People who choose bariatric surgery have the best odds of losing a large amount of weight in a short time.
However, there are people who do not keep the weight off after they plateau. Some patients regain a significant portion of the weight due to a variety of factors.
How can you continue to lose weight after surgery, and what should life after bariatric surgery look like if you want to keep the weight off?
Also Read: Learn more about life after gastric sleeve surgery!
Diet After Bariatric Surgery
During the first month or so after surgery, patients are put on the post-op diet. This consists of three limited phases and one reintroduction phase.
Once you reintroduce foods, it’s important that patients choose healthier options instead of going back to eating old foods.
How To Keep The Weight Off Post Bariatric Surgery
Eat a diet made up of whole foods.
A whole food diet made up primarily of fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to lose weight in the long term. We recommend patients eat most of their calories from the following:
- Fresh fruit
- Fresh & frozen vegetables
- Legumes (beans, chickpeas)
- Lean meats such as chicken breast and tilapia
- Whole grains
Processed foods, bleached grains, added sugar, and added oil should be avoided, and dairy products should be limited to low-calorie yogurt and cottage cheese.
Start an exercise routine and progress with it.
It is safe for bariatric surgery patients to start exercising about a month after they have surgery. Exercise routines should start with brisk walking and other easy exercises until the patient is comfortable moving around. Other exercises that are excellent for bariatric surgery patients include swimming, jogging, and weight training.
Keep track of the food that you’re eating.
Keeping a food log is one of the best ways to stay on top of your eating habits and not fall into old patterns. Although bariatric surgery makes it harder to overeat, it doesn’t make it impossible nor does it promise that patients will not simply go back to eating old unhealthy foods!
Keep indulgences small and infrequent
Cravings after bariatric surgery are very common, and one of the best ways to deal with them is simply to indulge in what you’re craving… with one caveat. Unhealthy foods contain a lot of calories and eating a lot of them can seriously upset a patient’s stomach, so we recommend keeping portion sizes for these types of foods very small. Keep the portion size smaller than the size of an egg.
Bariatric Surgery in West Texas
Looking for bariatric surgery in Lubbock? West Texas Bariatric provides expert consultations to help you choose the right option for weight loss.
Some women may be concerned about PCOS & Weight Loss Surgery. Learn more about it here!
