Eating & More

Just a warning guys, this is gonna be a long post. A friend of mine asked if I would blog about the eating habits that need to be implemented pre and post op. To answer this, I referred to a few things that I found extremely helpful. One resource I found extremely helpful (and I’m sure I will continue to find helpful) is the Ten Commandments to Bariatric Surgery Eating. I will list all ten commandments and then explain them as they apply to a WLS surgery patient. Now, these are not for everyone, and each surgeon varies their rules, obviously. This is just a nice list that can help demonstrate the most important rules for me. So here goes:

1.) You Shall Eat Your Protein First

                This is because protein rich foods help delay emptying the stomach, therefore making you feel fuller for a longer period of time. Protein is also used in building muscle, which is always a good thing! It is also said that getting in enough (or more) protein in a day will help reduce some of the hair loss. My surgeon recommends I get 60-70 g of protein everyday. Some foods that will help me get there, especially in the beginning stages post op are greek yogurt, eggs, low fat cheeses, and chicken/turkey. Of course there are others, but these are some of the most popular.

2.) You Shall Choose Solid Foods Over Soft, Mushy, or Liquidy Foods

                Solid foods help to fill up the smaller stomach pouch and stay in your pouch longer than soft, mushy, or liquidy foods do.  A huge way that people cheat weight loss surgery is they go back to eating “slider” foods which can drink the tool you are provided with during surgery.

3.) You Shall Avoid Eating and Drinking at the Same Time

                Solid food + liquid beverage = slushy, mushy consistency. (Refer to Commandment #2!) They say that the pouch/stoma act like a funnel, so adding liquid to a meal will make the food go down through the funnel quicker and therefore, you do not stay hungry as long, which results in eating again, and therefore more calories, which results in a weight gain.

4.) You Shall Avoid Drinks/Liquids With Calories

                Liquids, as stated before, pass through the pouch quickly and do not leave you feeling full. Therefore you end up drinking/eating more, which result in a lot of extra calories. Many drinks contain a lot of calories (more than you’d think....check it out!), so if you are drinking many high calorie drinks, you leave yourself short on calories for the day for actual foods.

5.) You Shall Take Small Bites

                Foods can get stuck!  It is a proven fact. Therefore, the smaller the bite, the less of a chance for obstruction. Simple enough!

6.) You Shall Chew Thoroughly

                Chewing thoroughly help you slow down, avoid overeating, and minimize the chance of obstruction caused by large food particles. It is important for weight loss surgery patients to chew their foods 20-30 times, or until it is the consistency of pudding, according to my surgeon.

7.) You Shall Eat Slowly

                Eating slower prevents you from overeating. It is said that it takes your brain 20 minutes to catch up to your stomach. I don’t know how true that is, but my surgeon recommends taking at least 20 minutes to finish a meal. One thing that can help with this is putting the fork or spoon down between bites (while chewing thoroughly!).

8.) You Shall Stop Eating as Soon as You Feel Full

                My surgeon’s office told me I would have to leave the “empty plate club” because I just would not be able to finish. Portion sizes in America are HUGE! It will be important for me to listen to my body and stop eating as soon as I feel full in order to avoid vomiting.

 
9.) You Shall Stay Hydrated

                I will need to drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water a day (Thank goodness I have started this practice now because it really is harder than you’d think). Many weight loss surgery patients drink much more than the minimum, but it takes time to be able to build up to that. The important thing is staying hydrated. My urine should be (and usually is) very faint yellow, if not clear.

 
10.) You Shall Take Your Daily Vitamins

                Following this surgery I will be on a daily regime of vitamins for the rest of my life. 

My vitamins are as follows (and all either in liquid or chewable form!):

                Multivitamin with Iron  one time a day

                Calcium Citrate (500 mg) twice a day during my mid morning and mid afternoon snack

                Vitamin C (500 mg) once a day

               

So those are the ten commandments of bariatric surgery. Another helpful resources was this HUMONGOUS binder I got full of information of what to eat, different kinds of exercise, different proteins, a whole meal plan, etc. This has been extremely helpful, and it has allowed me to prepare myself as much as possible prior to surgery.

I just wanted to comment on my pre-op diet. I think I may commit a full blog post to this topic in the future, but I just wanted to solicit some feedback from some fellow WLS patients. My surgeon only requires a “two week induction meal plan” prior to surgery which consists of a modified Atkins diet. I know that there are many people who were required to do a liquid diet for at least a week prior to surgery. What was your surgeon’s preference? Just curious!

And lastly, I just wanted to thank everyone who has already mentioned to me that they have read my posts, and look forward to seeing me on my journey. A special shout out to Elaine, Kathy, Glo, Molly, Bindy, and Carol for being especially supportive. I’m sure there are others of you out there who I forgot to mention, and I’m sorry!   

And on the FINAL exciting note for the evening—I am officially only 5 weeks out from surgery. This time in 5 weeks, I will be a weight loss surgery patient, and the rest of my life can begin!