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.