3 Weight Loss Strategies Before Considering Surgery

When you have tried almost every diet plan in the world and still fall off the wagon, you may feel like weight loss surgery is your only option. Before you go under the knife, many weight loss clinics offer non-surgical methods to help you lose weight and determine if bariatric surgery is really your best option.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis is often overlooked as a weight loss tool, but some people find the process is beneficial in helping them with behavior modification. Typically, your hypnotist will attempt to make you feel more motivated to exercise and make certain foods less enjoyable. When hypnosis is successful, you may find you become full from eating the appropriate amount of food and do not have intense cravings or feelings of hunger.

You should consider hypnosis if you often associate certain moods or activities with eating unhealthy foods. It is common to feel the need to eat fatty, salty or sweet foods when you are sad or lonely. Part of your behavior modification may be to have a desire to do some other activity when you have feelings that would normally push you to eat.

Medically Supervised Diets

Medically supervised diets involve a highly structured dietary program. Many plans are less than 1500 calories per day, with some considered to be very low calorie diets. You may have tried significant calorie deficits to lose weight and failed miserably. Medically supervised diets give you the best chance at achieving your weight loss because much of the meal planning is done for you.

One problem with highly restrictive diets is that it is difficult to plan out your meals when you have so few calories to ration throughout the day. Some weight loss clinics offer pre-packaged meals to make the process easier. Otherwise, you may be given a list of acceptable foods and recipes to try at home. You will likely need to take a multivitamin to ensure you have adequate intake of vitamins and minerals, which is difficult with low calorie diets.

When choosing a medically supervised diet, it is more than structured nutrition. Most clinics offers a full range of services to help support you throughout your diet and during the maintenance phase. After your diet is over, you will need to transition back to a normal amount of calories, without gaining an unreasonable amount of weight. You should expect to gain some weight back if you participated in a very low calorie diet and return to the suggested 1200 to 1500 calories. However, your weight gain should not be significant.

Nutritional Supplements

Sometimes living a healthy lifestyle is impossible if you cannot battle hunger or you constantly feel sluggish. Having a thorough medical examination may uncover reasons for lethargy and a ravenous appetite. Hormonal changes and thyroid dysfunction can contribute to fatigue and an insatiable appetite. When you are lacking key nutrients, this can affect your metabolism and your body will naturally crave certain foods to help fill the nutritional void. If you have underlying medical problems or nutrient deficiencies, your weight loss team will likely find out during testing and recommend supplements to help you achieve your goal.

Supplements can also help increase your energy and metabolism, which helps you burn more calories while doing your current workout routine. A weight loss clinic, such as Chicago Weight Loss Clinic, may have their own proprietary blend or offer common supplements, such as caffeine or green tea to help increase energy. No supplement regimen would be complete without ways to help you eat fewer calories and/or block some of the fats and carbohydrates you consume.

Appetite suppressants are useful in the initial stages of any diet or lifestyle change to help you become adjusted to feeling satiated with smaller meals. Once your stomach shrinks, you may not need to use appetite suppressants as often. Chitosan is a supplement used to help block the absorption of fat in your diet. Similarly, white kidney bean extract can help prevent some of the carbohydrates you eat from being absorbed.

Although weight loss surgery can seem like a quick fix, dealing with such a dramatic change can be a difficult adjustment. Before considering surgery, try other non-surgical options to help you shed some of the unwanted pounds.