There is so much information online and we have everything at our fingertips. People just have so much more information than they did back 10 years ago and they are so much more knowledgeable today about bariatric surgery. Some clients believe that the online world is such a wealth of knowledge that they don’t really need to listen to their bariatric surgeons advice or follow their bariatric nutritionists guidelines. They believe that all the advice that they get is good advice – never mind the bad advice that is being recommended by people who really have zero idea about good health post bariatric surgery.
We all have a friend who had surgery and didn’t follow any of the rules and didn’t drink protein shakes or didn’t take vitamins. You know the one that I am talking about … problem is that if we fail to take care of our nutrition post surgery, we don’t follow the plan and we slip off track and then time passes and the re-gain has started and the scale is moving back in the wrong direction again. How did we get it so wrong ?
Here is what we should do !
Go back to the basics and get out your guidelines and reach out for help and look back to what worked for you in the beginning. Lots of post op clients allow the refined carbs to creep back into their life. Carb creep is one of the main reasons why bariatric clients have re-gains. It’s the chips and crackers and breads and popcorn and potatoes and french fries and tortillas and soda and sugars and the list goes on and on. I have never had a client reach out to me with a re-gain from eating salad with chicken and avocado or baked fish with veggies. It’s all those packaged items that greatly affect our weight.
Stop drinking sugary beverages. It doesn’t matter if it’s agave or honey or raw sugar or molasses. It is all SUGAR. Sure it can be tough to go from sugar sweetened drinks to artificial sweeteners, but do you know what is really killing us ? obesity is killing us and in my opinion, an artificial sweetener is better in the beginning over regular sugar. The artificial sugar or stevia (even better) can help us kick the sugar habit and get us ready to make really healthy decisions about kicking the sugar habit AND the artificial sweetener habit. One step takes us to the next step. Take those steps and get some momentum going.
Bariatric surgery is not the easy way out. We still need to make smart decisions each and every day. There aren’t any magic loop holes. We need to do the work to see the results. Pay attention to what your bariatric surgery coordinators and your bariatric nutritionists are telling you about healthy eating. There is no magic wand. Nothing about our old lifestyles or how we used to eat works with our new healthy lifestyle.
No nonsense guide to real eating to lose weight and feel better after a slump or a regain.
None of us are perfect but when we fall down we must know how to best get up and keep on going.
I believe in you. You are going to reach your goal.
About the Author: Sheri Burke is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.
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