Metro Bariatrics - Amir Moazzez MD, FACS
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Fair Oaks Professional Bldg.
3620 Joseph Siewick Dr. Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22033
703.620.3211 Phone
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2280 Opitz Blvd. Suite 320
Woodbridge, VA 22191
703.878.7610 Phone
703.878.7614 Fax
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Pre-surgical Weight Loss Tips
You will be forced to permanently change your eating style after bariatric surgery. Eating habits are so ingrained that they can be extremely difficult to change. It is important to practice your new eating style and mentally prepare for the challenge ahead. If you think you can adopt these new behaviors over night, you are setting yourself up for failure. Practice these tips several times before your next meeting with your dietitian and be ready to discuss your reaction:
- Start chewing your food thoroughly: Eating too quickly and improper chewing can cause pain, vomiting, and irritate your new pouch. The opening that allows food to pass from the stomach to the intestine in a bypass will be drastically smaller than your original anatomy. The same is true for those patients that have the adjustable band. After surgery it is required that all food has an “applesauce” consistency prior to swallowing.
- Slow down the speed at which you eat: Refill your fork only after you swallow. It is common for people to put more food on their fork while they are still chewing. As soon as they swallow, the next bite is ready. Adopt a new pattern of eating. Take a bite of food, put your utensil down and enjoy chewing and savoring each bite. This will help reduce complications and the feeling of food being “stuck”.
- Start listening to your body and recognize your level of fullness: It takes at least 20 minutes for your brain to identify the body’s signals that say the stomach is reaching a comfortable level of fullness and the appetite is satisfied. Consider the following: How does it feel to eat just enough to take the hunger away and not one bite more? As you slow down your eating speed, do you feel full faster? You will have to relearn the feelings of fullness and hunger with your new pouch after surgery. Start developing your mind-body connection today!
- Start drinking fluids slowly: Sip fluids as if they were hot beverages. After surgery, your stomach will be swollen (for about a week) and it may take up to 30 minutes to sip a cup of fluid. At first, you will feel like you are constantly sipping to keep yourself well hydrated. Just do your best! When the swelling subsides, you may be able to drink as much as a cup in only 5 minutes! Start practicing sipping all day long. If you find it difficult to stop gulping liquids, try using a sippy cup or a sport top water bottle. Gulping more than 2oz of liquid may cause pain as the fluid may funnel up in your esophagus. Do not drink your liquids with a straw after your surgery as air will be swallowed causing painful gas and irritation to the stomach.
- Practice eating meals without drinking fluids: After surgery you will not be allowed to drink fluids 30 minutes before, during or 30 minutes after your meal (30/30 rule). This will be a permanent behavior change for life. Food will form a plug in your stomach, and will slowly empty with the pull of gravity. Think of your new pouch as a funnel. If you drink prior to the meal it will cause your funnel to be wet and the food will pass through the funnel more rapidly. This will cause you to feel hungry shortly after the meal. Drinking soon after the meal will cause the same “wash-out effect.” Start limiting the amount of liquids you drink with your meals. Gradually reduce the amount to a point where you no longer need to drink with your meals.
- Cut down on your intake of caffeine intake and carbonated beverages: Caffeine acts as a diuretic and can irritate the lining of the stomach. You will be without caffeine while in the hospital. To avoid a terrible withdrawal headache, start gradually reducing your intake to be caffeine free prior to surgery. Caffeinated beverages will be limited to no more than 8oz per day when you are 8 weeks post-op. Carbonated beverages release gas, which can cause pain as the pouch expands. Cutting carbonation from your lifestyle will be a permanent behavior.
- Detoxify your kitchen: Clean out your kitchen cabinets. Get rid of those dangerous foods that might tempt you after surgery. It is important that you include your family on this process. Explain what foods are allowed in the house and what foods are banned.
- Start your exercise program now: Exercise is going to be a regular part of your life after surgery. Start by simply increasing your daily physical activity. Every step counts, small tasks such as parking in the back of the parking lot next time you go shopping, or walking to get your mail instead of driving, can help build the foundation for your new fitness routine after surgery.
- Have a good support system in place: There are many adjustments to make after surgery. People may react to you differently. Family members may feel threatened by the new you, and friends may unintentionally try to sabotage your new lifestyle. Have an understanding and supportive friend, family member, co-worker, ect. with whom you can talk. This may help you get through the tough times. It is not uncommon to grieve the loss of food as “your best friend, food”. Developing a healthy relationship with food, learning to manage stress, and improving self esteem may call for the help of a professional counselor. Online support groups and web sites can also be helpful. Attending support group meeings is highly encouraged these meetings can help reinforce new behaviors to keep your motivation strong.