Gastric bypass or bariatric surgery is a major undertaking—not just in terms of the financial investment, which is significant, but also in the required lifestyle changes post-surgery. One of the biggest and possibly most difficult alterations patients have to face is rethinking food portions.
Why Are Portions Such a Big Issue?
Bariatric surgery reduces the stomach’s size either through surgical banding or removal of part of the stomach. After the surgery is complete, patients are left with a stomach pouch that can only expand to hold about four ounces of food or liquid. Overfilling that pouch can rear uncomfortable consequences.
Just think of filling a small water balloon. The balloon has some elasticity so it expands, but it can still only hold a finite amount of water. If you continue filling the balloon after it has reached its capacity, the water overflows and pours out the top of the balloon. The same thing happens when patients fail to follow appropriate portion sizes after bariatric surgery. The stomach pouch can only hold a small amount, and when that level is exceeded the excess has to escape—usually through vomiting.
Since the typical American diet is all about calorie dense, fat soaked food in portions that could feed a small army, portion control poses a significant challenge for people who have undergone bariatric surgery.
Keeping Tabs on Portion Size
First and foremost, you should pay careful attention to the dietary guidelines and advice given to you by your physician. For a certain period of time following the surgery, you will be restricted to a purely liquid diet and you should only move on to solid foods when your physician indicates that it is safe to do so.
Four ounces of food is your new magic amount for portion sizes. How much is four ounces exactly? Here are some examples:
A 4 oz. serving of meat or fish is about the size of a deck of standard playing cards
A 1 oz. serving of cheese is the size of a single domino piece
A 1 oz. serving of chocolate is the size of a box of dental floss
If all of that seems too complicated to keep track of or if you find that your eyes seriously misjudge the amount of food you are consuming, you can invest in special diet control dinnerware which many people find to be invaluable portion control tools.
Portion size isn’t the only thing that will be important in your diet post-surgery. You will also need to pay attention to the types of food you eat and the manner in which you eat them. General tips include:General Portion Control and Dietary Tips
Take your supplements. Since you are eating considerably less and absorbing fewer vitamins and minerals, specially formulated supplements are absolutely essential to your bariatric diet.
Avoid “trigger” foods. These include high calorie foods like sugary desserts, foods that are especially difficult to digest like nuts or seeds, and alcoholic or carbonated beverages.
Use small bowls. To avoid feeling as though you’re depriving yourself, place your portions on small dinnerware which will make the portion size seem bigger.
Savor your food. Gone are the days when you could basically just inhale your food like a vacuum cleaner. You should savor each bite – chew carefully and actually pause between swallows to allow yourself to really experience your food.
It is important to remember that slipups aren’t an indication of failure – they are simply an expected and natural part of the process. Be willing to forgive yourself for minor dietary lapses and allow yourself to be proud of the pounds you are shedding.