What to Expect after Weight Loss Surgery – Eating a Healthy Diet

Eating a healthy diet will make all the difference in achieving your weight loss goals and regaining good health.

Here are a few points to consider about bariatric surgery:

• After bariatric surgery, your stomach size will be significantly smaller than it was. Depending upon the type of surgery (gastric sleeve, gastric bypass or lapband) you have, less nutrients may be absorbed. With gastric bypass surgery, the intestines are rerouted, shortening the distance food travels before leaving your body, resulting in less nutrients as well as calories being absorbed.

• With your smaller stomach, you will be eating smaller portion sizes. It’s even more important to consume sufficient amounts of protein and vitamins to fuel your body with the energy it needs to be physically active. In other words, since you’ll be eating less, you will need to make every bite count.

• Depending on your procedure, the stomach is less able to process simple sugars and can cause nausea and discomfort (dumping syndrome) if too much is taken into the body. Obviously, sugar provides no nutritional value and could be taken out of your diet entirely. Of course, that’s easier said than done.

• Continued unhealthy eating habits not only contribute to health problems, but can undo the effects of the weight loss surgery. You don’t want to have gone through bariatric surgery only to find yourself right back where you started.

Weight Loss Surgery Diets Must Include Protein, Fruits & Vegetables

You should eat protein first at every meal, since it is the most essential nutrient and the new stomach resulting from your bariatric surgery will fill faster than before surgery. Good protein sources include lean meats, eggs, and dairy protein.

Fruits and vegetables are critical elements of a healthy diet too. Vegetables should be steamed and served without high calorie ingredients like butter or creamy dressings. Fruit should be fresh or canned in water.

Healthy (Bariatric Surgery Friendly) Recipe Ideas

There are many resources available online and in print to help you prepare some delicious healthy food. Online bookstores or your local library are great places to look for books full of ideas. Cooking Light has a great range of healthy and delicious recipes, all of which include precise directions and detailed nutritional information to ensure you maintain compliance with your post-weight loss surgery regimen. WebMD maintains a section of its site devoted to healthy cooking. The Food Network has recipes for healthy living, as well. If you would prefer something a little more gourmet, check the Healthy section on Epicurious for recipes from top food magazines including Bon Appetite and Gourmet. And of course, you can browse Fitness Magazine’s quick, healthy recipes.

If you’re considering having weight loss surgery to finally lose those extra pounds that have been weighing you down for such a long time, good for you! Just know, going in, that the surgery itself is not a cure. It’s more of a tool to help you change your eating habits because after bariatric surgery, it’s no longer a choice. Your body is depending on you, more than ever, to keep it healthy and nourished.

It’s a whole new way of thinking about food. Rather than focusing on food as a way to make you feel good emotionally, it’s time to focus on how it will make you feel physically. When you are eating healthy foods, not only will you lose weight more easily, but you will feel better. Healthy food gives you increased energy and doesn’t weigh you down, making you feel sluggish.

Free Weight Loss programs

The race to fitness is on and a lot of people are getting into the band wagon. Some people do it to achieve a sexy body, some people just do it because they are embarrassed with the body they have now, while others do it simply to remain fit and healthy. As such, many fitness programs are out in the internet, in gyms, spas and fitness centers all over. Some are too expensive to afford that one may even lose weight just by trying to work out the money needed to pursue these fitness programs.One may not have to go to the gym or the spa or any fitness center and spend much just to slim down to obtain that longed for sexy body. There are many books available in the bookstore which offer weight loss programs which are convenient and for free, of course the books are not though. These weight loss programs, or diet plans are gaining immense popularity with so much publicity, testimonials and reviews that one may be confused which exactly to follow. So before choosing which weight loss plan to follow, try reading these summaries about the most popular diet programs out today.Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Dr. Atkins. This weight loss program encourages high protein diet and a trim down on the carbs. One can feast on vegetables and meat but should fast on bread and pasta. One is also not restricted against fat intake so it is okay to pour in the salad dressing and freely spread on the butter. However, after the diet, one may find himself lacking on fiber and calcium yet high in fat. Intake of grains and fruits are also limited.Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet by Drs. Heller. This diet plan advocates low carbohydrate eating. Approves on eating meats, vegetables and fruits, dairy and grain products. however, warns against taking in too much carb. “Reward” meal can be too high on fats and saturated fats.Choose to Lose by Dr. Goor. Restrains fat intake. One is given a “fat” budget and he is given the liberty on how to spend it. It does not pressure the individual to watch his carbohydrate intake. Eating meat and poultry as well as low-fat dairy and seafoods is okay. A go signal is also given on eating vegetables, fruits, cereals, bread and pasta. This weight loss plan is fairly healthy, good amounts of fruits and vegetables as well as saturated fats. Watch triglyceride levels though; if high, trim down the carbohydrates and tuck in more of the unsaturated fats.The DASH Diet. Advocates moderate amounts of fat and protein intake and high on carbs. Primarily designed to lower blood pressure, the diet plan follows the pyramid food guide and encourages high intake of whole wheat grains as well as fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy. Some dieters think it advocates too much eating to procure significant weight loss.Eat More, Weigh Less by Dr. Ornish. Primarily vegetarian fare and strictly low-fat. Gives the go signal on the “glow” foods but warns to watch it on non-fat dairy and egg whites. This diet is poor in calcium and restricts consumption of healthy foods like seafoods and lean poultry.Eat Right for Your Type. Interesting because it is based on the person’s blood type. recommends plenty of most for people with the blood type O. Diet plans for some blood types are nutritionally imbalanced and too low in calories. And for the record, there is even no proof that blood type affects dietary needs.The Pritkin Principle. Focused on trimming the calorie density in eating by suggesting watery foods that make one feel full. Eating vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, pasta, soups, salads and low-fat dairy is okay. Although limits protein sources to lean meat, seafood and poultry. Although it is healthy by providing low amounts of saturated fats and rich amounts of vegetables and fruits, it is also low on calcium and limits lean protein sources.Volumetrics. For low-density calorie eating. Recommends the same foodstuff as Pritkin but restricts fatty or dry foods like popcorn, pretzels and crackers. This plan is reasonably healthy given the high amounts of fruits and vegetables as well as being low in calorie density and saturated fats.The Zone. Moderately low on the carbs yet moderately high on the proteins. Encourages low-fat protein foods like fish and chicken plus veggies, fruits and grains. It is also healthy but lacking in grains and calcium.Weight Watchers. High carbohydrates, moderate on fats and proteins. A very healthy diet plan and very flexible too. it allows the dieter to plan his own meal rather than give him a set to follow.

A Quick Look at Some of Today’s Most Effective Diets

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

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The Idiot-Proof Diet

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

The ‘calorie shifting’ model takes place because you eat every two and half hours. The theory is that because your body is consuming calories (energy) constantly throughout the day, it’s always in ‘burning calories’ mode instead of the ‘saving calories’ mode.

When you sign up for the diet, you get access to a diet handbook, an 11-day diet-plan and a diet calculator. You get to pick what foods you like to eat so don’t think that you’ll be tarving in this diet!

NutriSystem

The NutriSystem way of dieting is all about proper meal planning. People love this diet because it takes away the burden of trying to figure out what to eat during their dieting phase. You see, a lot of people actually get confused as to what they can eat when they want to lose weight. That’s not really surprising because there’s so much information out there and for every yay sayer, there is a nay sayer so it’s really tough to know what to eat.

However, with NurtiSystem, they do all the meal planning and portion controlling for you. You just need to sign up to any of their diet programs (e.g., Women’s Program, Men’s Program, Vegetarian Program, etc.) and order a multi-day (usually for 28 days) diet program.

After you choose your diet program, a menu is presented to you and you simply choose what you want to eat. The meals are then delivered to your doorstep at various intervals during your diet program.

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is popular because the name alone conjures bikini-clad bodies! Add to that the fact that it was founded by a cardiologist, Dr. Arthur Agatston, then you have a sort of ‘doctor recommended, doctor approved’ seal on the diet as well.

At first glance, the South Beach Diet looks a lot like the Atkins Diet in the sense that it restricts carbohydrates during the initial phase of the program (there are 3 phases). The first phase (14 days) encourages ‘normal eating’ in the sense that you can pretty much eat whatever you want but you must NOT eat bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or baked goods. Fruit is also not allowed. No sugar. No alcohol.

The second phase allows you to SLOWLY introduce these items back into your diet but at lesser levels that you consumed them before of course. The third phase is more about general maintenance.

Weight Watchers

Probably one of the longest running diet programs out there is Weight Watchers. It believes in the overall approach where food, exercise, behavior and support are addressed.

Weight Watchers is known for advocating a point system for foods. Using this system, one calculates the calorie intake of the foods he or she eats. The number of points you can have in a day varies depending on your weight. The beauty of the program is that there are no gut-wrenching food restrictions so you never feel deprived of anything. However, the point system teaches you how to balance your meals so that even if you indulge on one food item, you don’t go overboard and consume too much in a day.