Weight loss surgery is not a flippant decision. It requires a financial commitment, a lifestyle change, a dietary commitment, and mental changes. During the beginning phases of consultations and pre-surgery appointments, you learn about the necessary steps you’ll have to take post-surgery.
Many prospective patients are terrified of the required diet post-surgery. The biggest concern and questions asked is how you are expected to change your diet and be healthy if you couldn’t commit to a healthy lifestyle before surgery. The answer is simple—energy. As you gain weight, it’s hard to pinpoint drops in energy. Some patients have recounted that they woke up one day with very little energy and never regained that energy. For some it’s a slow and gradual process to gaining weight and losing your energy. For others, stress factors and other health factors and diseases can play a toll on your weight.
Regardless of your situation, know that there is hope. Your questions are valid. Your concerns are valid. If you have never eaten healthy and hate healthy foods, how are you expected to undergo surgery and wake up eating healthy meals?
First, Dr. Frenzel is here to help. After surgery, you are not left to fend for yourself. We will give you the proper resources to help you maneuver your way through the kitchen. Immediately following surgery, you are restricted to a liquid-only diet. This sounds unmanageable, but remember that surgery affects your body and you won’t want to eat heavy meals. As you begin to recover, your appetite will return, but take the recovery process as a fresh start. This is your opportunity to change your lifestyle, starting with your diet.
Nutritional value is huge after bariatric surgery. Before surgery, you eat a salad with ranch dressing and reward yourself with ice cream. But during your recovery process and in the months that follow surgery, every bite you take needs to nourish your body. Remember the science of your surgery. With a smaller stomach, you have less room for extra calories. Get the nutritional values you need from proteins, fruits, and vegetables before you indulge in sugars and fats.
With the proper education you receive from Dr. Frenzel as well as the recovery time you have to build up to solid foods, you’ll learn everything you need to know to start strong, eating healthy, nutritious foods.
