Mindful and Intuitive Eating After Bariatric Surgery – A Realistic Approach

First things first. I eat primarily high protein, moderate fat, lower carb. This is the way I have eaten since having gastric bypass surgery in June of 2017. Following surgery I was very strict. Extremely strict if you will. Honestly I believe that is what I owe a lot of my success to. It is crucial that you adopt healthy behaviors and lifestyle patterns for the first year following bariatric surgery. Some call it the “honeymoon phase.” I just knew it was what I had to do to succeed for the long haul. I definitely did not have the surgery to eat junk and crap following the surgery. Just eating small amounts of junk food will not sustain long term success with maintaining weight loss on this journey.

How It Works For Me

Mindful and intuitive eating are two different concepts however I mix them together to fit my lifestyle. Mindful eating is a practice that I use day to day and meal by meal. It is being physically aware of hunger cues and what I feel by body physically needs. It is BEING MINDFUL.

Intuitive eating is the big picture of how I view food and this new lifestyle. I have ditched the “diet culture” and embraced moderation and made peace with almost all food addiction. I honor my hunger and listen to what I feel that my body truly needs. It is INTUITION.

Mindful Eating

Mindfulness is being aware and conscious of something. Mindful eating is being aware and conscious of what you are putting in your body. This includes fluids, solids, etc. This also includes using all of your senses when eating and drinking. This also includes becoming aware of physical hunger versus head hunger/emotional hunger. Mindful eating is not just enjoying ALL foods, ALL of the time. It is listening to your body and really sensing what you feel like your body needs. You don’t always NEED Oreos and Doritos. Those are treats that you can allow yourself to have once in awhile. This book is absolutely amazing on the concept of mindful eating. It is a book that I have had since before surgery. It is an easy read and I recommend it to everyone!

Intuitive Eating

Intuitive eating focuses more on ditching the “diet mentality.” Throwing out the idea that “certain foods are bad.” Allowing yourself to eat carbohydrates because your body needs them for fuel. Bread is not bad, but I do not eat bread every single day. Potatoes are not bad, but I do not eat them every single day. Eggs are an amazing source of fat, but I do not eat them for every meal or every single day. Balance is key. Moderation is key. Keeping a healthy relationship with food and food groups is attainable. Intuitive eating is not getting an intuition to eat all of the chips in the cabinet or all of the ice cream in the freezer. It is about taking charge of your cravings and listening to your body and hunger cues when you are feeling physically hungry and full.

Putting It All Together

There are some areas that the two of these can overlap and coexist. For me personally, I had a few trigger foods that I gave up when I had gastric bypass surgery. I had an addiction to deep fried foods. I chose to give them up for the rest of my life. I was unsure if I was going to be able to do this for the rest of my life. But I have not eaten them since May of 2017 and I have no desire to eat them. I could not properly engage with deep fried foods. There was no balance when it came to interacting with them. I would literally stuff my face until the point of no return when I ate them.

I did not put these practices in to play until around one year post op. By that time, I was very used to my eating regimen and honestly I crave protein. My body feels best when I am fueling it with nutritious protein sources and moderate fat foods. I can not stress how crucial that first year is to adopt good behaviors. If your first year is over, it is not too late. Call your dietitian and come up with a time to meet up with them. Get back to the basics of lean protein. Fill up on that. Your “tool” of bariatric surgery STILL WORKS!

What I Eat

I usually eat a meal that consists of 50-60% protein from the list below. My meals are always based around protein. If my meal does not consist of protein I find that my blood sugar will drop. Protein helps to fill me up and also keep me fuller and satisfied much longer than any other food group. Protein is key in this journey to long term weight management. It is plain and simple.

About 20% of my meal is carbohydrates. It does not always come from the list below. But these are some good sources of carbs. I want to mention, I eat almost EVERYTHING now that I am in the maintenance phase and able to eat mindfully and intuitively. These are just references that are meant to be helpful for someone who is learning to eat after bariatric surgery. Most of these items can be found at most stores. I also want to mention, I eat until I am SATISFIED. I do not always finish a complete serving. That is what being mindful is all about. I am a big believer in ditching the mentality of the “clean plates club.” You can save the food for later. You do not need to finish that one last bite. It is not worth it!

The other 20-30% of my foods come from nutritious fats and vegetables. I buy an array of vegetables and produce (right now I am only doing weekly or biweekly grocery visits due to the pandemic). I can just feel it when my body needs greens and vegetables. Listening to my body has been one of the best things about this journey.

“Slider Foods”

I want to touch on this because it is very important. Slider foods are foods that have little to no nutritional value and slide right down your new pouch or belly. They are usually high in carbohydrates. They begin breaking down when they hit your palette or mouth, therefore they do not keep you full for long periods of time. Protein does not start breaking down until it gets to your stomach, hence why it keeps you fuller longer. Slider foods include crackers, chips, popcorn, cookies, etc. I always think of snack foods that are high in carbs and very low in protein.

**I eat slider foods, but in moderation! they can also cause dumping syndrome for some.

To Sum It All Up

You have to find a system that works best for you. This is the system that works best for me. This is going to look different for everyone. Some days I am able to eat an entire English muffin and other days I am only able to eat half. I listen to my body and my hunger cues and I remember that FOOD IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. I am able to have these foods each and every day. Food is not going to be taken from me. I make the rules. This is my life and my plan that I am putting into place.

Wherever you are at in your journey, please know that I am rooting for you! You are strong, capable, and YOU GOT THIS!

Thank you so much for reading!

Love & hugs,

Maddie

The best place to follow along and hang out with me everyday is on my Instagram – @Maddie5088

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