6 Must-Have Products After Bariatric Surgery
Set yourself up for success after weight loss surgery with these six must-have products.
After bariatric surgery, you’ll have to make some major lifestyle changes, and they might seem a little overwhelming at first. You’ll need to adjust your post-op diet depending on where you are in your weight loss journey, exercise often, work hard to stay motivated, and more.
So, how can you juggle all of these factors and sustain your weight loss for the long term? Set yourself up for success after weight loss surgery with these six must-have products.
1. Activity Tracker
After weight loss surgery, exercise will become a core component of your new lifestyle. In addition to helping you crush your weight loss goals faster, exercise revs up your metabolism, increases flexibility, and improves cardiac health.
You should aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, and a fitness app or activity tracker will help you log the details of your workouts. An activity tracker holds you accountable to your weekly goals, and some apps offer fun fitness challenges to keep you motivated. If you’re worried about sticking to a healthier diet, you can also use a tracker for your meals.
2. Water Bottle
It’s always important to drink enough water throughout the day, but staying hydrated becomes even more important after bariatric surgery. Some patients experience dehydration after surgery because their smaller stomachs have a limited capacity to hold fluids, and dehydration can cause muscle cramps, nausea, and even fainting.
To combat dehydration, try to drink 48 to 68 ounces of water each day. Carrying a water bottle with you wherever you go ensures that hydration is always on your mind, and you won’t have to worry about remembering how many glasses of water you’ve had. You can even buy a bottle that notes times on the side so you can space out your hydration, instead of drinking a lot of water late in the day.
3. Blender
Immediately after weight loss surgery, you’ll be on a liquid diet for the first few days to help your body heal from surgery. Next, you’ll move on to the pureed stage where you can eat foods that have a thick, pudding-like consistency like apple sauce. It’s essential that you blend foods really well during the pureed stage because your body won’t be able to digest fibrous vegetables or foods with lots of seeds. A strong, high-quality blender will make preparing daily meals easier. It’ll also come in handy when you start adding more protein to your diet with the help of protein shakes and smoothies.
4. Meal Prep Containers
For many patients, learning how to eat well after bariatric surgery is challenging. There are many different stages of the post-op diet, and it can be difficult to remember what you can and cannot eat. To clear things up, you should sit down with your nutritionist and bariatric counselor to discuss your dietary needs.
Also, you should invest in a set of meal prep containers. Meal prepping takes all of the guesswork out of cooking and ensures that you’re eating healthy portions. After a busy day, all you have to do is select a container from the refrigerator and you’ll know you’re having a balanced meal — no muss, no fuss.
5. Vitamins
Between your smaller stomach, smaller portion sizes, healthier meals, and regular exercise, you’ll start losing weight steadily after bariatric surgery. However, this makes it more difficult to get all the nutrients you need to keep your body strong from meals alone. As such, you’ll need to add vitamin supplements to your diet. Your nutritionist can help you decide which mixture of vitamins best fits your needs, but you should at least be taking a complete multivitamin, calcium, iron, and vitamins C, D, and B12.
6. A High-Quality Scale
If you’ve struggled with obesity for many years, the idea of getting on a scale again might send a shiver down your spine. However, after weight loss surgery, it might be time to rethink your relationship with the scale. Doing periodic weigh-ins can help you make sure you’re still on track and give you an extra motivational boost to lose those last few pounds.
You should invest in a high-quality, accurate scale that shows your BMI, water weight, and muscle mass. At the same time, try not to get bogged down in the numbers! Weight loss is a journey that’s always in flux. Don’t let the scale rule your life.
Get Expert Recommendations
To learn more about bariatric surgery and discover more products you’ll need to maintain your amazing weight loss progress, contact the experts at Long Island Laparoscopic Doctors today. Our team has seen thousands of patients through their weight loss journeys and picked up many helpful tips and tricks over the years — we’d love to share them with you!