Just when you thought you had everything under control…Whelp!
You ate too much leaving you nauseated and unwell for the rest of the day.
But let’s not make this any worse than it is. Because everyone overeats at some point in their journey. Not once. Not twice. It happens. And it’s completely normal.
However, we don’t want to downplay overeating after bariatric surgery either.
When overeating becomes a pattern you may risk:
- Weight regain
- Pouch stretching
- Opening the floodgates for disruptive eating habits
In this chapter we discuss the mechanisms that drive appetite and give you quick tips on how to prevent overeating as much as you possibly can.
The mechanisms behind appetite: restriction and hunger hormones
When you had Bariatric surgery your stomach size is reduced to the size of approximately a kiwi. Not only are your portions greatly reduced because you can’t “fit” the food any longer. Your appetite isn’t what it used to be neither (although this feels different for everyone).
Removing or bypassing 80% of your stomach also leaves out ghrelin sites as ghrelin is produced in the upper part of your stomach which is removed or bypassed after bariatric surgery.
Ghrelin is one of the many hunger hormones that is affected after weight loss surgery.
Fewer ghrelin means less appetite. Less appetite typically means smaller portions and smaller chances of overeating.vBut this isn’t always the case. Let’s explore a bit more.
The 2 different types of overeating after Bariatric Surgery explained
Not all types of overeating are the same. Also, there can be different reasons why you overate.
Let’s learn a bit more about 2 different reasons for overeating.
1. Overeating during one meal sitting
Now overeating in one go typically happens when you eat too fast or aren’t paying attention to your fullness cues.
2. Overeating throughout the entire day
If you’re overeating throughout the day, you may find yourself grazing.
Grazing is defined as unplanned eating and nibbling away mindlessly on small amounts of (slider) foods over a longer period of time.
Grazing can be caused because you may not be able to finish a proper solid meal, leaving you hungry all day long. Or you may fall prey to emotional eating behaviors which makes it very challenging to stay away from those slider foods.
How to prevent overeating after Bariatric Surgery
Now that we explained what overeating is, let’s look at different strategies to prevent overeating – or at least – be more mindful about it. So that you can feel more confident when you’re building your meals after bariatric surgery.
1. Pay attention to your bariatric fullness cues
The way you experience hunger and fullness changes tremendously once you had bariatric surgery. And it’s okay if you need time to recognize these new fullness cues.
Here’s 5 fullness cues to pay attention to:
- Burping
- Hiccups
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Runny nose
Most of these cues are triggered because bariatric surgery sensitizes the vagus nerve.
2. Eat slow and chew well to prevent overeating
Did you know that it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to let your pouch know that you’re full? So, naturally it’s not a bad idea to aim for 20 minutes per meal.
Keep in mind that when it takes you longer than 30 minutes to finish a meal, you may want to stop eating and finish later. Because this may promote grazing, which in turn can lead to weight regain.
Be sure to check out our post about 4 tips to eat slower after bariatric surgery if you find it challenging to eat slow.
3. Add protein and fiber to your bariatric meals and snacks
Both protein and fiber are invaluable nutrients after Bariatric Surgery.
Besides needing protein & fiber for numerous health reasons, like muscle preservation and gut health – both protein and fiber are filling. And thus help to curb appetite, because they maximize your restriction.
4. Avoid drinking together with your meals
Most, if not all, surgical centers advice to not mix your solids and liquids.
But why is that? Well, when you drink together with your meals you “flush” down your foods more easily through your pouch. Which in turn leads to an empty pouch, faster. And logically more appetite and increased chances of overeating.
Also, drinking together with your meals can cause dumping syndrome. A very unpleasant side effect after bariatric surgery that can completely catch you off guard.
Generally, it’s recommended to wait 30 minutes after eating before you take your first sip. And some surgeons may even advice to also wait 30 minutes after drinking to take your first bite. That means you’re on a very tight eating and drinking schedule if you want to make sure to get all your nutrients and liquids in.
5. Avoid drinking together with your meals
It’s more like to overeat when you “snack” out of the bag or package. Take some time to grab yourself a plate and portion your food on there. The visualization of your meal as a whole, helps to stimulate your fullness cues. When you eat straight out of the package, you can’t really tell how much you’ve already eaten until it’s too late.
Key takeaways about overeating after Bariatric Surgery
Overeating after bariatric surgery happens more often than you may suspect. A smaller stomach means a reduced food intake. But not all foods are created equal. And over time, you may find that your portions increase. This is normal. But it’s important to be aware of the meals that keep you satisfied and the ones that keep you craving for more. Here are the 4 main tips we discussed in this chapter to prevent overeating as much as possible:
- Know your fullness cues
- Eat slow and chew well to allow your fullness cues to “kick in”
- Add protein, fiber and healthy fats to your meals to create satiety
- Avoid drinking together with your meals to prevent “flushing” down your meals, and dumping syndrome
Keep in mind that you don’t have to be perfect. It’s okay to make mistakes, you’re only human! Just make sure that you get the resources you deserve and seek guidance when needed.
You got this!
Changing your habits isn’t easy – we’re here to help
It’s normal to feel stuck sometimes. You won’t feel motivated every single day and that’s more than okay. You see, changing your habits doesn’t come from motivation. Rather, when you truly want to change your behaviour, you’ll need to take small steps every day to create helpful habits to do just that.
But how do you create new habits? It’s not by doing things drastically different. That only works for a short period of time, before you find yourself back to old ways again.
What truly helps is to keep yourself accountable while you take small actionable steps that you can measure every single day again.
Discover Your Onederland’s signature bariatric book collection to always have something to fall back on no matter what.
We believe that you can change, now the questions is: do you?
Resources:
- Smith et al. (2019) Loss of Control Eating and Binge Eating in the 7 Years Following Bariatric Surgery in: Obesity Surgery 29 (6): 1773-1780.
- Guerrero-Hreins et al. (2021). Gut-brain mechanisms underlying changes in disordered eating behaviour after bariatric surgery: a review. In: Endocr. Metab. Disord. s11154-021-09696-4.
- Mechanik J.I., Youdim, A. Jones, D.B., et al. Clinical practice guidelines for the perioperative nutritional, metabolic, and nonsurgical support of the bariatric patient: Cosponsored by American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, The Obesity Society, and American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013;21Suppl 1:S1-27.
- Diepvens K., Haberer D., Westerterp-Platenga M. Different proteins and biopeptides differently affect satiety and anorexigenic/orexigenic hormones in healthy humans. Int J Obes (Lond.) 2008;32(3):510-518.
It’s time to get unstuck. It’s time for The Big Reset
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