Many people undergo a specific operation known as bariatric surgery to lose weight.
This type of surgery changes the way the stomach and small intestine handle the food you eat, helping reduce the amount of food intake and, as a result, causing weight loss.
However, after the surgery, some people can find it challenging to manage their eating habits.
Sometimes, they may eat too much, too quickly, or at irregular times, which is known as disordered eating. This behavior can cause problems like returning weight gain or emotional distress.
A team of researchers, led by Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam from the University Health Network in Toronto, conducted a study to help these people.
The study was published on August 3, and it is accessible to everyone through the internet on JAMA Network Open.
The Study: Phone-based Therapy
Dr. Sockalingam’s team tried a new approach called telephone-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (or simply phone-based therapy). They used this therapy for people who had the weight loss surgery a year ago.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a type of treatment that helps people understand and change thought patterns that lead to harmful actions or feelings.
The study involved 306 adults who had the surgery a year ago. They all had a phone and could use the internet.
The researchers randomly divided them into two groups. One group received the phone-based therapy, and the other group received the standard care which was already being provided.
Outcomes: Improved Eating Habits and Less Emotional Stress
In the study, the researchers found that the phone-based therapy did not impact the total amount of weight loss when compared to standard care. But it had some other significant benefits.
People who got the phone-based therapy had fewer instances of overeating, eating due to emotions, and lower signs of depression and anxiety at all times compared to the standard care group.
This shows that while the phone-based therapy did not directly cause more weight loss, it helped people manage their eating habits and emotional state better after the surgery.
The study supports guidelines from the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice. These guidelines suggest that focusing on a person’s overall health and quality of life is more important than just focusing on weight loss.
The phone-based therapy had a high number of people sticking to it. This indicates that it was an easy and convenient way for people to receive help after their weight loss surgery.
The researchers believe that this therapy could help avoid weight gain in the long run by addressing eating and mental health problems.
A Quick Note
It’s worth noting that two of the authors who worked on this study have connections with the medicine and health technology industries.
To sum up, this study has shown that phone-based therapy could play a significant role in helping people manage their eating habits and emotional health after weight loss surgery.
This can be seen as a step in the right direction in ensuring holistic care for individuals undergoing bariatric surgery.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about plant nutrients that could help reduce high blood pressure, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
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