Have you had bariatric surgery? Or are you scheduled to have bariatric surgery in the near future? Or are you thinking about getting bariatric surgery but don’t know where to start?

Regardless of where you are in your weight loss journey, Adventure Fitness Athletic Club invites you to our monthly:

Bariatric Support Group Meetings

The first Tuesday of every month

6:30-7:30 pm

Free of charge to members and non-members

Our meetings are led by Susan Schaffner, a Bariatric Support Group Leader certified with Bariatric International. Susan, who owns Adventure Fitness Athletic Club, had bariatric surgery on March 1, 2005. Her firsthand experience with bariatric surgery has given her a lifelong passion to help others before, during, and after their procedures. She has also dedicated her life to helping members of her Thornton gym achieve their fitness and weight loss goals.

What is bariatric surgery?

Also known as weight-loss surgery, procedures that fall under the bariatric surgery umbrella involve making changes to your digestive system that will help you lose weight. These changes are designed to limit how much you eat, reduce your body’s ability to absorb nutrients, or both. Surgery becomes an option when dieting and exercise have not helped you lose weight and your weight is causing you serious health problems.

Before having surgery, your doctor will ask you to make changes to your diet and get regular exercise so that your bariatric surgery has a better chance of lasting success. You’ll also be made aware of the risks and side effects of surgery before it’s scheduled.

Some of the most common forms of bariatric surgery include, but are not limited to:

• Gastric bypass—During a gastric bypass, a surgeon creates a small pouch from your stomach and connects that pouch to the small intestine. After gastric bypass, the food you eat will enter the pouch and then the small intestine, bypassing the stomach. This limits the amount of food you can eat at one sitting.
• Sleeve gastrectomy—This surgery is usually performed laparoscopically, which means it’s completed through small incisions, usually in the upper abdomen. During a sleeve gastrectomy, a surgeon will remove about 80% of your stomach, leaving you with a banana-sized, tube-shaped stomach that restricts the amount of food you can consume.
• Gastric banding—During this procedure, a surgeon places a silicone band around the upper portion of the stomach, creating a small pouch that reduces the amount of food the stomach can hold at one time. This creates an increased feeling of fullness after eating a small amount of food, in turn lowering food intake. The plus side of this surgery is that it allows the body to digest food as normal, avoiding malabsorption.
• Duodenal switch—With this procedure, a surgeon removes 60-70% of the stomach so that it takes the shape of a tube. Then, about two-thirds of the small intestine is bypassed, leaving just a few feet of intestine where food comes into contact with digestive enzymes. Of all weight loss surgeries, duodenal switch provides the greatest, longest-lasting weight loss.

Surgery is just one part of the journey

Agreeing to any type of surgery is a big decision, and weight loss surgery is no exception. Even after healing from the actual bariatric procedure, there’s a long road ahead of adjusting to a new life. While the results of bariatric surgery are very rewarding, going through the process comes with many physical and emotional challenges. That’s why Bariatric Surgery Support Groups are so important.

What to expect at a Bariatric Support Group Meeting

Bariatric Surgery Support Groups are a key component of giving your surgery the greatest chance of success. When you attend a support group meeting, you are surrounded by people who are going through the same experiences as you are, understand exactly how you’re feeling, and can give you advice on how to cope in a positive way. You’ll find that your support group will quickly become your teammates, coaches, and cheerleaders, all in one place!

Our Bariatric Support Group Meetings at AFAC cover a wide range of topics that apply to all surgical procedures, such as:

• What to eat in various situations
• Exercises that can be beneficial in helping weight loss
• Responding to comments about your surgery
• Suggestions for places to order food from
• Products that can be helpful to you
• Inspirations for meals and recipes to try
• Things to consider before your bariatric surgery
• How to support loved ones who have had bariatric surgery
• Dealing with the side-effects of surgery

In addition to focusing on a particular topic at each meeting, our Bariatric Support Group also offers:

• Open forum—a nonjudgmental safe space to share experiences and ideas
• Guest speakers—who offer a wealth of information you might not find anywhere else
• Support for each other—true to its name, our Bariatric Support Group is a place where you can meet new friends and find the support you need

Find a gym, too!

Perhaps best of all is the fact that our Bariatric Support Group Meetings are held at Adventure Fitness Athletic Club, the best gym in the area and also a facility that’s owned and managed by someone who has undergone a bariatric procedure. This means we are in a unique position to provide you with fitness advice that’s tailored to your individual needs as a bariatric patient. We welcome everyone in our Bariatric Support Group Meetings to join our gym! We guarantee it’s a place where you’ll feel welcomed and supported as you work toward your wellness goals.

Learn more

For more information about our Bariatric Support Group Meetings, call Susan at 720-849-0245 or email her at susan@adventurefitness.club. You can also contact Adventure Fitness Athletic Club or visit our front desk for assistance. Remember that our meetings are open to both members and non-members of AFAC and are held the first Tuesday of every month from 6:30-7:30 pm at the gym.

To read more articles from Adventure Fitness Athletic Club, check out our Adventure Corner blogs by clicking here.