Establishing a support network

A recent clinical study showed that weight loss surgery patients who belonged to a support group lost more weight than those who did not*. Your support network is your very own personal cheering section - family members, friends, website communities/online buddies, practice staff, support groups, and healthcare professionals. Your support network can include anyone with whom you can honestly share thoughts and feelings throughout your weight loss journey.

Among the people in your support network, see if there is at least one person that you can count on all the time to be there for you in times of need and times of celebration. There will be moments when you could use a pep talk, advice, information, and ideas for coping with challenges; there will be other moments when you could use just plain TLC. Some lucky people have a devoted spouse, partner or other loved ones right in their home. Others have a good friend or support person just a phone call or mouse click away. Your practice’s post-op support group may be able to provide the kind of help that can only come from those who have experienced weight loss surgery success themselves.

Here are some suggestions to help you build your own support network. Your list doesn’t need to be long - just get started. If you need some help deciding whom to include, talk to one of the professionals at your surgeon’s practice or your support group.

Support from Family and Friends

Who: Your Spouse/Partner/Significant Other
How he/she can help: A supportive relationship can make all the difference in your day-to-day weight loss journey. A general source of encouragement, he or she may be an exercise buddy, give you pep talks and moral support, help you with grocery shopping and cooking, walk with you through the challenges, and celebrate your successes with you.

Who: Your Extended Family
How they can help: You may come from a family with a history of obesity. You may have other family members who are dieting, who have had weight loss surgery or who are considering having it. With or without a family history of obesity, there are a number of ways your extended family can help. Organizing a walk together, sharing recipes, working together to make family gatherings less food-oriented or providing a quick chat in times of need are all ways your family can contribute to your weight loss success.

Who: Friends
How they can help: Good friends are a priceless source of support for band patients. They listen and provide a sounding board; they can offer advice without being judgmental. Good friends are genuinely happy for you when you succeed! Enlist your friends by communicating what help you would like from them and express your appreciation for the help they give.

Online Support Groups

Your surgeon’s practice may provide an online environment to get help from other patients and the practice staff. There are many weight loss surgery support groups online providing opportunities for people to communicate, including message boards, e-mail, special meetings, and informal group settings. People share tips on many topics, such as coping with stressful situations, avoiding emotional eating, clothing exchange resources, relationship issues, and the development of online friendships--just about any topic that impacts the life of a weight loss surgery patient.

Practice Support Groups

A support group conducted by your surgeon’s practice may be the very best source for accurate information on diet, exercise and good mental health. An essential element for life-long weight loss success, a good support group is often facilitated by a professional and brings in all the members of your healthcare team, as well as other experts. You may hear from a dietician, a psychologist, nurses, an exercise physiologist, the bariatric surgeon or other physicians. These groups often lead to smaller informal groups, building long-lasting friendships between like-minded people who are making important, positive, healthy life changes.

Support from Professionals

You are the centre of your healthcare team but the team at your surgeon’s practice are a very important source of information not only before weight loss surgery but throughout the rest of your weight loss journey.

Your surgeon can give advice and recommendations about the band procedure, your recovery from surgery, adjustments, and any ongoing medical problems associated with your gastric band surgery.

Your practice nurse or nurse practitioner can answer general health questions, give advice about pre- and post-operative care, medications, and answer many of the specific questions you have about adjusting to your new lifestyle. They can make referrals and arrange for more care if needed. They can provide education and counselling as you build your healthy lifestyle.

Your practice psychologist or counsellor can provide help on coping with many emotional issues associated with weight loss surgery such as eating triggers, stress, life balance issues, relationship concerns, family challenges, or mental health difficulties such as depression, anxiety, addiction issues or body image concerns.

Before surgery, a dietician can assess your individual eating behaviours, nutritional needs and food preferences. A dietician will also provide education and counselling, and help you develop an individualised meal plan. After surgery, your dietician can monitor your nutritional status and adjust your eating plan, helping build and reinforce new eating behaviours to ensure a life-long commitment to successful eating.

Supporting Others

Sometimes it helps a great deal to focus on helping others along the way. Who might want your support during their weight loss journey? Is there a family member, co-worker or friend who is considering or having weight loss surgery? Perhaps there is someone you’ve met through your surgeon’s practice. Could you provide encouragement and information for that person, based on your experience? What are some of the things that have been most helpful to you, and is there a way you could extend this same support to others? Looking beyond yourself as you help other people gives your weight loss journey a larger purpose; it reinforces what you have learned and imparts that wisdom to others.

*Whitney S, et al. Support group meeting attendance is associated with better weight loss,
Obes Surg 2008: 18:391-394

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