Losing Weight Before and After Bariatric Surgery

Posted: Jul 05 in Weight Loss Surgery by Staff

One of the most common complaints about losing weight is how easy it is to put the weight back on. In fact, one of the reasons that weight loss surgery is so popular is because it helps people to maintain the success of losing weight permanently. Whether you’re considering bariatric surgery or losing weight on your own, these tips can help you enjoy long-term weight loss success.

Tips for losing weight and keeping it off

• Avoid crash diets: If you’re losing weight as a result of fasting or eating so few calories that they’re negligible, you’re putting your body into starvation mode. This means that when you do begin to eat at your normal calorie level again, your body will hoard food in your fat cells as a precaution.
• Don’t eliminate foods, substitute them: If you tell yourself that you’re “never going to eat [insert unhealthy food here] again”, all it does is make it something you’ll crave. Try substituting healthier alternatives instead. Look for the fat-free or reduced-fat versions, or if those don’t exist, reduce your portion size. This can be especially helpful for bariatric surgery patients who have new dietary restrictions.
• Drink lots of water: Water keeps you hydrated, keeps you feeling full, and has no calories. By limiting your intake of coffee, soda, and sugar-laden fruit juices, you can cut out hundreds of calories a day and curb your hunger.
• Ease into your diet: Instead of viewing your new eating habits as a diet, view them as a lifestyle change. If you’ve committed to having weight loss surgery to assist you in losing weight, it’s crucial that you recognize that these changes will be permanent, so it’s OK if you don’t make them all at once.
• Slow down: If you chew your food carefully, wait a longer time between bites, and eat your food slowly, your body will let you know when you’re satisfied. We overeat because we eat too quickly, and the food is in our stomach before our brain can register that we are full. Take your time and enjoy your meal, and you’ll find that you need to eat much less of it!
• Exercise: While it may seem like a four-letter word to you, exercise can be easier than you think. Just by increasing your activity level and walking for ten minutes three times a day, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and parking your car far from the mall entrance, you can stay active, and it won’t be difficult to incorporate a regular exercise regimen into your day after too long.

Whether you’re starting your own diet and exercise plan or looking to bariatric surgery for help losing weight, these tips can help you make permanent changes that can lead to permanent weight loss results.