Archives: January 2025

How To Use Social Media in Post-Bariatric Life

Social media has become one of the primary ways we gather information and news. Not surprisingly, because social media is such a big part of our lives, why wouldn’t it be where we look for important information on bariatrics, too? However, you’ve probably seen many ads and influencers that seek to capitalize on social media to sell their goods and become the next big thing.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot we still don’t know about the body, our metabolism, and our brain, and many uninformed influencers push problematic concepts as truth without much to back them up. In most cases, we can see right through it. Still, some are compelling and lead us to try methods that may not work, cost us money, or be downright dangerous. So, let’s talk about how best to use social media in your bariatric life to ensure you both lose weight and find new and exciting ways to maintain your goals.

Enter With a Dose of Skepticism

Ultimately, the definitive structure for your post-op lifestyle is provided by your surgical practice (us). The post-op instructions you receive, and the guidance given to you by our surgeons, nurses, and staff are based on thousands of procedures and what we’ve seen work- while also informed by plenty that we’ve seen that did not work well. So, to that end, if social media offers a tip or trick, cross-check that with what is allowed based on your postoperative instructions. If you still have questions or concerns, contact us for guidance.

Check Qualifications

Unfortunately, verifying someone online can be complex, and many influencers do not have the appropriate qualifications to advise you on postoperative life. However, many clinicians give advice online, and most can be vetted through other online sources or even the states in which they are licensed. Be sure to learn more about their background and never follow the advice of someone simply unqualified to offer it. From a bariatric patient’s standpoint, even a licensed clinician must have experience with bariatric surgery and the unique perspective to help with the needs of our postoperative patients.

Supplements and More

Across the Internet, we have seen a concerning rise in the peddling of supplements reported to offer incredible metabolic and psychological benefits. Some of these benefits are very compelling for bariatric patients and make it seem like they simplify the postoperative and weight loss process. However, whenever you see information about a supplement, we encourage you to remember that the FDA does not oversee supplements the way they do prescription drugs, and this is a regrettable truth because many people are injured every year by taking the wrong supplement or too much. The National Institutes of Health and some major universities have good information on supplements, offering summaries of their benefits, risks, and any unknowns often revolving around short- and long-term use. It may also be wise to check European Union and Australian guidelines for supplements as their governmental bodies tend to put more research and guidance into the supplement market. Most importantly, however, we cannot stress enough that the typical disclaimer of “Speak to your doctor before starting any new supplements or medication regimen” is proper and necessary.

Check a Diversity of Sources

These days, while we see lots of new and interesting viral information on TikTok and Instagram, there are many other sources to use that may offer excellent guidance on something you may have seen. Reddit, for example, has become very useful as a discussion center for bariatric patients, among other topics. Again, you’ll be well served by speaking to the dietitian or nutritionist at your bariatric practice to ensure the advice is appropriate for your post-op life.

Exercise on Social Media

It’s important to remember that most exercise-focused channels on social media are not geared toward bariatric patients. Therefore, some exercises you see may be inappropriate for your current situation. For example, if you carry excess weight, this puts a significant strain on your joints, mainly your knees, and therefore, some running or jumping exercises may worsen pain or speed up the progression of osteoarthritis. To that end, either follow bariatric-specific exercise channels or ensure that the channel you follow has modifications for your ability.

Fast Food Recommendations

Social media is a favorite place for finding fast food hacks to postoperative bariatric life. If we were to choose between not having a meal and going to a fast-food restaurant, we’d probably select fast food occasionally. After all, most fast-food restaurants have at least a few tasty and filling options that do not blow the caloric bank, nor do they introduce highly processed items. However, some social channels promote making decidedly poor choices in fast food. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. So, stick to making your food when possible and be vigilant about what you eat if you go to a restaurant or fast food establishment.

The Bottom Line

Social media represents a double-edged sword. On one hand, we’ve never had more information at our fingertips than we do today, and the result is that there is something for everybody. However, social media is today’s Wild West, and plenty of “influencers” offer poor information that can be detrimental to your health and progress toward your goals. To that end, we encourage you to approach social media with a healthy dose of skepticism and take the information that you find with a grain of salt. This will allow you to make the most of this new and exciting medium while ensuring your safety. Remember that we are here for you and have committed to your post-bariatric life, so feel free to ask us about anything.

We encourage all our patients to contact us whenever they have a pressing question; we can be the definitive answer. Remember, we’re not looking to have you follow the postoperative packet to the letter. We encourage creativity both in the way you eat and exercise after surgery. We just look at it through the lens of safety first, which some online influencers may not.

What Does Gastric Sleeve Success Look Like & Why It Fails

The gastric sleeve or sleeve gastrectomy is the most popular bariatric surgery procedure in the United States and has been for quite some time, and there’s a good reason for this. This straightforward procedure removes approximately 75% to 80% of the existing stomach pouch. More accurately, however, the surgeon aims to leave about 20 to 25% of the existing stomach pouch behind. The stomach is cut along the greater curvature, which essentially removes the outer portion of the stomach and the primary production center of the hormone known as ghrelin. This is the hormone responsible for hunger, and as such, not only do patients experience weight loss from the restriction of the smaller gastric pouch, but also because of the hormonal change. The result is that many patients experience dramatic excess bodyweight loss of 70+ percent. However, our most dedicated and focused patients can lose even more!

As with any weight loss modality, from diet and exercise to GLP-1 medication like Wegovy and Zepbound, and even bariatric surgery, there is the potential of patients not experiencing the weight loss that they expect. Generally, we measure success as losing and maintaining approximately 50% excess body weight loss. Of course, the expectations of our patients may guide what we consider to be an individual’s barometer for success. However, while we have plenty of literature on how to succeed with the gastric sleeve, patients must understand how the sleeve fails and how to avoid it.

Choose the Right Surgeon

Unfortunately, there is a trend of talking about the sleeve as not only straightforward, which it is, but also simple, which it most certainly is not. What do we mean by this? Well, a sleeve surgeon must have a great deal of experience to ensure that their technique and technology allows for the best outcomes. For example, you may have seen a video on how a sleeve is performed. In this video, you’ll note that the staple lines are placed using small cartridges – taking small “bites” out of the stomach. As a result, five or even six staple cartridges may be used during surgery. Your surgeon must have the experience and meticulous focus to ensure a smooth division along the stomach. This significantly reduces the risk of many concerns, not least of which is new or worsened gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD after the sleeve.

Ask Your Surgeon About a Hiatal Hernia

One of the leading causes of revision of a gastric sleeve is new or worsened reflux. One of the biggest culprits is a hiatal hernia – the stretching or opening of the hiatus that allows the esophagus to pass from the chest into the abdominal cavity. Most patients with obesity also have a hiatal hernia. Identifying and repairing this hernia can reduce the incidence of GERD postoperatively by up to 50%. That said, not all hiatal hernias are immediately apparent, so be sure to choose a surgeon who will ensure that the hiatal hernia, if it exists, is found and repaired.

Postoperative Support and Access to Your Practice

In the first couple of years after surgery, you will likely find weight loss relatively easy, and you may believe that you do not need help from your practice or the support team (that we strongly encourage you to build before your procedure). However, after about 2 to 3 years, the small intestine may begin producing small amounts of ghrelin, which may bring about the return of hunger pangs and the possibility of eating more and ultimately gaining weight. Having a practice that prioritizes your post-op life helps ensure that by the time you reach this point, you have modified your diet and exercise so that hormonal changes do not pull you off track.

Stretching Your Pouch

Without adequate dietary control, mainly eating huge meals or drinking lots of carbonated beverages, stretching your gastric pouch in the future is possible. The stomach is a very adaptable organ. It gets larger every time food enters the system; it retracts once the contents have been digested and passed on to the small intestine. However, constantly overeating can, in some cases, lead to a permanently stretched pouch, which can further lead to overeating and gaining weight – a vicious cycle. While a renewed dedication to weight loss can help, this often results in conversion surgery.

Not Being Ready for Change

A gastric sleeve may also fail if you take the wrong approach to lifestyle change. Note that we mention “lifestyle change” rather than “diet.” Many patients believe that they will have to diet for the rest of their lives, and this often leads to resentment and frustration, especially many years after surgery, because they eventually lose their will to continue what they consider to be a restrictive and unenjoyable diet. Instead, we encourage our patients to look at their surgery as a catalyst for lifestyle change and, in doing so, realize that their new diet will be what they should’ve been eating all along. Within that, there are very few off-limits foods, so no patient should feel like they are suffering in their diet. Finding bariatric chefs on social media who make your post-op diet and eating plan fun can be helpful.

Not Asking for Help

We see it far too often. A patient may be struggling with their postoperative lifestyle change but doesn’t want to bother us with their questions. Unfortunately, this tends to lead to many small compromises that lead to failure. As bariatric surgeons, we are committed to our patients’ weight loss journeys. As such, we look forward to answering any questions our patients may have about their surgery. On our website and through our phenomenal nurses and assistants, we take great pride in being available to our patients whenever needed. Patients who use us as a resource for uncertainty and challenges always do better.

The Bottom Line

Getting used to life after bariatric surgery takes some time, but it’s not complex. Ultimately, we give you a tool to create the right-size portions and get you up and about to exercise and lose weight while building muscle and improving your mental health. The gastric sleeve can fail for any number of reasons. However, gastric sleeve and bariatric surgery can be incredibly successful with proper planning before surgery, the right practice, and the right attitude in your post-op life.

We look forward to answering any questions you may have about bariatric surgery. If you’re reading this and struggling with your post-op life, we encourage you to contact us to learn more and get your questions answered.