Every phase of your weight-loss process is critical, from nutrition before and after surgery to building healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Plan for long-term success with the following strategies.
During the maintenance phase after bariatric surgery, you’ll need to incorporate certain eating and drinking habits to maintain your weight loss.
Eat at regular intervals to help you keep the weight off that you have lost. Skipping meals may actually cause overeating.
If you are hungry in between meals, choose healthy, delicious snacks to keep yourself satisfied.
If you drink during meals, your stomach pouch can fill up too quickly. This makes you feel hungry too soon after your meal. If you’ve had gastric bypass, drinking fluids during meals can force the foods you eat through your stomach pouch too quickly, causing dumping syndrome.
Drinking water is essential for healthy digestion, and for your health in general. Carbonated beverages, such as soda, should be avoided.
Your stomach pouch is unable to break down food the way a real stomach does. Chew each bite thoroughly to a liquid consistency to help your digestion. This will enable your stomach pouch to process its contents adequately.
Some foods are difficult for your pouch to process. Eating them can cause discomfort, including dumping syndrome. Avoid tough or fibrous meats, breads, pasta, rice, nuts, popcorn, and the skin or seeds of fruits and vegetables.
Your stomach pouch can only hold so much food. Avoid eating past the point of feeling full, as this may result in dumping syndrome or your stomach pouch may stretch. Eating slowly will help you notice the feeling of fullness so you can stop eating at the right moment.
Since every person is different, your dietitian will recommend the right vitamin and mineral supplements for you. This includes how much you should take, and when. You’ll also receive a list of available products from which to choose. We do recommend bariatric-specific vitamin supplements to best meet your needs.
You are not alone on your weight-loss journey. Your Temple Health weight-loss team will help you stick to your plan, and meet any challenges you face along the way. Be sure to attend your scheduled visits and maintain open communication. Other strategies include:
Weighing yourself at the same time every week will help you determine what’s working and what isn’t. If you gain a few pounds, you can schedule an appointment with your bariatric team, who can help you get back on track.
You will have blood taken a few times during the year after surgery. This will help the bariatric team know if you are absorbing nutrients properly. After the second year, you will be scheduled for an annual follow-up visit and also have your blood taken at least once a year. Annual follow-up visits help ensure that you’re staying on track and doing well.
Your fellow bariatric patients are a great source for support and accountability. The Temple Bariatric Program conducts monthly support group meetings to help you and others who have had bariatric surgery stick together. These meetings are a time when you can share your goals and objectives, and learn what others are doing to succeed.
Regular daily activity is essential to losing weight and keeping it off for good. Set a goal to get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. Exercises such as walking and swimming can help lower blood pressure, improve blood glucose levels, decrease the risk of heart disease, strengthen your immune system, improve your mental function and even reduce the risk of some cancers.