That one protein shake you grabbed on your way out the door? That one little yogurt you ate for breakfast? That string cheese you counted as your “lunch”?
Yeah, Babe, I hate to break it to you, but that’s not a meal. That’s a snack at best, and even that’s reaching.
The goal after weight loss surgery isn’t to eat as little as possible for as long as possible. Sure, if you just had surgery a yogurt or protein shake might be sufficient. Or a protein bar can come in clutch when you’re on the go. But as time goes on you need to be eating MEALS not small bites of just protein.
What should a meal/snack look like after WLS?
After weight loss surgery, your meals and snacks should essentially look the same. Since our stomachs can only fit so much, it’s important to ensure that you are fueling yourself throughout the day. Creating snacks that look more like meals balances your blood sugars, controls cravings, and keeps you fuller longer.
The goal is to keep your meals and snacks balanced, satisfying and filling. If you need more help with navigating how to build your plates, join my membership program called the T.R.I.B.E. where I teach you how to do this in an easy and sustainable way!
You want at least ½ of your plate to be protein ¼ of your plate should be non-starchy veggies, 1/8th of your plate should be carbs/starch and the last 1/8th should be fat, as pictured below.
We understand that not all meals and plates will look like this perfectly divided image. Please do not deconstruct your chili or soup to try to meet this plate to a T. Not every meal/snack will have every nutrient and component and that’s perfectly okay! The goal is progress over perfection. Do the best you can with what you have!
Tough Love
The goal in the beginning is not to have a balanced plate. The goal in the beginning is to hit your protein goal and truly listen to your body and relearn your hunger/full signals. It’s not expected that you will have a well-rounded plate in the beginning of your WLS journey, that will come with time. YES the first year or so is more restrictive, that’s okay. We signed up for this 😉
Why is this important?
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see WLS patients make. If this is you, then I’m here to tell you there is a really good chance you’re not eating enough.
And what happens when you unintentionally under-eat? You continue to think and worry about food all day. You try to push those obsessive food thoughts out of your head. You try to ignore the fact that you’re not satisfied. And then you end up snacking in the afternoons and evenings, which only leads you to beat yourself up for “eating too much”
Let’s change that. Let me teach you how to make a real meal after surgery so you can stay full and satisfied all day and sustain your weight loss and keep hitting those goals. If you want to learn how to build meals that will make this possible for you then I want to invite you to join us inside the T.R.I.B.E. Membership Program.
