Eating 101

How to Eat

Eat three meals per day.

Don’t skip meals.

NO SNACKING IN BETWEEN MEALS- this is the number one reason why patients don’t lose enough weight (or regain weight).

Eat a bigger breakfast and a smaller dinner.

Chew your food well.

Each bite should be the size of a nickel or less.

Each meal should take between 20-30 minutes (no longer or less than these times.)

 

What You Will Eat

Eat a fruit OR a vegetable at each meal.

BEFORE SURGERY, eat your fruit or veggies as the first HALF of each meal. AFTER SURGERY, eat your protein first… 2/3 of the meal should be protein and 1/3 fruit/veggie.

Eat 2 servings of protein per day (possibly more, based on your doctor’s advice).

The best proteins are:

Lean Meats

Eggs

Fish

Seafood

Use common sense in your food choices…Cookies, Ice Cream, and Chips are NOT a meal!

Consume two servings of dairy products per day…milk, soy milk, cheese, or yogurt (but not whole milk or almond milk).

DO NOT DRINK SODAS, CARBONATED DRINKS, OR SUGARED SWEET TEA – You will not lose weight if you drink them

 

Exercising 101

To lose weight, you have to spend more calories than you take in. If you want to lose a lot of weight, you will need to do a lot of exercise.

Weightlifting speeds up your metabolism. We have seen better weight loss with a good weight-lifting regimen. Weight lifting should focus on the large muscle groups like the legs, buttocks, and core. You will not “bulk up”. You will tone up.

In the first 20 minutes of cardio exercise, your body does not burn much fat (it uses other energy sources). After the first 20 minutes, your body starts using fat.

You will need to exercise 3-4 times per week to LOSE weight. You will need to exercise 1-2 times per week to MAINTAIN your weight.

If you don’t exercise, you may not lose enough weight.

You lose weight only for 1 year following weight loss surgery.