Helping Weight Loss Surgery Patients Eat right over Christmas
The Christmas season is definitely the time for eating, drinking, and being merry! Christmas is also an anxious time for weight loss patients who are trying hard to keep to their diet but with all those family reunions sometimes the Holidays make them feel nervous about the thought of gaining weight over the holiday period. There are a few tips for weight loss surgery patients to eating right over Christmas.
Christmas does not have to mean the end of a weight loss surgery patient's healthy diet or weight loss efforts and sacrifices. According to Dr. Hidalgo, bariatric surgeon in Puerto Vallarta Mexico, Weight loss patients must have an eating plan implementing certain rules over the festive season and must make a commitment to themselves that they will stay on track with all the hard work they have put in since surgery. Dr. Hidalgo asks for his patients to stay committed over the Holidays during the patient's weight-loss period and advises that once the patient reaches their goal weight, that future holidays can be enjoyed in a healthy lifestyle where the patient can down the road enjoy more different options during the holidays, but in the inter, while in the weight loss phase post gastric sleeve or gastric bypass, it is important to stay focused on the post-surgery regimen that the bariatric surgeon asks of their patients.
If weight loss patient realizes that their family`s lunch or dinner is full of food that they cannot eat, they should prepare or bring along a nice salad or vegetable dish with some protein, prioritizing the protein and forgetting about carbs and fatty foods. It is very important not to skip a meal in order to “save” calories for later because you will be hungry and will eat more for sure. Not only that, it is important for post weight loss surgery patients to eat 5 or 6 times a day so skipping a meal can be more harmful than good. These meals fuel the body and promote weight loss so the more you eat (of the right foods) the better you will do with your weight loss. So, it is even smart to eat a light snack or drink a protein shake before you head off to your Christmas party so that you are prepared in case the wrong foods are the only options available. Remember BE SMART!
It is also a priority for weight loss patients to control themselves and to stop eating when they are full and satisfied. Listen to your body and when you are full, step away from the table and go for a walk. Keep moving, do not remain sitting down, plan Christmas activities that are physical in nature yet fun for the entire family, not everything has to be focused on food, socialize in other ways.
Other great tips to eat right over Christmas and avoid gaining weight are to try to keep eating three meals a day with two snacks and to keep exercising, remember to get in at least 90 grams of protein a day, and consume less than 30 grams of carbs per day, this way you can enjoy a small treat, and try your best to stay under 10 grams of sugar each day as well. Also, try walking to the shops and park as far away from the store as possible when you do take a car.
The Christmas season is a time for joy and spending quality time with the family. Weight loss surgery patients should pay attention to what really matters; they should focus on family and friends, laughter and cheer, living life, and not worrying about what or how much they can eat over the holidays. Holidays are the perfect time to live life and remember we need to eat right to live and not live to eat whatever we want. Dr. Hidalgo does state that it is very important that the weight loss surgery patient should not cheat themselves, they know what to eat according to their diet guidance given by their surgeon: 90 grams of protein a day, 30 grams or less of carbs, and 10 grams or less of sugar. So, balance and moderation would be the key to success. And when the patient does fall off the wagon and eat the wrong foods they are cheating themselves of the success they will have if they just follow these tips until they are at their goal weight.
As the Christmas Holidays are here, just be committed and follow the tips we share above, they will help you to eat right over this most wonderful time of the year.
For more information regarding Clinics/ Hospitals and Weight Loss Options mentioned in this article:
Weight Loss Team – Bariatric Clinic of Dr. Juan F. Hidalgo
Website: www.weightlossteam.com/
Email: info@weightlossteam.com
Telephone: Toll free 1(800) 404-9064 or + 1(818) 949-6911
