You may have heard that weight loss surgery hurts marriages. The popular notion is that many spouses tend to go their separate ways after the procedure.
The assertion is true and there are reasons to support that. It can be the other partner’s insensitivity to the torments of the bariatric patient. The inability to keep up with the new lifestyle can also be a cause.
Yet, there are positive attributes of weight loss surgery abroad. The testimonies from patients attest to the fact that the procedure can be rosy. There is no doubt that it changes habits. However, you can still cope with your partner. It is time to look on to the bright side of life. Let’s see what weight loss surgery has in stock for the relationship with your partner.
1. Decrease in Depression
It is common to contract obesity-related diseases when one is obese. However, many patients are at risk of depression. For married couples, this can facilitate tussles and unending quarrels in the home. Consider a scenario where the wife will be angered by her obese state, and would rather stay along than discuss with the husband.
It is on record that many marriages hit the rocks after one or both parties passed through the knife. The reason for this can be because of the new lifestyle changes and intolerance of both parties.
On the contrary, you can breed a healthy relationship with your partner. After the procedure, patients tend to be cheerful. The moody state is tossed to the bin and a new lifestyle commences. There is no doubt that your spouse will be happy when the smile returns to your face. The tensed atmosphere that was in the home before the surgery will get a replacement with a cheerful mood. This way, both partners can interact and re-start their friendship.
2. Improved Self-Esteem
Obesity has many negative effects. It is no longer about the diseases but the patient’s overall outlook to life. Have you taken a walk in the neighborhood and gotten ugly stares? Friends and family can sometimes make you feel worthless. You have the key and can regulate the impact of people’s views. On the contrary, many obese individuals pay attention to public perception. This makes them feel shy to walk the streets with parts of their body bulging out.
Weight loss surgery offers an escape to the jeers you must have been getting earlier. It goes beyond the individual’s gains and extends to the marital union. If you have been avoiding a walk or a visit to the mall with your spouse, it is time to create new relationships. The joy that comes with the new weight gives you the push to reinvent yourself.
Now that your confidence is back, start building up the areas you had lapses during your obese state. It is vital to start consolidating soon after the surgery. When a partner is confident, the other will find it easier to make interactions. This is psychology. An increase in self-esteem makes the couples’ lives better and promotes healthy growth for the marriage.
3. Divorce is not an option
This is often regarded as the last resort. On the contrary, divorce is the first change after weight loss surgery. It is like a veil that falls off your eye. Most times, patients realize that earlier perceptions about marriage are not as they thought. This is coming on the heels of many divorce cases that have been rampant among patients who are married.
Divorce has a lot of potentials for you. Your life tends to change for the better when you take a walk from the toxic air created in the home. After the surgery, partners either cope with the new lifestyle or choose to get happiness in another place.
If you underwent weight loss surgery abroad, you must realize that you need the necessary support to pull through the stage. However, if this cannot come from your partner, and all you get is a constant reproach for the step you took, it is time to take a walk. This is the situation most married patients find themselves in. Sadly, only a few are able to sustain their marriage.
It is much better to seal the fragments, understand each other’s differences, and make efforts to solve the lingering issues. Here are some tips to help you keep your marriage in top shape without opting for a divorce:
• Locate the Source of Grievances
It is pertinent to find out the reasons behind your partner’s actions. Most times, it boils down to the new lifestyle, which may be boring to your partner. When you have an understanding of the problem, make efforts to settle it amicably.
• Be a Backbone to Your Partner
It is true that the aftermath of bariatric surgery can be frustrating for a third-party. This does not stop you from showing the same (and even better) affection toward your partner. Always listen to the complaints, attend to the concerns, and be of help in any way you can.
• Understand and adapt to differences
Do not be quick to pass judgment on your partner’s actions. There is a need to understand the current phase of life. With this knowledge, you can make changes to contain the new lifestyle changes.
You can still have a happy marriage after weight loss surgery. Divorce is not an option. With the above tips, you can strike a balance between you and your partner’s expectations.
4. Weight Loss Surgery re-enacts Physical Intimacy
The spark tends to go out of the marriage during the pre-operative session. At that time, couples tend to live as strangers. This is the case when depression and low self-esteem sets in. After the procedure, you and your partner can go back and catch on the fun you missed for months.
Weight loss surgery re-enacts physical intimacy in the marriage, as couples become closer than when one or both partners had extra kilos of flesh. The intimacy we are looking at does not stop at sex. The walks and visits to places of interest also matter.
How Obesity affects Intimacy
Extra kilos of flesh can interfere with a couple’s interactions. Apart from sex life, other outdoor activities, which they may have done in unison, will be left to waste. As the weight gain continues to grow and the partner starts looking for a solution, the other partner may feel reluctant to continue with any combine activity. When regarding the drastic effects of obesity in human life, mention must be made of the differences it creates in the physical activities that were hitherto a part of the couple’s life. Let’s consider this scenario:
Kelvin and Mary have been married for twelve (12) years. In the 11th year of their marriage, Mary began to gain excess flesh around the hips. The couple thought this a natural occurrence that will go away with time. Eight (8) months later, the weight gain extended to the stomach with folds of skin dropping down the arms.
It was at this point that they sought medical care. Meanwhile, Kelvin was not pleased with the current weight of his wife. He wondered how the delectable and slim woman he got married to would suddenly become obese in a couple of months. Walking in her company became rare and intimate moments were few.
There are many couples who are in the same situation as Kelvin and Mary. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. After weight loss surgery, the extra kilos of flesh begin to go away. In a couple of months, a good number of this would have gone off.
Physical intimacy improves after weight loss. Couples become closer and work in unison to reestablish their intimacy.
5. Joint Efforts can help
The task of losing weight alone can be frustrating. The surgical operation will be beneficial to you if your partner is ready to walk the mile with you. This brings couples closer, makes them understand the futuristic offerings of the surgery, and help them appreciate each other.
It doesn’t matter if the patient is the wife or the husband. The willingness to be there for each other is what matters. Are you considering weight loss surgery abroad? Here are some joint efforts to put in place:
• Tagging along to the Hospital
When embarking on medical tourism, patients are required to move along with a family member or friend. For married patients, it is a good idea to have the spouse by the side. There is extra energy you get when you have a loved one beside you on the hospital bed.
• Group Work-outs
Do not hit the gym or jog early in the morning without company. Studies show that bariatric patients get more motivation when they have company. Convince your husband (or wife) to join you in your walk-out sessions. You will be creating new bonds in your relationship when you start doing this.
6. Healthy Lifestyle Changes
Bariatric surgery is a life-changing process, and you must be prepared for it. The new outlook in your lifestyle goes the extra mile to strengthen your marriage. The procedure introduces new ways of living. There are many options that will benefit you after passing through the knife.
• Hour-Glass Figure
The goal of every bariatric patient is to shed off the extra kilos of flesh in good time. Even though the surgery offers that, you have to make efforts to sustain the weight loss plan. When you succeed in getting an hour-glass figure your partner will be too eager to show you off to friends and take a walk with you.
• Flexible Eating Habits
One of the major lifestyle changes you will encounter is flexibility in food consumption. You will no longer find joy in eating random foods. Instead, the target will be nutritious meals that help you get full faster.
• Coordinated Physical Activities
There is where your partner features. After weight loss surgery, patients will sustain weight loss with exercises. Deepen the relationship in your marital life by involving your partner in exercises.
What does Weight Loss Surgery hold for Marriages?
Bariatric surgery holds a lot for married patients. In an era where couples are drifted apart because of the obesity of one partner, the surgery aims a uniting the warring parties. After the surgery, make it a point of duty to stick to the lifestyle changes. Remember that two is company! Always get your partner involved anytime you go for a short walk or jogs.
It is a fact that women find it easier to cope with the aftermaths of the procedure. However, you can help your husband get over the traumatic effects of the surgery. The same applies to the husband. The procedure presents a win-win scenario that will further strengthen the bond of the marriage. It is the duty of both couple to accept the lifestyle differences, and make efforts to forge ahead.
Weight Loss Surgery Institutes Change
Obesity tends to create more gaps between two individuals that are united in marriage. If care is not taken, the union will dissolve even before the surgery. Bariatric surgery opens the door of opportunities to couples who are battling with the trauma of obesity. The factors we listed are some of the ways the procedure can change the relationship with your partner.
Weight Loss Riga should be able to offer you helpful tips that will help you win back the affection in your home. The aftermath of weight loss surgery is demanding. However, you can seize the opportunity to create a beautiful relationship with your partner.
