Life After Gastric Sleeve Surgery
Undergoing gastric sleeve surgery, or any bariatric surgery for that matter, requires commitment and dedication to make sure it is successful, but many people wonder what Life After Gastric Sleeve Surgery is like.
Here we will give you an idea of what life after gastric sleeve surgery is like. We will give you an overview of some of the changes you will need to make to your diet, your lifestyle, and your general behavior patterns so that you can ensure that you enjoy a healthy life after gastric sleeve surgery.
Click here to read more about the Gastric Sleeve.
Life after gastric sleeve surgery means that you must diet, what you are putting in your mouth. Life after gastric sleeve surgery also means a change your eating habits, not just what you eat, but how you eat it. It is imperative that you stick to your diet, and follow your doctor’s advice closely.
You must understand that the surgery is just a tool, YOU must make the committment to a healthier lifestyle so that your life after gastric sleeve surgery is a healthy one. If you are not committed to changing your life after gastric sleeve surgery, you will most likely end up putting the weight back on.
Life After Gastric Sleeve Surgery – Behavioral Changes
Weight problems are usually accompanied by low self-esteem, anxiety, despair, depression, loneliness, and discrimination among other things. Emotional issues are probably the most painful aspect of being overweight. Life after gastric sleeve surgery will see a positive change in your life, and you will experience a positive change in your mental well-being.
A combination of nutrition, fitness, mindful eating and psychological understanding all contribute to a healthy lifestyle, but these are not learned overnight. During your life after gastric sleeve surgery, you must condition yourself and make these changes happen slowly over time.
Life After Gastric Sleeve Surgery – Emotional Eating
At some point in our lives, we have all used food to either suppress or enhance our emotions, and it usually done unconsciously. This type of behavior is ingrained into us, and these habits are very hard to break. From the time we are born, we learn to associate the food we eat with certain emotions. Life after gastric sleeve surgery means breaking these habits, and learning new, healthier eating habits.
When a baby is being fed, they can experience love, trust, comfort, safety, and dependency. As we grow, we are taught to associate food with feelings, we are rewarded with ice cream, or pie when we are good. This emotional food association is continued into childhood, and into our teens. If you are hurt while riding your bicycle, you will get a cookie or a chocolate bar to cheer you up. If you get an ‘A’ on an exam in school, you may be rewarded with a lollipop or some cake. All of these types of things reinforce that association, and we learn that food can be used to comfort pain.
This learned behavior will continue into adulthood. You may not realize it, but ask yourself, when was the last celebration or party you went to where food wasn’t involved? We celebrate birthdays, holidays, special occasions, and even funerals with food and drinks. Many people after a bad day will cheer themselves up with a delicious sweet. If you are feeling sad you will eat some ice cream to make yourself happier. For many overweight people, they are unhappy because they are overweight, but then eat lots of sweets which makes them overweight, and this is a vicious cycle that for many is extremely difficult to break.
To have a successful weight loss plan and enjoy a healthy life after gastric sleeve surgery, you must unlearn these habits, and stop living to eat, but rather eat to live. Being committed to your new diet, and to losing weight can help you unlearn this behavior, and you will be able to enjoy a happier, healthier life after gastric sleeve surgery.
To achieve your ideal weight after getting a gastric sleeve you will need to make a few changes. Life after gastric sleeve surgery means that you will need to strictly adhere to your bariatric surgeon’s guidelines about Diet and Nutrition as well as increasing your Physical Activity. It is good to have a team of professionals to teach you good habits, how to eat healthy, how to eat properly, how to exercise effectively, how to maintain a positive state of mind, and generally help you live a healthy life after gastric sleeve surgery. All of these will help you to lose the weight, keep it off, and learn to love yourself. Follow up appointments are very important to monitoring your progress, ensuring a safe weight loss, and ensuring you are healthy, so make sure you go to your doctor regularly.
Life After Gastric Sleeve Surgery – Your New Diet
Your diet after getting a gastric sleeve is essential to your success, and to ensure that you continue to live a healthy life after gastric sleeve surgery. The diet can be challenging at first, but it is essential that you follow the diet as the doctor has instructed you. The amount of food you can ingest is much less than before, therefore you must provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function, otherwise you will experience low energy levels and some other side effects.
Life after gastric sleeve surgery means no fast-food, no fatty foods, and nothing oily or high in cholesterol. You should meet with a dietician regularly to learn what you should eat, and things you should avoid, as well as new ways to eat healthy, and even some delicious recipes.
If you listen to your surgeon and your dietician, you will give your body what it needs, and may not need to take vitamin supplements for your entire life after gastric sleeve surgery. You can have a healthy life after gastric sleeve surgery, but it is really up to you to do your part and make a permanent lifestyle change to maintain your weight loss.
Life after Gastric Sleeve Surgery – Things To Remember
Here are a few tips to help you adjust to your new life after gastric sleeve surgery a bit more easily:
- Remember to chew the food slowly and thoroughly
- Stay away from concentrated sugars (especially the liquid form)
- Limit or eliminate your consumption of fried and fatty foods, hey have the highest source of calories
- After surgery, your stomach can only hold 4-6 ounces and you will feel full faster, so don’t overeat
- Discontinue eating once you feel full, if you don’t you will vomit and your stomach will most likely stretch
- Your daily meals should include: protein, fruits, whole grain and vegetables
- Incorporate vitamins and minerals in your meals
- Be Active and Get Some Exercise! This is key to maintaining your new weight
Life after gastric sleeve surgery may be challenging at first, but by constantly practicing your new good habits, those good habits will become second nature to you. You will become healthier, happier, and more active. You will be able to lose that excess weight, and keep it off, and you will definitely enjoy a better quality of life after gastric sleeve surgery.
