Life After Weight Loss Surgery in Las Vegas, Nevada

Bariatric surgery is not a quick fix. It's an ongoing journey toward weight loss through lifestyle changes. After surgery, the difference in your body makes it physically easier to adjust your eating and lifestyle habits. Fortunately, you will not have to go through the process alone. Your team at Blossom Bariatrics will be there to support your efforts. Positive changes in your body, your weight, and your health will occur, but you will need to be patient through the recovery process.

Following surgery, your body will give you signals to stop eating before you take in extra calories that would return your excess body weight. It's what you do with these signals that count. When you take on new habits and truly stick to them, you can achieve lasting weight loss without dangerous weight loss/weight gain cycles. At least two-thirds of patients who have bariatric surgery are able to keep off at least 50% of their excess weight for 10 years or longer.

Postsurgery Diet
The changes made to your gastrointestinal tract will require permanent changes in your eating habits that must be followed for successful weight loss. Postsurgery dietary guidelines will vary by bariatric surgeon. You may hear about postsurgery guidelines different from the ones you receive. It is important to remember that these guidelines will be different depending on the surgeon and type of procedure. What is most important is that you follow your surgeon's guidelines. The following are some of the generally accepted dietary guidelines that successful patients follow:

When you start eating solid food, it is important to chew your food thoroughly and eat very slowly. It is important to wait two to three minutes after swallowing before putting the next bite of food in your mouth. You will not be able to digest steaks or other chunks of meat if they are not ground or chewed thoroughly.

• Don't drink fluids while eating. They will make you full before you have eaten enough food. Fluids consumed with meals can cause vomiting and dumping syndrome, and can lead to feeling hungry sooner after a meal.
• Don't eat desserts and other items with sugar if they have more than 3 to 5 grams per serving size.
• Avoid carbonated drinks, high-calorie nutritional supplements, milk shakes, foods high in fat, and foods that have no nutritional value.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Limit snacking between meals.

How much food will I be able to eat following surgery? How often will I be able to eat?
Most of our Las Vegas gastric bypass surgery and Lap Band surgery patients are instructed to eat ¼ cup or 2 ounces, of food. As time goes on, you can eat more. Most people can eat approximately 1 cup of food after a year or more post surgery. The secret is to eat slowly and chew all bites at least 20 times

What could happen if I don't follow one or more of the dietary guidelines?
The guidelines are designed to improve the chance of long-tem success in weight loss. If you don't follow the guidelines, you may not lose or maintain the loss of the estimated 2/3rds of excess weight. You may experience complications such as vomiting, diarrhea or malnutrition after surgery.

What is dumping syndrome?
Eating simple sugars (such as sugar, honey, and corn syrup), high-fat foods, or other small-particle foods can cause dumping syndrome in patients who have had bariatric surgery. This occurs when these products, which have a small particle size, are “dumped” from the stomach into the intestine at a rapid rate. Water is then pulled into the intestine from the bloodstream to dilute the sugar load. This flush of water causes symptoms that can include diarrhea, rapid heart rate, hot flashes or sweating and clammy skin, dizziness, or the feeling of needing to lie down. Some individuals experience some or all of these symptoms after eating more than 3 to 5 grams of sugar, alcohol sugar, or greasy foods, while others can handle greater amounts.

Though the symptoms are unpleasant, dumping syndrome can be a helpful condition. Some patients will avoid sugar because of the very unpleasant symptoms it can cause. Dumping syndrome generally occurs 10 to 30 minutes after eating, and the symptoms can last for 30 minutes to two hours.

The best treatment is prevention by avoiding foods that cause dumping syndrome. If you have dumping syndrome, lie down for a short while to lessen the symptoms. Dumping syndrome is a positive side effect of surgery; it helps you learn to eat healthy!

Lifestyle Changes Following Surgery

Why is exercise so important?
When you have bariatric surgery, you lose weight as the amount of food energy (calories) you can eat becomes much less than your body needs. Your body has to make up the difference by burning unused fat or muscle tissue. Your body will tend to burn any unused muscle before it begins to burn the fat it has saved up. Without daily exercise, your body will burn unused muscle, and you will lose muscle mass and strength. Daily aerobic exercise for 20 minutes will tell your body to use your muscles and force it to burn the fat.

How much exercise is needed after bariatric surgery?
Exercise is an important part of success after surgery. Exercise actually begins on the day of bariatric surgery – the patient must be out of bed and walking. The goal is to walk further every day after that, including the first few weeks at home. You may be encouraged to begin exercising, limited only by discomfort, after surgery. The type of exercise depends on your overall condition. Some patients who have severe knee problems can't walk well, but may be able to swim or bicycle. Many patients begin with low-stress forms of exercise and move on to more demanding activity when they are able.

Why is it important to drink so much water?
When you are losing weight, there are many waste products to eliminate, mostly in the urine. Some of these substances tend to form crystals, which can cause kidney stones. A high water intake protects you and helps your body rid itself of waste efficiently, promoting better weight loss. Water also fills your stomach and helps create a feeling of fullness. If you feel a desire to eat between meals, it may be because you did not drink enough water in the hour before.