After your weight-loss surgery, you’ll be slimmer, sexier and more confident – right? Your body will be transformed and so will you – right? Surgery, after all, is the answer to all your problems – isn’t it?
We wish it were that simple. Weight-loss surgery achieves a great deal. It can improve your insulin sensitivity, blood sugar levels and cardiovascular health. It can relieve joint pain and sleep apnea and boost your fertility. And it definitely helps you lose weight and keep it off.
But it can take longer for weight-loss surgery to change your body image.
Body image refers to how you see your body and how that makes you feel. It’s not to do with how your body actually is, but rather how it seems to you and the thoughts you have about yourself as a result.
A healthy body image means that you feel comfortable in your own skin and know that there’s far more to you than your appearance. While you may care about your appearance, you don’t think it defines you. A healthy body image means you’re likely to enjoy better mental health.
A negative body image means that you dislike your body, keep trying to change it, and think your looks define your value as a person. You may be more likely to suffer from eating disorders and depression.
While we all have our bad days, sustained negative thoughts and feelings about your body are known as body dysmorphia, a mental health condition that may require treatment.
Your body image is linked to your weight but that’s not the full story. If you’re obese, you’re more likely to have a negative body image but women who are a healthy weight and women who are underweight can all struggle with liking their bodies.
Your body image is also affected by your self-esteem, your body shape, and the impossible standards of beauty that you see all over your social media feed and on TV.>
Losing weight affects your weight. It doesn’t necessarily change your body image. A negative self-image can prove hard to shift.
You might still perceive yourself as overweight, even though you no longer are. One study of overweight Caucasian teenage girls who shed the excess kilos found that they still saw themselves as too heavy.
That sense of being somehow ‘not good enough’ may still be there too. Sometimes we latch onto something tangible like losing weight as the solution to that problem. But it may not be. The deeper emotional vulnerabilities and the habitual negative thoughts we have about ourselves are still there. Your relationship with your body is complex and it is often linked to bigger issues.
So, how do you learn to love your body? You could try:
Healthy weight loss is a good goal, with many benefits for your wellbeing but a healthy body image takes more than being a healthy weight. You can learn to love your body after weight-loss surgery and gain the confidence to enjoy your new lease of life.
Because of our wholistic approach to weight loss surgery, we provide both professional and peer support throughout your weight loss journey. To find out out how it works and how it could help you, contact us today for a free, no obligation appointment with Shirley Lockie, our SCOPE certified PNSA, to get started.