Dr. Aaron RollinsI talk about nutrition with every one of my patients. My patients often want to talk about why they have fat in a particular area of their body. They want to know how they can develop achievable health goals to complement their decision to have laser-assisted liposuction done. All of my patients have a genuine interest in being healthy and fit.
My number one recommendation for patients that want to see the best results after their procedure is to practice portion control in their diets. Not only is what you eat an important factor in post operative recovery (as healthy and nutritious foods can aid your body’s lymphatic and metabolic systems that work to heal your treated areas), but the portions you eat can have a large impact on your final results as well.
The number one cause of obesity in America is over-eating unhealthy foods. I tell my patients to start off by eating half of what they would have normally eaten in any given sitting. I don’t believe in traditional diets because they don’t work if the patient cannot tolerate the food. As habitual animals, humans have a difficult time changing their preferences. So to start with I make it simple and suggest portion control.
Being healthy is a simple function of balancing your input with your output. If you take too much food in, and don’t output enough energy in the form of exercise or activity, then you will gain fat.
It is really a lifestyle change I am suggesting. Not a diet or workout regiment (although those would be good too), but a complete shift in how my patients live their lives. And it doesn’t have to be as hard as it sounds. The idea is that you can continue eating the types of foods you would normally eat, but cut down on the quantity. It’s the first step in the right direction for many of my patients.
When someone gets liposuction done they realize, “Wow, I cannot believe I got to this point where I had to have surgery”. They got here for various reasons; usually because they couldn’t obtain the body shape or size they wanted due to stress, travel, diet or injury. Most often, a slight lifestyle change like controlling the portions we eat in each meal can help turn our lives around, especially after the immediate results achieved from our laser body contouring procedure.
This realization shocks my patients into action. They get a turbo boost of motivation. They get results immediately because I am taking out fat, but when they come back for their 4-6 month appointments they also look different, they are eating right, they have a personal trainer, new wardrobe, and they are so happy. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”, I remind my patients. I think that helps them take the first step to changing their habits and leading a healthier lifestyle.
Anecdotally, from my experience, when I remove fat from my patient, if they continue to exercise and eat healthy, and drop their “problem food”, they will typically lose an additional amount similar to what we took out by their 6 month appointment. That is a phenomenal head start to a new body and lifestyle. Another part of the motivation to change is from the fact that the patient invested money for their procedure. They made an investment in changing their body, and they want to take care of their investment.
If you have not yet had a procedure done at Sono Bello, I invite you to contact any of our locations to experience our professional services and see the Sono Bello difference for yourself. If you are an existing patient, I wish you the best of luck on a full and healthy recovery and look forward to receiving any of your questions or comments about this article.
Dr. Aaron Rollins, MD
Sono Bello Physician
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Sono Bello’s blog and all of its articles, posts and videos are the sole opinion of our physicians and in no way, shape or form is Sono Bello or its physicians offering medical advice to our readers. This content is not intended to supersede the medical advice of your primary care physician. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please refer to your primary care physician or doctor.
