My Private Coach adds Weight Loss Surgery Coaching to its palette of coaching programs
by Anonymous

July 27, 2004 -- This surgery is not for everyone however. If you have 10, 30, 50 pounds to lose, this is not for you. But for the increasing numbers of people who have 100 + pounds to lose, this has become a viable option. More and more insurance companies are paying for this surgery because of the increased health risks of those considered morbidly obese. Those risks include hypertension, diabetes, and high blood pressure, to name a few. The New England Journal of Medicine has stated that it is a viable option for the treatment of morbid obesity.

People who are over 100 pounds overweight have probably lost a significant amount of weight over and over again only to gain it back plus some. After a while it feels hopeless and often people are resigned to the fact that can never fit in an airplane seat, go through a turnstile, put on their socks without a struggle, be stared at, discriminated against, etc., etc. Exercising becomes increasingly difficult. Weight loss surgery has been the first sign of hope for many. However, people must be careful not to get seduced with that sign of hope. It’s not a cure. If one is not ready for the amount of physical and emotional work required, the impact and intention of the surgery will fail.

Weight Loss Surgery coaching offers a unique perspective. Unlike the struggles one goes through when they are trying to lose weight more conventionally, people who have had weight loss surgery face different challenges. It is no longer about portion control and will power. With surgery, those options are removed. What one is left with is all of the feelings that used to get “numbed” by the food that can no longer be eaten. One either needs to actually feel these feelings, or find another way to narcotize themselves without food. Either way, one’s relationship to how they have used food, changes.

The feeling of full happens in only a few bites. There are immediate physical consequences for eating past full or for eating sugar, fats, etc. This can be inconvenient, to say the least, if you are out with friends, etc. The mental and emotional impact this surgery has can be extreme, especially in the beginning. The social changes that occur are not something many doctors will advise their patients on. This surgery has an impact on their family and friends as well. Although the doctors can help with all of the physical needs. Coaching can help with the rest. Doctors recommend patients to get support! There’s a good reason for it!

Karen Palmer, who is the Weight Loss Surgery Coach for My Private Coach has not only coached people through this process, but has also experienced it first hand. She understands what it takes to go through this. Karen has been a coach for 8 years and had the gastric bypass surgery earlier this year. Although support groups can be helpful, coaching can provide individual and specific support for the person going through this tremendous change. Support groups cannot always accommodate the individual’s emotional and mental needs.

In addition to the mental preparation for the surgery, there can be a great deal of preparation that doctors require prior to having the surgery. This can include losing weight, exercising, eliminating caffeine (that alone could use some coaching!), drinking protein shakes, etc. Once again, the goal here is a successful surgery. After that, it is up the individual to create his or her own level of success. Weight Loss Surgery Coaching can help prepare for success before and after.

If you are considering having this surgery, or have already had this surgery, contact Karen Palmer at karen@myprivatecoach.com. If you have already had this surgery, then you are already aware of the new challenges facing you.





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