Post-Surgery Nutrition Keys

Essential Nutrition Strategies for Success after Weight Loss Surgery
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. 

Sample Recipes

We regularly post new healthy recipes that are suitable for Bariatric Surgery Patients (once you've been cleared for 'normal textured foods') to 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 Principles

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 generally easy in the initial few months after weight loss surgery and this is because the recovery from the surgery and the post-op diet means that most people feel much less hungry than they used to before their surgery. After this initial period, to keep your momentum going and to improve long-term results you must use this opportunity to 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. Now those people 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 one of those people who are taking this seriously and want to do what it takes and make the necessary changes to get your best long-term results

So I’m going to share with you the key nutrition strategies that will help you get the best long-term results that you want and the health and vitality that you deserve 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 conflicts with the specific individualised advice that you’ve received from your dietitian 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 and we also often eat emotionally and that means that we’re eating not because we’re hungry but 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. Now 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 must support your surgery by replacing emotional eating with more constructive ways of changing your emotions (for example,  physical activity, listening to music or meditation). We talk more about this in our next module.

When you sit down to eat, and slow down your eating 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 about how you might be able to eat differently, and it’s worth reflecting on whether your eating has perhaps been getting faster, and less mindful, as the time since your surgery has passed.

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 and hidden calories. So it’s important to replace processed foods, foods like chips, lollies, cakes, pies, 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.

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

Protein is an essential part of a healthy diet and it also really helps satisfy your hunger – Good, real food sources include sustainable ocean fish, lean grass-fed meats, eggs, peas, beans and lentils. Aim to eat lean protein with every meal to really satisfy your appetite.

Strategy Number 4 is to restrict all liquid calories. 

Typically people drink far too many processed, caffeinated and sugary drinks, which are generally high in energy and low in nutrition. The downside to this is that most people don’t drink enough water, so restrict all liquid calories and keep hydrated by drinking lots of water. 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. 

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

This can cause digestive issues and can impact upon your weight loss. Eating and drinking together over time can mean that your meal portions can increase beyond those recommended by your surgeon and dietitian. 

So, there are our 5 key strategies, and as I mentioned before, if you’re not sticking to them at the moment, then these strategies are going to really help you to stay on track.

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.