Whether they are good or bad, eating habits reflect greatly on your weight loss journey after bariatric surgery. Good habits keep your body energized and your weight on a stable and healthy decline towards your goal. Bad habits can cause discomfort and, unfortunately, weight regain. So why not focus on developing good ones for a positive impact and getting rid of the bad ones that hold you back? Today we will show you the bariatric patient’s 9 golden rules to get rid of unhealthy eating habits!
- Treat mealtime as an experience, not a chore.
When it’s time to eat, make sure you sit down and take your time to savor and enjoy your meal. Avoid distracting yourself with phones, TV, or work. You have to be very aware of your body during meal times. Remember that it takes around 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’re full, so chew your food slowly and thoroughly so you can identify your body’s cues that will tell you that time to stop. Thanks to this, it’s easy to avoid overeating.
- The famous 30/30 rule
This rule is used to avoid mixing your liquids with your meals. Make sure to drink your liquids 30 minutes before your meal and wait 30 minutes after you’re done until you have another drink. This will allow your body to correctly absorb the nutrients from your food and will help you avoid stomach discomfort.
- Snack hack
Eat any and all snacks from see through containers, not directly from the bag. Not being able to see what you’re eating makes it easy to forget about portion control. This happens a lot when, for example, you are eating directly from a bag of chips. You might not notice how much you ate until you have reached the bottom of the bag. Measuring and separating your food and snack portions into containers is a great way to plan your meals and keep track of how much you’re eating.
- Keep a food journal
Pick one that is easy to carry around and write down what you ate in a day! Seeing how you’ve progressed since you started losing weight and how your food choices keep getting better and better will help keep you on the healthy path. If you’re more tech-inclined, you can also use one of the many bariatric apps to keep yourself on track.
- Don’t skip meals
Skipping meals is a big no. Not only does it mess up your metabolism, which can make losing weight more difficult, but it can cause lack of energy. Your body needs fuel! Skipping meals can also result in headaches, trouble focusing, and even unhealthy cravings or binges on food your body doesn’t need. Eat small, frequent, high-protein meals. A full tummy means a happy heart.
- Plan your meals
Following a meal plan makes things easier and healthier. Knowing just what to buy when going to the store and knowing exactly what you’ll cook each day helps with portion control, saves time in the kitchen, and it also saves you money!
- Read labels
Learning how to read the labels on the products you eat and making it a habit will help you make better choices about what kind of food you are putting into your body. It can help you limit the amount of sodium, sugars, and carbs in favor of choosing nutrient dense and protein-rich products.
- Avoid processed food
This one might be a bit obvious, but needs to be said. Food that is frozen, canned or dried will most of the contain high levels of salt, saturated fat, or sugar. Always chose to prepare healthy meals at home using fresh, whole ingredients.
- Fill your meal with colors
While on your normal Bariatric Diet, adding color to your meals is a great way to know that you’re getting your daily doses of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Add a wide variety of greens, reds, yellows, blues, and purples by adding fruits and vegetables to your meals to make them colorful and visually appealing!
Eating should not be a source of anxiety or frustration. Remember that it takes around 60 days for a new behavior to become automatic. By applying these tips one day at a time, you can learn to improve your habits in no time at all!
If you have any questions about the advice given above or you want to share some tips of your own, don’t hesitate to contact our team! We will be more than happy to hear from you!
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