“HOW YOU WILL USE YOUR NEW TOOL SUCCESSFULLY”
T E X A S C E N T E R F O R M E D I C A L & S U R G I C A L W E I G H T L O S S
Nutrition After Weight Loss Surgery
What We’ll Cover Today
Nutrition guidelines for successful weight loss
following surgery
Lifestyle and behavior modifications
WEPNSS
W- water E- exercise
P- protein first
N- no snacking or grazing
S- supplements (vitamins and minerals) S- support group
WEPNSS
These are the basic rules to live by. They work.
Following them will make you as successful as you
want to be.
Remember them. Live by them.
(
W
EPNSS)Water Water Water
Minimum 64 oz daily.
This is critical.
The single most important thing for you to do after
surgery is to get in at least 64 oz water daily!
Assists in healing process, controls hunger, “rinses
out” waste products
It is okay to add a small amount of
sugar-free flavoring.
Shoot for at least half your water to only
contain natural flavorings such as lemon, lime, mint, etc
Spacing Water and Meals
Separate water from your meals. Stop
drinking at the start of the meal and wait 1 hour after meals to resume drinking.
Water during meals can flush your food through faster, making you hungry again sooner.
Water Water Water Meal ………
(W
E
PNSS)Exercise
Burns calories and good for your health Helps to preserve lean body mass.
Make it fun…use the buddy system. Make exercise a habit.
Focus on PURPOSEFUL MOVEMENT
Add movement into your day to day
activities
Take the stairs
Increase the number of steps you take Track using a pedometer
Exercise
Start walking from day 1 after surgery and progress from there.
Cardiovascular + Resistance (weights/bands) Goal = minimum of 30 minutes
cardio 5x/wk and 15 minutes strength/resistance 3x/wk
Add weights/resistance training.
Start light and gradually increase 20 lb maximum for 4-6 weeks
(WE
P
NSS)Protein
60-80 grams daily
Early benefits of protein
Helps protect against loss of lean body mass (muscle) Main building blocks of our bodies
Late benefits of protein
Protein gives a feeling of satiety (satisfied)
Fewer calories per gram than fat and more satiety than
Protein
Long term your diet is higher protein, low fat and moderate carbohydrate
~35-50% of the diet from lean proteins ~35-50% nonstarchy vegetables
Less than 15-20% complex carbohydrates
Early after surgery, getting enough protein in every day will be a challenge.
Track your protein intake using a food tracking tool
Myfitnesspal, sparkpeople, Tap and Track
Most people will need to have a protein shake or meal replacement for one meal per day as you are progressing your diet after surgery.
Protein Meal Replacements
Shakes must be 15-35 grams of protein with no more
than 5 grams of carbohydrate or 5 grams of fat per serving.
Bars must contain at least 12 grams of protein with
no more than 20 grams of carbohydrate and 7 grams of fat
Ready Made Products Powders
Clear Liquids Bars
Preoperative Diet
Replace 2 meals per day with a Protein Shake
Powders must be mixed with water
One small meal with a palm size of lean protein
(fish/chicken/turkey/egg whites) and non-starchy
vegetables (anything other than corn, peas, potatoes)
Drink at least 64 ounces of water
Avoid snacks. If you are hungry, drink water. Avoid fats/sugars/carbohydrates
(bread/rice/pasta/fruit/etc) as much as possible.
Purpose of Preoperative Diet
Shrinks the liver
Liver sits over the stomach
Reduces complications that can happen from the
(WEP
N
SS)No Snacking or Grazing
Eat 2 or 3 meals per day
Fasting periods lead to fat-burning.
Grazing lessens your body’s need to burn its fat
stores because you are frequently giving it energy (calories).
Snacks are habit-forming and can inhibit weight loss Theoretically, 3500 calories = 1 pound
Adding only an extra 100 calories per day could be equivalent
No Snacking or Grazing
Our bodies do not differentiate well between hunger
and thirst.
When you want to snack your body may actually
need the water in the food.
Drink water instead of snacking.
Improving your protein intake at each meal and
increasing the amount of water you drink during the day will decrease your desire to snack.
Y O U W I L L N E E D V I T A M I N S F O R T H E R E S T O F Y O U R L I F E , N O M A T T E R H O W G R E A T Y O U F E E L !
Why Will I Need Vitamins?
Weight loss surgery can contribute to deficiencies because of:
Decreased intake of food Eating different foods
Decreased absorption of certain nutrients
Deficiencies develop slowly and you
may not notice them until they are severe!
Protect your health
1. Be consistent with a vitamin program. 2. Get your vitamin levels checked every
Which ones will I need?
High Potency Multivitamin with Iron: Calcium citrate 1500-1800 mg daily (in 500mg doses) Try to separate 2 hours from iron
Vitamin D
3000 IU per day Vitamin B12:
1000mcg under your tongue (sublingual) once a week Oral methylcobalamin
Type of Vitamins
Vitamin preparations vary a lot in terms of
contents, nutrient forms, and nutrient levels.
We recommend bariatric specific vitamins because they are
delivering the dosage of nutrients needed with your new anatomy as well as in a way that the new anatomy can actually absorb and utilize the nutrients.
We see improved vitamin profiles in patients taking
When do I start vitamins?
Talk to your provider about any supplements you may need
prior to surgery.
Start on the bariatric specific vitamins ~1 week post-op
Bariatric vitamins that we recommend will be presented at
your post-op follow up appointment and you will have a chance to sample them.
(WEPNS
S
)Support
General support groups are once a month.
Join us 3rd Thursday at 6:30
Check the schedule and videos of past support groups at
www.texasbariatric.com
The people who do the best attend support groups regularly. It’s fun and educational.
Your attendance, questions, and support, will help other
people, even if you think that you don’t necessarily need it.
You will almost always walk away with something you gained
(WEPNS
S
)Support
Website (www.texasbariatric.com) Smart Phone App
Search “Texas Center for Medical and Surgical Weight Loss”
Like us on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/texasbariatric
Follow us on Pinterest
BE CONNECTED as you are not on this journey
Additional Behavior Modifications
Take your time eating
Take 15-20 minutes to eat a meal (no longer than 30 minutes) Chew food thoroughly
Caffeine and alcohol
Both must be avoided for 3 months following surgery
New anatomy make you more sensitive to alcohol. 1 drink is
like 4 drinks. Keep to 1 drink in a 24 hour period.
Avoid carbonation, straws, and chewing gum
Diet Going Home
You will be on clear liquids when you go home from
the hospital
Water, fat-free broth, sugar-free jell-o, sugar-free popsicles,
decaf coffee and tea
Important to have only these clear liquids to allow
your stomach to rest and heal until you return for your 1 week follow-up appointment
1 Week Follow-Up
Your follow-up visit will begin at 10am on the
Thursday following your surgery.
A series of classes will be given, which will cover:
Nutrition guidelines and behavior modifications
Diet progression…you will be able to start on semi-solid
protein foods and increase as tolerated
Care post-op Exercise
Vitamins
Following the classes, you will visit with your
T E X A S C E N T E R F O R M E D I C A L & S U R G I C A L W E I G H T L O S S
