide mine was very helpful and had my hotel changed when there was an issue with the TV in the room. Hotel was beautiful, down time / recovery was 2 days by day three I did boat tours and went on guided tours around the city and loved every moment. My experience was amazing. The hospital was like a 5 star hotel experience and I felt looked after and cared for every step of the way. The nurses were extremely attentive.
My best recommendation is pack extremely light and take the medication recommended back from the pharmacy’s over there.
I am six weeks post surgery and 2 stone down already. This is the best decision I have made for my health and I simply have no regrets. Oh maybe one going a few days early to enjoy all the amazing Turkish food. Do you research there things you will no longer be able to eat or drink and you need to understand for the first few weeks you will eat very little. The nutritionist will explain and answer all your questions ask them as many as you can. The surgery wasn’t painful at all like a few stomach crunches at the gym.
I cannot recommend Dr Ceyhun Aydoğan enough. The health checks before hand were very informative and I am hoping this helps with getting me back on track to being a healthier happier me. I am on my journey there now.
Resources
1) Puzziferri N, Roshek TB, Mayo HG, Gallagher R, Belle SH, Livingston EH. Long-term Follow-up After Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review. JAMA. 2014;312(9):934–942. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.10706
2) Cornejo-Pareja I, Molina-Vega M, Gómez-Pérez AM, Damas-Fuentes M, Tinahones FJ. Factors Related to Weight Loss Maintenance in the Medium–Long Term after Bariatric Surgery: A Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2021; 10(8):1739. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10081739
3) Brolin RE. Bariatric Surgery and Long-term Control of Morbid Obesity. JAMA. 2002;288(22):2793–2796. doi:10.1001/jama.288.22.2793
