Nutrition Keys For Your WLS Success

With Amber Kay

In today’s video, Amber will be reminding you of the 5 key nutrition strategies that will help you get the weight loss you want and the health and vitality you deserve after your surgery.

These strategies are going to really help you after your surgery once you’ve been cleared to eat a more normal diet. 

We regularly post new healthy recipes that are suitable for Bariatric Surgery Patients (once you've been cleared for 'normal textured foods') on our website. You can view these sample recipes here.

 

You can read the transcript for this video below:

Transcript: Post-Surgery Program - Week 1: Nutrition Keys For WLS Success

Hi, It’s Amber here and today I want to talk about a number of key nutrition strategies that will really help you get the best long-term results after your WLS.
 
Now as you probably know, weight loss is usually fairly smooth and quick in the initial few months after surgery and this is because the physical changes to the body and also  the recovery from the procedure and the post-op diet means that most people feel much less hungry than they used to before their surgery. This won’t be the case for every though and that’s why, regardless of how easy it may feel, it’s really important to use this opportunity to also really change your relationship with food and to make choices that are going to support your surgery and give you the best chances of success. 

Our clients who have had the best results and who have truly transformed after their surgery have always dramatically changed their relationship with food - not just how much they’re eating but what they’re eating, why they’re eating and how they’re eating, as well as how they feel about food and eating. Unfortunately, many of those people on the flip side, who don’t change their habits or those who fall back into old habits, tend to increasingly struggle over time and don’t achieve the full potential that their surgery really offers them.

You’re here watching this video, so I know that you’re taking this seriously and want to do what it takes and make the necessary changes to get your best long-term results. That’s fantastic and I’m on your team and really want to help you to do that and this is why I’m going to share with you, or remind you of, the key nutrition strategies that will help you get the health and vitality that you want after your WLS. 

Before I go through these though, I want to emphasise that I’m not going to give you specific dietary advice, as everyone’s individual health circumstances are different and it’s extremely important to consult with your dietitian as to what’s right for you. 

Weight loss surgery has very specific dietary requirements and your surgeon’s dietitian is best placed to give you the expert individualised advice that you need, taking into account your health and the type of surgery that you’ve had. So please remember that our advice is general in nature, and you must refer to the specific dietary guidelines that you have been given by your dietitian. If anything I say conflicts with what your dietitian has said then you must follow your dietitian’s advice.

So here are the strategies:

The first strategy I want to share with you is to eat slowly and mindfully. Most of us are in the habit of rushing our food, without chewing properly. This can cause digestive issues and pain and discomfort, especially after your surgery, and it can also mean that you end up eating far more than you need.

You’re probably going to find that, at least for the first few months, you won’t be able to eat quickly, and so you can really support yourself to be able to take your time by giving yourself time. Allocate plenty of time for each meal and make sure that anyone joining you isn’t expecting you to clear your plate quickly.

Making time for eating can also mean making sure you sit down, and put your attention on your meal rather than on your phone, computer or the TV, driving or something else. 

When you sit down to eat, and slow down your eating as much as possible, and really chew your food, you’ll learn to recognise feelings of fullness, help manage your weight, increase the enjoyment of your food as you appreciate every texture and flavour, and also improve your digestion.  Have a think now about how you might be able to eat differently, and it’s also worth reflecting on whether your eating has perhaps been getting faster, and less mindful, as the time since your surgery has passed.

Mindful eating also means eating for genuine hunger reasons, by listening to your body and receiving your own personal hunger signals. It may take some time to become aware of them and this can be a great way to connect with your body in a new way as you move forwards.

When we aren’t eating for genuine hunger, this usually means that we’re eating for emotional reasons, where we eat really to try to change the way we’re feeling. It might be for example because we’re feeling stressed, or frustrated or lonely or bored, or because we want to comfort or reward ourselves, or experience pleasure. Everyone eats emotionally from time to time but if it happens on a regular basis then it can lead to overeating, weight gain and digestive issues. 

Although your surgery helps reduce physical hunger and restricts the physical amount of food that you can have (especially initially), it doesn’t necessarily combat emotional eating, and you’re going to really help yourself and your surgery by putting time and focus into  replacing emotional eating with other ways of processing or changing your emotions that don’t involve eating (for example,  going for a walk, listening to music or doing some breathing exercises). We talk more about this in our next module on nutrition.

Strategy No 2 is to Eat Nutritious Real Foods

If you wander down the aisles of most supermarkets then you’ll see that most foods that we have access to today in those shops are highly processed and are centred around convenience, shelf life, and cost. These food choices are usually full of potentially harmful ingredients and are packed full of sugar, processed fats and hidden calories. 

Many of these highly processed foods are also designed to be addictive - so that you want to eat more and more of them. So it’s important to replace highly processed foods, foods like crackers, chips, lollies, cakes, pies and biscuits with fresh and nutritious alternatives. 

Replacing highly processed and packaged foods with fresh, real/whole foods, is one of the simplest steps you can choose to improve your health and manage your weight.

An easy way to get into the habit of this is by starting to read the labels on the foods you usually buy. Are the ingredients natural and found in nature? Or are they words, or even numbers that you don’t know or that you couldn’t find growing or living outside? As a general rule, the less processed the ingredients are, the better the food will be for you. 

It’s also important to avoid foods with added sugar, which is highly addictive and having excess amounts is very damaging to the body. Sugar is often disguised on the labels but anything that ends in an ‘ose’ is a sugar, for example,  glucose, sucrose, fructose, dextrose or maltrose. Generally, we shouldn’t need sugar to be added to a food and it’s best to avoid foods, especially packaged ones, that have sugar in some form added to it. 

Another way to cut down on processed foods is to go out of your way to focus on eating as many vegetables as possible. Vegetables are generally packed full of nutrients that your body needs and are often very filling because of the fibre. When you prioritise vegetables, you’ll naturally have less room or desire to eat processed foods and this simple step can really improve your health.

Strategy Number 3 is to include and Eat Protein First With Every Meal

I can’t emphasise how important this principle is. 

Protein is an essential part of a healthy diet and it’s also incredibly important for weight management because protein really, really helps satisfy your hunger - so aim to eat lean protein with every meal to really satisfy your appetite. 

Protein is also incredibly important for building muscle so if you’re looking to change your body shape and improve your tone through exercise and especially resistance training, then you need to eat enough protein to do that. 

Protein is also really important for sustaining other parts of your body, like your bones and connective tissue and to make hormones and enzymes.

Your dietitian can help you work out the right amount taking into account your age and activity levels.  

 – Good sources include lean grass-fed meats, free-range chicken and eggs, sustainable ocean fish, cottage cheese, peas, beans and lentils. 

Strategy Number 4 is to restrict all liquid calories. 

Many people, especially pre-surgery,  drink far too many processed, caffeinated and sugary drinks, which are generally high in energy and low in nutrition. These drinks can also be very addictive so that you want to have more of them which can lead to wait gain and health issues. 

The downside to this is that most people don’t drink enough water, and your body needs water to stay hydrated and function properly. Water is essential in the body and drinking the right amount increases your energy levels, flushes out toxins, helps promote weight loss, improves your skin and keeps you regular.  

Drinking water can also reduce food cravings because we often mistake feelings of dehydration for hunger.  

So it’s recommended that you try to avoid as many liquid calories as possible and keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water. 

This can be a challenge after surgery however, so if you struggle to take in enough water, try drinking through a straw and taking sips throughout the day, or changing the surface tension of the water with a drop of fresh lemon or lime juice. Herbal teas are another great alternative as there are lots of flavours and they can be enjoyed hot or cold. 

In addition, tap water is heavily chlorinated to make it sanitary. The downside to this is that it can make it much less appealing to drink and the chlorine is also damaging to the good bacteria in your stomach - so if you struggle to drink water then you might want to consider investing in a water filter that removes the chlorine. There are many different options available, from water jugs, and water bottles with inbuilt filters, to tap attachments, to water urns and more.

Our 5th and final strategy is to avoid eating and drinking at the same time. 

This might seem overly cautious but it can actually really make a difference. Your surgery has restricted the size of your stomach. If you drink during or after eating, the food is going to be pushed through your stomach quicker and then you have more room to eat more. This means that your meal portions can increase and these extra calories will impact your weight. Eating and drinking at the same time can also cause digestive issues, so its recommended that you leave at least 30 minutes between drinking and eating to give your body time to adjust...

So to summarise today, eat slowly and mindfully and replace emotional eating with other ways of of changing your emotions that don’t involve food for example walking or a hobby. Avoid highly processed foods and replace them with nutritious whole foods especially vegetables. Make sure you have protein with every meal to really satisfy your hunger. Avoid all liquid calories and drink plenty of water and finally avoid eating and drinking at the same time 

So, there are our 5 key strategies, and as I mentioned before, if you’re already doing these then well done. If you haven’t been recently, that’s absolutely okay - it’s never too late to change things. Just pick one of the principles that you want  to work on and focus on this and then gradually move on to the next one. It’s all about taking small steps in the right direction, and i’s about progress not perfection.  You’ve got this and you can do this and these strategies are going to really help you to stay on track and look after your body.

Thanks for joining me today and I look forward to sharing some more tips with you soon to help you get the best long term results after your WLS.