How to Restart Weight Loss After Gastric Bypass

How to Restart Weight Loss After Gastric Bypass

Gastric bypass undoubtedly facilitates weight loss and leads to improved quality of life. However, the success of the procedure in reducing obesity is largely based on how well the patient adheres to a healthy lifestyle after surgery. First of all, due to the very small volume of the stomach, it is recommended to eat small portions. This is often difficult for people and they start gaining weight again. That is why in this article we will answer the question of what to do in such a case and how to restart weight loss after gastric bypass.

A Few Words About Bariatric Surgery

Gastric bypass is part of the so-called bariatric surgery. It is also a key event on the path to weight loss. However, it is important to note that obesity is a diagnosis for life. No surgery, diet, or medication can cure this disease on its own and for good. The fact is that bariatric surgery can bring many benefits to the patient’s health, but it must be accompanied and followed by serious changes in the patient’s lifestyle.

What is a gastric bypass?

In the first part of the operation, the surgeon divides the stomach into a large part and a much smaller one. The small part of the stomach is then sutured to make a pouch that can hold only about a cup of food. With such a small stomach, people feel full quickly and eat less. This strategy is also called “restrictive” because the new size of the stomach limits how much food it can tolerate.

In the second part, surgeons exclude the new, small pouch from most of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. Then they connect it to part of the small intestine slightly below. This surgical technique is called “Roux-en-Y“. Thus, food passes directly from the stomach into the jejunum, bypassing the duodenum. This limits the absorption of calories and nutrients. Read more: Best Detox Tea for Weight Loss

How to Restart Weight Loss After Gastric Bypass

Results of gastric bypass

Weight loss after surgery is often dramatic. On average, patients lose 60% to 80% of their weight. Many health problems related to weight improve or even disappear. The most common ones are diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and obstructive sleep apnea.

But losing weight and maintaining it costs lasting lifestyle changes, such as eating a few small meals a day and exercising regularly. Alcohol should not be drunk and foods high in sugar should not be consumed. It is also important to ensure that you have adequate vitamin intake and eat plenty of vegetables and fruits. Protein-rich foods should also be considered in the diet, as there is a risk of protein deficiency.

Is it possible to stop losing weight after a gastric bypass?

When you eat more food, over time your gastric pouch may stretch. When you start eating, the brain sends a signal to your stomach to relax. After the food is eaten and it comes out of the stomach, the stomach shrinks back to its smaller size. But if you overeat often, the pouch begins to stretch to that size and tightens and shrinks less and less.

How to Restart Weight Loss After Gastric Bypass

Once you find that you gain weight after gastric bypass you begin to wonder what to do. Is there any pouch reset meal plan? Is it possible at all? The truth is that you can shrink your stomach if it stretches after a stomach bypass. The process of squeezing the stomach back after surgery is called bariatric pouch reset.

Resetting the bariatric pouch

First of all, you need to know how to tell if your pouch is stretched. When a patient who has surgery to lose weight feels that he does not have the same perception of satiety with a little food that he had after surgery is a sure sign that the gastric pouch is stretched. You need to think about how to return it to its state after the bypass, how to “reset” it.

Resetting the pouch can be done by following a diet of liquids and soft foods for 5 days and then adding solid foods back to the diet. If you are wondering how to restart weight loss after gastric bypass, this diet is the most appropriate, safe, and fast way to lose weight. It is important to regain the condition of the gastric pouch because if you do not, you will start gaining weight again.

Resetting the bariatric pouch

Do not overeat

This is an obvious principle of any pouch reset meal plan, but it has to be said. It takes more than one meal to stretch your stomach and cause problems. However, if you overeat, even from time to time, it will eventually get out of control. This is how most obesity battles begin.

So, if you want to know how to keep losing weight after gastric sleeve or bypass, do not overeat. Even if it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, don’t overeat. Drink extra water or some potatoes with scallops. This should help in those situations where you feel hungry.

Avoid liquids during meals

It is best to avoid fluids during and immediately after meals. Give your stomach some time to absorb fluids separately from food. Consider drinking fluids an hour or two before meals. This allows you to eat a decent amount of food without filling the pouch with liquids. On the other hand, it ensures that you get enough fluids throughout the day. And they are important for the body and for burning the fat.

Do not drink carbonated beverages at all. Some new studies show that even diet drinks not only do not help to slim but can also increase hunger. Keep in mind that drinks mix with your food and create gases that can put pressure on your stomach and expand it unnecessarily.

Light breakfast

If you are fighting hunger, then it is better to eat between meals than to enter the main meal extremely hungry. When we miss a meal, such as breakfast, we easily become so hungry that we enjoy the next meal. This is the most common way to stretch your stomach. So instead, eat a snack between meals.

Try to make it a healthy snack and limit the portion size. Stick to high-quality dishes and avoid junk food. Protein should be your main focus. They will help you maintain your muscle mass while burning fat and will help you feel full after eating.

Reward yourself with a treat, not a big meal

It is important to reward yourself from time to time. When our friends eat chips and salsa or ice cream, it is important to know that you can eat a little from time to time. It is important to change what you consider treatment. It is no longer good to think of a big Thanksgiving meal. But it’s good to consider half a chocolate a treat.

Limit such treats to once or twice a week and keep the portion size small. Add fresh fruits, vegetables, and protein, to your diet as much as possible. Avoid processed foods, such as canned and packaged products, when there is another alternative.

Portion size is more important than nutrition

If you try to eliminate all the goodies and anything with fat, then you will fail. The key to success is moderation. This means that you do not have to eliminate everything tasty or sweet from your diet. If you do, you will probably end up cheating and then give up the diet, which in turn will lead to weight gain after the gastric bypass.

Remember that food is not the enemy. Eating should be a pleasant part of your life. Turning it into an enemy is unnecessary. If you are wondering how to restart weight loss after gastric bypass, the first rule is to enjoy your food, but in moderation.

Portion size is more important than nutrition

Exercises

When it comes to weight loss tips, we can’t help but mention sports activity. From the moment you can do exercises after surgery, do it! Even if you can’t walk far or very long, get started. With each passing day, your results will be better. You will be encouraged by how quickly your endurance will improve while burning fat.

Walking and physical activity in general also help prevent serious possible complications after surgery. These include pulmonary embolism and blood clots.

Conclusion

The benefits for the figure, as well as for the health of the gastric bypass are indisputable. At the same time, however, it should be noted that those who have lost weight after gastric bypass have a severe nutritional deficiency. Many of them stop or do not want to follow the diet in the postoperative period. This leads to problems and stops the weight loss process. So how to restart weight loss after gastric bypass?

In our article, we have tried to give a few basic weight loss tips, which must be part of your pouch reset meal plan. Remember also that after the bypass you will have to take vitamins and minerals as supplements. The best option is to take multivitamins prescribed by a doctor. Particular attention should be paid to the level of iron, calcium, and vitamin B12 in the body as well.