When it comes to achieving success after weight-loss surgery, a lot of factors come into play. While choosing to pursue surgery is already half the battle, you must also go through the task of searching for the best weight-loss surgical center and then embracing a new, healthier lifestyle post-bariatric surgery.
While immediate results are what everyone aims for, the ideal weight-loss surgical center should also help steer you towards working on long-term and sustained results. This is what OCC patients can confidently confirm. Just minutes south of San Diego, Obesity Control Center® has developed surgical techniques for safer and more effective weight-loss procedures. We have produced thousands of patients who have lost a significant amount of weight and have successfully kept it off. Why do OCC patients have the advantage? We list the reasons below.
1. Long Track Record
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OCC patients already set themselves up for success when they chose OCC with its impressive track record, long list of accreditations, and roster of world-class, board-certified surgeons to perform their surgery. OCC has performed over 25,000 successful surgeries to date, helping people from around the globe achieve their weight-loss goals.
OCC patients receive exclusive and unparalleled care in the most advanced facilities as we are one of the first International Centers of Excellence outside the United States. OCC earned this prestigious honor after a series of rigorous onsite reviews over a year-long period. Every facet of the practice –from the staff, the international team of surgeons, and the facilities- are examined by experts in the medical field to ensure that we maintain the highest US health and safety standards. Very few international hospitals achieve this status, and many American hospitals do not.
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2. Prepare You for Success
Taking the time to plan before your surgery will go a long way in making the procedure safer and more effective. This involves preparing both mind and body.
OCC patients understand from the beginning that bariatric surgery is just one component of a significant lifestyle change. Just like taking other life challenges, taking one step at a time can make it easier to build healthy habits that you can stick with long-term. Before their surgery, patients meet with Lucia Chavez, OCC’s Chief of Nutrition. She helps them by setting a preoperative weight-loss goal and educating them on how to kickstart the eating and exercise habits they’ll be pursuing post-surgery.
Bariatric surgery can be an emotional experience too. To help mentally prepare for their procedure, OCC patients form realistic expectations for their surgery. They know that bariatric surgery is just the beginning (rather than an end) of their weight-loss journey. They know they have a lot of work ahead of them. And they can attest to the fact that support is everything. They did not make their journey alone. By surrounding themselves with family and friends or by joining support groups, they stay motivated to set long-term goals, as well as keep track of their weight-loss milestones.
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3. Cutting-Edge Procedures
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Not only has OCC performed thousands of bariatric surgeries with a zero mortality rate and less than 0.2% complication and infection rate, but we have pioneered multiple techniques used around the world, such as the IGS Improved Gastric Sleeve® and co-developed the gastric balloon and the OCC Double Buttress Technique™.
The OCC-Exclusive IGS Improved Gastric Sleeve® was created from years of experience and research in weight-loss surgery. This is the safest and most advanced bariatric procedure available today. In a typical gastric sleeve surgery, the surgeon creates a vertical sleeve within the stomach through surgical stapling. We have addressed the potential issue of staple line leaks with The Double Buttress Technique™. The reinforcing of the staple line with this proprietary technique further enhances the durability of the procedure.
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Since this procedure corrects issues associated with the regular gastric sleeve, IGS Improved Gastric Sleeve® and its advanced technique ensure fewer side effects and complications. It is also the perfect procedure for those who need revision or tightening surgery. It solves “sloppy sleeve” problems and is a more permanent alternative to the lap-band procedure. This is why the IGS Improved Gastric Sleeve® procedure is considered the gold standard in weight-loss surgery. It provides excellent results and metabolic disease improvements, all while decreasing the risks of stretching, leaks, and failures.
4. Long-Term Post-Op Care
Along with our thousands of operations performed and many innovations in surgical techniques, we have also perfected the management of weight loss that comes after bariatric surgery. This means our care does not end when patients go home after their surgery. We guide them through five years of post-op care through our comprehensive services, including our app, online support groups, and US-based on-call patient coordinators. There will always be someone checking in because all patients become part of our family. From consultation and surgery to a lifetime of support and assistance, patients are #OCCFamily members for life.
5. Patients that Share Their Success
OCC patients’ success stems from a healthy mindset that OCC helps them build. What is shared among all of our patients is their understanding that bariatric surgery is not a cure-all or an overnight fix. Instead, it is a tool that has helped them make the necessary changes to lose weight, solidifying their commitment to a healthier, more energized lifestyle.
Jeremy Wekell, an OCC patient, rose to the challenge and used this tool wisely. He lost a total of 150 lbs. after his surgery and in an interview two years later, shares the importance of reframing the mind to achieve long-term success. He now addresses his reasons for eating regularly and only stocks his pantry with healthy food items. “Obesity is malnutrition,” he says. “So often, I thought that malnutrition was something where you see people starving to death and weighing 50 lbs. Obesity is one of the worst kinds of malnutrition.” Jeremy claims that he now only buys ingredients and not food you just throw in the microwave and go. He plans his meals and says it’s all about changing one’s relationship with food. He adds, “That was part of the deal I made with myself by coming here (OCC). Surgery is a pretty dramatic measure. By doing that, you’ve given me a gift. What am I going to do with it? By putting good things in me.”
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John Carpenter is another OCC patient who made surgery a life-changing event and committed to the fact that it was simply the beginning of his journey to wellness. He had his surgery in 2019, and from weighing 357 lbs., he is now down to 205 lbs. He claims he had to relearn how to eat all over again. With the guidance of Lucia, he learned to “never eat a carbohydrate that does not grow out of the ground.” He stuck by it, and it worked for him. He now watches what he eats, consumes smaller, more frequent meals packed with protein and vegetables. “It’s mind over matter,” John says. “You have to believe in it. I found diets to be difficult, but this has not been a difficult journey at all.” He treats food as necessary fuel and does not put it in his mouth because he craves it. He eats to maintain health. Despite not having had a carbonated drink since 2019, John has not dreamed of them. He asserts he has plenty of energy and says he feels like a whole new person.
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Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals at our Surgical Center
It takes more than a healthy diet and lifestyle to achieve weight-loss success. It requires help from the experts too. OCC offers a wide range of weight-loss surgery options to help you jumpstart your weight-loss journey, and our team of experts, including nurses, dietitians, and other specialists, are here to develop the right program for you. Our goal is for you to be healthy for the rest of your life. To learn more, contact Obesity Control Center® in Mexico today.
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