Bariatric Weight Regain: How to Get Back on Track

Have you experienced weight gain since your bariatric weight loss?

Have you lost touch with your bariatric program strategy?

Are old bad habits returning?

At Sterling Surgicare, we offer our patients an exclusive “Back on Track” program that allows you to “reset” and change course back to a more healthful path by addressing issues that may have led to weight regain after weight loss surgery. Even if your surgical weight loss operation was performed by another surgeon, you can absolutely join our program. First, let’s address six common issues that may have led to weight gain:

1. DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN EAT MORE AT A MEAL?

Some people think their pouch has stretched out, but the real issue may be that they are not following their prescribed bariatric nutrition plan.  Remember, always have protein at each meal and eat the protein first. Solid protein foods, such as lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat cheese, tend to make you feel full quickly and keep you full longer.

When you move away from the basic bariatric eating plan, you can eat more since you’re now consuming foods from other food groups first–and not getting that full feeling. Sterling’s Back on Track (BOT) helps you re-ignite your bariatric mindset and allows your pouch to work for you. If you still feel you can eat more at a meal, make an appointment with Dr. Adeyeri, who will evaluate your pouch and make adjustments as necessary.

2. ARE YOU EXERCISING LESS AND LESS–OR NOT AT ALL?

Committing to being physically active on a regular basis is paramount. Not only does exercise support weight loss, but it plays an even more key role in weight management (maintenance). Bariatric patients who do not do some kind of physical activity may lose weight in the beginning, but often regain it if they are not working out regularly. Back on Track helps you set physical activity goals to get you moving!

Read our weight loss surgery clients’ success stories here!

3. ARE YOU GRAZING (SNACKING) ALL DAY INSTEAD OF EATING MEALS?

Weight loss surgery works when regular bariatric-sized meals and, if needed, snacks are eaten.  Meals and snacks have a start and end time. When we graze, we nibble on various foods over a period of time and wind up eating more than we think –leading to weight regain.

Weight loss surgery (WLS) patients who skip meals and/or have erratic eating schedules are more prone to grazing. BOT helps identify what eating habits are triggering your grazing and re-establish daily meal and snack (if needed) times.

4. ARE YOU DRINKING ENOUGH FLUIDS?

It is very important to stay well hydrated. When you’re thirsty, it’s easier to mistake thirst for hunger and eat instead of drink.

Tips:

• Ensure you drink 64 or more ounces of calorie-free, caffeine-free fluids daily.
• Do not drink anything with more than 10 calories per serving as the calories (it will add up quickly).
• Your BOT team will review your beverage choices (we have some new options!) and ensure you stay well-hydrated throughout the day.

5. DO YOU EAT AND DRINK AT THE SAME TIME?

A golden rule of WLS is to avoid eating and drinking at the same time. WLS significantly reduces the size of your stomach, so there is no longer enough “room” for both liquids and solid foods.  Most people cannot eat and drink at the same time right after surgery but, over time, it becomes easier for some to drink while they eat.

This can lead to overeating as it may stretch out your pouch and wash the food out of your pouch, which leads to getting hungry sooner and eating more frequently. If you have found yourself eating and drinking at the same time, get back to separating eating and drinking as you did right after your surgery. At Sterling Surgicare, we recommend avoiding drinking 30 minutes before, during and after your meal.

Join our monthly Bariatric Support Group!

6. HAS EMOTIONAL EATING SNUCK BACK INTO YOUR LIFE? 

First of all, you are not alone. WLS changes the size of your stomach, but it does not change your emotional attachments to food. If you were an emotional eater before WLS, you will be after WLS.

Use BOT to refresh coping strategies to understand your triggers to emotional eating and manage them with success. This program can help you identify the causes of emotional eating and help develop strategies to manage emotional eating. Some people benefit from the additional help of a behavioral therapist (psychologist) to help manage these kinds of challenges.

YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY IS A TEAM EFFORT – NOT A SOLO RIDE

Remember, WLS is a journey, not a destination. Sometimes, we get off course; the BOT program is designed to give you the tools to get back on the path to good health and weight loss. Interested in learning more? Give the Sterling team or me a call to talk about your situation.We’re in this together, and together, we’ll support you in reaching your weight loss goal—and maintaining it permanently.

Just call (732) 217-3897 to learn more about fighting back against weight gain after weight loss surgery. If you haven’t seen Dr. Adeyeri in a year or more, or you are transitioning from another bariatric surgeon, we will prioritize your first appointment to discuss your past, present and (best of all) future!

Ready, set, welcome to Back on Track!