Most patients off track after weight loss surgery tend to always think that they have sabotaged their tool. Many will come in saying “I have stretched out my pouch” “I can eat as much as I want”. This thinking is ultimately so far from the truth. It comes down to their actions and behaviors that make them feel like they have ruined their tool and it will not work. Over and over I have worked with 100s of patients just like this and once I show them why what they are doing makes them feel this way, they are able to make small changes and get back to that feeling of fullness and satisfaction with smaller portions. There are important rules to follow after surgery. These are rules that are specific to people who have had surgery and don’t really apply to those that don’t. The rules are important to follow in order to get the most out of your tool! Breaking these rules is why patients feel they have sabotaged their tools.
One important rule after surgery is the importance of not nibbling and grazing throughout the day. The purpose of the surgery is to create a smaller area for food therefore allowing you to eat less and feel full faster. The goal is still to stick to 3 meals and very little snacking between meals in order to get the most out of your surgery. Often times what happens is patients fall back into that nibbling and grazing lifestyle. A few crackers here, a few pretzels there and all that nibbling adds up to weight gain. This is problematic for many reason. 1st we tend to nibble on unhealthy foods like crackers and chips. These unhealthy choices add up. Also, these foods high in carbs create that vicious hunger cycle. Making you always want to eat. Nibbling through out the day keep your insulin levels high and this makes the body want to store fat vs burn fat therefore making weight los much harder. We now have a better understanding of how our endocrine systems works and now realize that they old thought of 5-6 small meals a day is just wrong and not good advice for someone trying to lose weight.
One way to help with this issue is by using intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. Research shows that it can have powerful effects on your body and brain, and may even help you live longer. Common intermittent fasting methods involve daily 16 hour fasts, or fasting for 24 hours, 1-2 times per week. When following a traditional diet of several small meals a day, your body’s insulin levels are higher which makes burning fat a challenge. Whereas in a fasted state, your insulin levels are lower and you are better able to reach into your fat stores. When you fast, several things happen in your body on the cellular and molecular level: levels of the human growth hormone increase, which benefits fat loss and muscle gain, insulin sensitivity improves (vs. insulin resistance) and levels of insulin drop dramatically. Lower insulin levels make stored body fat more accessible. All of these hormonal changes lead to greater fat loss and better muscle retention and growth, which translates into a higher metabolism!
Implementing intermittent fasting can be a powerful weight loss tool. I have worked with patients in the past that have simply just started intermittent fasting and not made major changes in food choices and still saw results! So give intermittent fasting a try to help you get back on track.
If you would like to learn more about how to implement intermittent fasting, get the most out of your surgical tool, get back on track with weight loss and most importantly learn to keep it off forever then join us for our next 6 week online program below! I promise you will not regret it! Click below for more details.
