Tag: My lifestyle

Tips for a healthy lifestyle

Be active: Physical activity may improve your health. You do not need to exercise at a gym for hours to be active. There are many ways to add more activity into your daily life. For example, while you are returning home from work, try to get off the bus one stop earlier or to use the stairs instead of the lift.

Do not stay dehydrated: Drink water regularly to avoid dehydration. We recommend drinking at least 1.5-2 liters of water every day. All non-alcoholic drinks count. However, normal water and skimmed milk are more healthy options. Try to avoid non-alcoholic beverages and carbonated drinks, as they contain high amounts of sugar and calories and are bad for teeth.

Do not skip breakfast: A healthy breakfast is an important part of a balanced diet. A bowl of whole-grain, low-carb cornflakes with sliced fruits is a tasty and nutritional breakfast.

Recommendation	Before	Before and after
Do not forget to eat three meals a day	x
Eat the equivalent of five handfuls of fruit and vegetable every day.	X
Add vegetables to every meal	X
Make your vegetable intake easier by choosing seasonal foods that require little preparation, such as bananas, small tomatoes, and carrots.	X
It may be useful to eat in a quiet environment.		X
Start by working on portion control. Smaller plates like saucers may be useful.		X
Digestion starts with chewing. Chew your bites well and slowly.		X
Eat at regular intervals. Avoid snacks and do not miss meals.		X
Drink plenty of water a day long (at least 8 glasses)		X
Leave your fork and knife on the table between two bites.		X
Cut food in small bites.		X
Take vitamin and mineral supplements.		x
Prefer food containing unsaturated fats like vegetable oils, fatty fish, and avocado. Avoid food containing saturated fats like ripened cheeses, cakes, sausages, cream, butter etc.		x
Do not consume sugar.		x
Consume less salt – maximum 6 g per day.		x
Your daily diet should contain 60 g of protein for females and 80 g for males.		x
Eat fish twice a week.		x
OH		x

 

Diet protocol after surgery: General recommendations

During your stay at the hospital, your health team trained you about the diet program you have to follow in the following months and for the rest of your life. Sticking to this program is the key to a successful weight loss. To be sure that you eat the correct food and to avoid adverse effects, you must follow these instructions.

The Get Ready application will provide all the information you need. If you need further information, do not hesitate to contact your health team.

Some general recommendations to help you change your behavior and be healthier, are given below:

 

• Eat very slowly. Do not forget to put the fork on the table after each bite.
• Chew well. This is important to prevent food from getting stuck in the trachea.
• Always take more time for meals. Approximately 45 minutes for a small meal.
• Stop eating when you feel full. Do not force yourself to finish a portion or do not exceed the quantity that can be tolerated by your stomach.
• Drink regularly fluids between meals. Minimum 2 liters per day. Stop drinking fluids 30 minutes before the meal and continue drinking fluids 30 minutes after the meal.
• Liquor and carbonated water are not recommended.
• Divide your diet program: Plan snacks between the main meals and divide your daily diet into 6 to 7 meals.
• Never miss any meal.
• Avoid sugar: Sugar, honey, desserts, chocolate, jams, fruit purees, sugared composts, cookies, fruit syrups, packaged desserts, industrial beverages, ice cream etc.
• Avoid hidden fats: Pastry, popcorn, chips, pommes frit etc.
• Do not eat mayonnaise, cream, ham, cold cuts, dried fruits, avocado, and oily food like olives.
• Do not consume large quantities of rigid vegetables (carrots, celery). These vegetables can easily stuck to your airway or alimentary tract.

Healthy diet after surgery

Especially in the first 8 weeks after surgery, you should change your eating habits to avoid pain, vomiting and wound dehiscence in certain conditions and of course lose weight.

Changing eating habits may also help to prevent gastric obstructions. Swallowing large bites may hinder the passage of food through the intestines. To decrease the risk of intestinal obstruction, it is important that you eat slowly and swallow after good chewing. Your new slogan should be: “slow, small, moist and easy”.

Stop eating when you are full

 

Just one more spoon may lead to vomiting and stretching of your stomach wall. Focus on the signals of your body not the food on your dish. The signs of satiety may be different from the signs before surgery. Some signs – even though less obvious – showing that your stomach is about to be full are: Pressure or feeling of fullness just under your chest cage in the middle of your abdomen.

• Nausea, vomiting or heartburn. A few minutes after you are really full, you start to feel satiety. You may try the following to find the right portion size: Measure 30 cc of water and drink it and wait a couple of minutes. If you feel full with this volume and you are comfortable, measue your meals similar to this volume. This will prevent the dilatation of your stomach sac and the emergence of discomfort due to overeating.

Tips for general mealtimes

• Take 30-45 minutes for each meal. Take your time to chew your bite well. If you use a dental plate, you have to eat purees or soft foods. Learn to eat more slowly and consciously to allow your body to feel satiety and digest food better. If you eat too fast, you may overeat and not chew sufficiently, and this may cause vomiting.

• Explain to your friends and family why you should eat slowly: Thus, they will not expect you to eat faster.

• Take small bites. You may use a saucer as a visual aid instead of a regular plate for portion control.

• You can use small forks and spoons to determine the correct portion.

• Only eat at mealtimes recommended by your health team. “Snacks” between meals, which are not recommended by your health team, or eating small “snacks” here and there will have a negative impact on your weight loss process and prevents you reach your targeted weight.

• Do not consume fluid while eating solid food. Do not drink fluids 30-45 minutes before and after solid food intake. Taking liquid and solid food together may cause nausea and push food faster through the stomach and lead to overeating.

• Just eat the best food. After all, if you must eat less then eat the best, isn’t it? 

What you have to eat after surgery

Proteins

Proteins are essential for your muscles, organs, heart, and brain. Protein is necessary for the repair and regeneration of worn or damaged tissues. In addition, proteins help to fight infections.

A small stomach sac reduces the gastric capacity to a small volume so that protein-containing food should be consumed carefully in every meal. Nevertheless, taking proteins adequate to manage body functions is critical.

The minimum daily protein intake should be at least 60 g in females and 80 g in males.

In the first 6 months, your target should be at least 60 g per day. After three weeks, if you have not taken enough protein, your body will remove protein from your muscles, which are a protein source themselves. This will lead to nausea and fatigue.

In the beginning, it is easy to follow how much protein you are taking when you are consuming protein drinks. Thereafter, while you start to eat normal food, it may be more difficult to follow your protein intake. Use the food labels as a guide. If you want to add drinks or protein bars to liquid protein mixtures, be careful. These types of products contain high amounts of sugar and calories and have a bad taste.

In certain cases, your dietitian may recommend taking more protein.

Vitamins

After bariatric surgery, the created small stomach sac will not allow you to eat enough for an adequate nutrition. In addition, malabsorption as an adverse effect of surgery reduces the capacity of the body to process vitamins and minerals. To get enough vitamins, in line with the recommendations of your health team you have to take a high-dose multivitamin and mineral supplement every day for the rest of your life. For instance, you may need to take the following supplements:

B12: B12 deficiency may develop very fast, but there are few symptoms despite its serious risks. Animal products (meat, milk, fish, poultry) contain high amounts of B12. Let your vitamin levels be checked regularly by your health team.

Calcium: We recommend that you take calcium supplements every day. Calcium is essential for bones, teeth, and neural conduction. Many individuals do not get enough calcium in their diet.

Iron: Many patients, especially females should take iron supplements to maintain an adequate iron depot and prevent iron deficiency anemia. Iron exists in many different forms. The most common form may lead to constipation. Ferrous fumarate may cause less constipation.

Additional vitamin supplements can be prescribed according to your needs. Other medications will be prescribed by your health team.

Patients who have undergone weight-loss surgery and still have a gallbladder may need to take certain medications during the period of greatest weight loss to minimize the risk of gallstone formation. Consult your surgeon to learn whether this treatment is necessary for you or not.

Liquids

You should drink 1,5-2 liters of water between meals. Among the recommended drinks you will find water, unsweetened, low-calorie, and noncarbonated beverages.

• Avoid carbonated beverages: Following swallowing, a cold fluid warms up and releases gas, which stretches and consequently expands the stomach sac. This creates an undesired tension and causes the anastomosis to stretch.

• Do not drink fluids 30 to 45 minutes before and after meals, as it may stretch the stomach sac and provoke vomiting.

• Drink fluids in slow and careful sips.

• Drink small sips regularly during the day to avoid dehydration.

• High-calorie drinks like milkshakes, carbonated water and liquors are not allowed. High-calorie drinks usually have poor nutritional value and contain simple sugars.

NOTE: If the color of your urine is dark or you have a dry mouth, it means that you are not drinking enough fluids.

 

Emotional eating

Emotional eating is the tendency of people, who suffer from this condition, to respond to stressful and difficult emotions by eating.

On certain occasions, it may be acceptable to use food as an energizing snack, reward, or celebration. However, if eating becomes your primary emotional overcoming mechanism (if your first reaction is to open the refrigerator when you are feeling stressed, sad, angry, lonely, exhausted, and depressed), you will fall into an unhealthy cycle where the real feelings or problems are never dealt with.

Finding different ways for intrinsic satisfaction

Emotional hunger cannot be satisfied with eating. Eating may make you feel better at that moment but the emotions triggering eating behavior are still in place. Besides, you feel worse than before due to the consumed unnecessary calories.

If you do not know how to manage your emotions without the involvement of food, you will be not able to control your eating habits for very long. Diets often fail because they offer rational nutritional advice, which only works if you consciously control your eating habits. A diet will not work when emotions take over and you seek momentary results by eating.

Alternatives for emotional eating

You have to find other ways to satisfy your emotions to avoid emotional eating.

The following alternatives can be considered instead of emotional eating:

If you feel bad-tempered or lonesome: Call someone who always makes you feel better, play with your dog, or cat or look at your favorite photos or souvenirs.

If you are concerned: Try to get rid of negative energy by dancing to your favorite song, playing with the stress ball and going for a brisk walk.

If you are very tired: Indulge yourself with a hot cup of tea, take a bath, light a scented candle, or wrap yourself in a warm blanket.

If you are bored: Read a good book, watch a comedy, walk outdoors, or do an activity you enjoy (woodworking, guitar playing, basketball, drawing etc.).

Despite these alternatives, if you cannot overcome emotional eating, you need professional support.  You can contact us and make an appointment with our psychologist.

What is an eating disorder?

Eating disorders are disorders characterized by irregular eating habits and serious anxiety or concerns about body perception. Eating disorders are usually accompanied by other diseases such as anxiety disorders, drug abuse or depression.

Some eating disorders:

  Emotional eating

  Binge eating disorder

  Night eating syndrome

  Bulimia nervosa (eating-vomiting disorder)

  Anorexia nervosa (refusing eating due to weight gain phobia)

Emotional eating and eating disorder

The main difference between emotional eating and overeating is the amount of consumed food. Although there is a problem related to the control of eating drive in both cases, emotional eating is related to moderate to large amounts of food consumption, while eating disorders may be related to very small or very large amounts of food consumption.

Emotional eating may be the only symptom, or it may be a sign of an eating disorder like bulimia (eating-vomiting syndrome) or overeating disorder or other emotional diseases like depression.

If you think that you have emotional eating or the abovementioned eating disorders, you should seek psychological support for sustainable weight loss.