Tips to Maximize Results After Sleeve Gastrectomy

The sleeve gastrectomy basically restricts the amount of food that can be consumed. Therefore, the patient must consume nutritious foods with important minerals and vitamins for an active and healthy life. One other necessary thing to add is protein-rich foods such as fish, eggs, and meat because they are important for healing and muscle building in the body. Furthermore, limit sugar intake in your diet for sustainable weight loss. No more desserts and ice cream for sure. 

The success of weight loss surgeries particularly depends on what you consume. After surgery, patients generally intake liquids and then gradually move toward solid foods. This helps the body adapt to new changes. Moreover, a healthy diet also ensures a smooth recovery. 

Your surgeon will share some guidelines to follow after the surgery. Follow those instructions carefully for a smooth recovery and reliable results. Stay in contact with your surgeon through follow up checkups to ensure that you are recovering well. 

 Immediately contact your surgeon in case of any minor complications.

 Surgeons recommend engaging in exercise and light physical activity after sleeve gastrectomy to maintain results. Light activities like stretching and walking burn calories. This ultimately improves your health. Here are some exercises a bariatric surgeon recommends to his patients: 

1. Walking
2. Swimming
3. Doing Yoga
4. Lifting Light Weight
5. Stretching

Establishing these exercise habits helps patients maximize their results after sleeve gastrectomy. Start with these and you will see the difference yourself. 

Smoking and consuming alcohol are doing you no good, just increasing your calories and causing dehydration. These two habits affect weight loss and can result in weight regain even after surgery. Smoking can lead to bleeding during your resting period, which can be a severe problem. So, refrain from smoking and alcohol consumption if you want to see your desired results after so much struggle. 

Staying hydrated also helps in maximizing the results after sleeve gastrectomy. Water can flush out toxins from your body, aiding in healing. So, drink water frequently during the day. This simple act can surely help you in achieving your desired results. 

Stopping eating snacks at random hours in the day is significantly important to maximize results after a sleeve gastrectomy. Snacks slow down the metabolism and hinder your weight loss maintenance. We know it’s challenging and not easy to break the old habit. But look on the brighter side. Cutting snacks helps you achieve your weight loss goals. You can’t turn after coming all this way. Shift to eating a proper meal instead of snacks whenever you feel hungry.

Weight loss surgeries and the recovery period take a toll on a person’s mental health. In this scenario, patients must find support within their close family and friends. Emotional comfort lessens the burden on patients and leads to effective results. Aside from this, patients can also find a support group online. These groups can provide beneficial help. But, it is okay to just rely on your family members if social gatherings are not for you.

Female patients should avoid pregnancy for up to 18 months to maintain surgery results. Sleeve gastrectomy can even assist patients in getting pregnant if they had some complications prior. Obesity is a main hindrance to getting pregnant, and sleeve gastrectomy aids patients in achieving the desired weight as per their body mass. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid pregnancy for a shorter time period to maximize your results so that it can benefit you later. 

Eating when you are not feeling very hungry is common, but one should avoid it at all costs. Fight with your mind when it’s telling you to just satisfy your craving when your body doesn’t need that. You may have heard this a lot from your family and surgeon, but still we are saying it again: Don’t eat if you are not feeling hungry. Try to eat only when you really feel hungry.

It is great to write down in a diary what you eat all day, along with your physical activity routine, to identify and establish healthy eating patterns. Writing it down will be beneficial. Throughout the day, we sometimes munch on some snacks we don’t even remember. But our body does, and it hinders the results after sleeve gastrectomy. Writing will also help you with your mental health and provide an opportunity for self-improvement.