At Mercy Bariatrics we aim to provide you with all the knowledge,tools and support necessary for you to achieve the best possible outcomes following your weight loss surgery and to help you reach both your short and long term goals.
Our programs and resources are in collaboration with Bariatric Support Centres International; an American organization that has, since 2000, provided quality educational and support services to thousands who struggle with the disease of obesity & metabolic disorders.
Its president is Colleen Cook; a weight-loss surgery patient from 1995 and author of the book, “The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients”.
Alongside our Education programs we offer a Support group where, once a month you can meet with fellow weight loss surgery patients on an informal basis and discuss issues relevant to your weight loss surgery and have fun at the same time.
Research on Support Groups in Bariatrics
There is now great evidence to link support structures post Bariatric surgery (i.e. support group) to success rates with excess weight and weight-loss maintenance.
ONE SUCH AMERICAN RESEARCH FROM 2004 STATES:
- “…group therapy and support focus on helping patients make lasting lifestyle adjustments. This includes changing eating habits, learning more about diet and exercise, and following nutritional regimen… group therapy is an excellent venue to allow patients to share successes and failures.”
- “Group therapy provides the needed bridge between the worlds of “self” and “others”… It provides a sense of community and support.”
- “There is strong evidence to suggest that a social structure, such as a support group, provides meaningful support, encourages the expression of relevant emotions, and buffers patients from stress. It has the potential to impact positively on adjustment to the surgery. Hildebrandt noted that patients who receive group therapy as an adjunct to their Bariatric surgical regimen lost greater amounts of weight than their counterparts who did not regularly attend support groups.”
- “As patients progress through the group process, they develop a new sense of self.”
ANOTHER RESEARCH FROM 2008 DETERMINES:
- “Support group meeting attendance is associated with better weight loss.”
