Top Bariatric Tips
After two and a half years as a part of the bariatric community, I have learned a TON. I did months of research before getting the surgery, and I’ve researched and spoken with others in the community since. Most of these I didn’t know, and I want to make sure you are prepared!
Drink your water. I know you’ve all heard this a million times, but I mean it. Dehydration hits different for us. We can end up in the ER if we don’t get enough. Shoot for 64oz MINIMUM but more is better. At a year and a half out, I hit at least 120oz a day on average. Make a habit of carrying a water bottle and taking a sip every few minutes. Set an alarm if you can’t seem to remember. It gets easier, I promise. If you are pre-op, start the habit now!
Wait 30 minutes to drink after eating. Yes, I know you CAN drink while eating, it won’t kill you. But if you drink while eating or too soon after eating it can make you vomit. The scientific reason behind not drinking too soon after eating is that it speeds up gastric emptying, which can cause you to not stay full after eating, will make you hungrier earlier, and can cause absorption issues (especially in RNY). With this in mind, the next tip is important!
Lubricate your meat! Yes, you heard that right. Make sure you don’t eat your meat dry. It will make you feel like crap and could cause dumping or puking. At the very least, it will be painful! When you have your first egg, add a little ketchup, cheese, or mayo. If you eat chicken, add a sauce of some kind. This will also make it so you don’t feel like you have to drink while eating.
Hit your protein goals. Slacking on the protein can cause you to lose more muscle than necessary during your journey, and it can also increase the likelihood of hair loss. Hair loss and muscle loss are inevitable and you can’t avoid it during extreme weight loss, but you can do your best to mitigate the loss by hitting your protein goals. Most surgeons have a minimum of 60g a day, but I aim for 90g or more. Aim for over 100g a day if you are lifting weights/working out consistently. Building muscle during the first few months after surgery is a challenge, but ensuring you retain as much as you can is important. The more muscle you have, the more your body burns. Muscle increases the demand on your metabolism. This brings me to protein sources. Shakes are great for supplementing, especially when you can’t hit your goals with food alone. But focusing on good sources, chicken, beef, turkey, pork, eggs, beans, quinoa, tofu, soy… etc, will help your body stay healthy.
Sleep. I mean it. Your body won’t lose weight effectively if you aren’t sleeping. 7-9 hours is generally recommended for most individuals. Insomnia post-surgery is common, and if you are struggling, regular exercise, hydration, and taking your vitamins can help. Melatonin and enough vitamin D are key to good sleep. If you, like me, are addicted to Proffee (protein coffee), try cutting out any caffeine after 2 pm.
Take your vitamins. Not taking them can mean death. I don’t say that lightly, or to scare you, but your body can’t get enough nutrients from your food after surgery, and you HAVE to supplement. Not supplementing can put you in the hospital or worse. I know they are expensive, but they are necessary for your health.
Move your body. Daily. Walk, run, hike, swim, garden, clean, dance, kayak, lift weights, Zumba, bike, kickbox, do goat yoga… whatever tickles your fancy. The key is to just move your body for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week.
Therapy. Many post-op programs don’t provide consistent therapy, but therapy is key to surviving this journey and succeeding at this journey. Most of us didn’t become obese without some trauma or disordered eating. And this surgery comes rife with emotional problems: complications, changing food relationships, changing relationships with family/friends, emotions, grieving… This journey will dreg up things you didn’t think you’d ever have to deal with. Food apathy, grieving the loss of your greatest coping mechanism, PTSD/trauma, depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia… all the things. Seeing a therapist, and talking to a professional about these things can help you navigate it and develop new coping skills.
Consistency over perfection. This community often talks about motivation, but it rarely talks about what that means. Motivation is for the bees. Consistency, waking up every day, and choosing to love and care for yourself…that’s key. You need to choose yourself over and over. You need to create sustainable habits, things you know you can stick to. You need to keep going even when you feel like quitting. Consistently making better choices is what will help you succeed.
Give yourself some grace. You can’t be perfect. You won’t always have good days. You will have shit days. You will have days that make you question this decision, or literally every decision you’ve ever made. You will be exhausted. And that’s okay. Take time to heal. Take time to yourself. Learn to stop the negative self-talk and instead, talk to yourself the way you would speak to a child or your best friend. Give yourself love and grace. You can only do your best.
You can’t make all these changes at once. It takes time. Choose one and make it a habit, work hard at it. Then work on the next thing. You can’t make a million changes all at once and expect to succeed at all one million things. Take your time, baby steps, do your best to do better each day, and you will hit your goals.
