Patients who achieve the greatest success through bariatric surgery are those who are aware of the fact that their surgery is the beginning of a journey and is far from an easy way out.
Bariatric surgery is a powerful tool, but it is necessary for patients to make significant and permanent changes in their lifestyle at the same time in order to prevent obesity from returning.
The first few weeks after your surgery you will be on a strict liquid diet and should begin to walk and perform very light activities gradually.
When your health care team determines it is time, you will make transitions to vegetable and fruit purees; protein smoothies and eventually diced and shredded foods. Once your stomach has healed and your doctor gives you the green light, you can begin to eat solid foods slowly and in small amounts, you should also increase your physical activity according to the indications of your bariatric health care providers.
After a few weeks you will notice all kinds of changes; your appetite will be very different than before and your energy levels will begin to increase.
Once you go through all of your post-op phases you will be completely immersed in you new lifestyle. A typical day may look something like this (adapted to individual schedules and tastes):
-After a good night’s sleep, you will prepare for your daily exercise routine by having a small portion of a protein smoothie or some fruit.
-Exercise for a period of 30 minutes to 1 hour every day and be sure to include cardio and strength training exercises.
-Eat breakfast according to the recommendations of your dietitian, it can be something like a scrambled egg with vegetables, protein smoothie blended with some fruit and even vegetables; or some oatmeal fortified with protein powder.
-Get on with the rest of your activities armed with a healthy snack and a good size water bottle.
-At lunch time you can choose to have some soup or vegetable broth, tuna or chicken salad, or a sandwich made with fresh veggies and avocado, to name just a few examples.
-For dinner make sure to include a lean protein, vegetables and a complex carbohydrate, it can be grilled fish with brown rice and green beans.
In addition, successful post-bariatric patients follow these rules:
-They chew all food thoroughly.
-They limit liquid intake during meals but stay well hydrated throughout the day, avoiding sugary drinks.
-They choose foods with high nutritional density and avoid empty calories.
-Go to your support group sessions or keep in touch with some type of online support forum on a regular basis.
-They are proactive and educate themselves constantly on how to live a healthy lifestyle.
All this may seem like a lot, but bariatric surgery will make things easier since you will feel very little hunger and rapid weight loss will be a great motivation for you to stick to your program and your new healthy lifestyle!
At LIMARP, bariatric surgery is part of a comprehensive program that can give you the necessary tools to make a healthy lifestyle second nature! For more information call LIMARP International Center of Excellence for Obesity at +52 (664) 686 2542 or fill out a contact form at www.limarp.com to receive a free evaluation.