Portion control after your gastric bypass surgery is crucial. This is because gastric bypass actually makes your stomach smaller by stapling your stomach into a smaller upper section and larger bottom section. The smaller section is called the pouch and is where your food will go. Since this pouch is smaller than your stomach once was, you will have to eat much smaller portions.
Additionally, your capacity to digest food and your stomach will not be able to handle big meals. So, adjusting the amount of food that you eat is vital. With that being said, here are a few ways that portion control can be achieved.
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Portion Control After Gastric Bypass Tips
Without proper portion control, you could cause your pouch to stretch making you plateau on your weight loss journey. Or, the gastric bypass surgery could fail altogether.
But, if you follow your doctor’s diet and focus on portion control, you can rest assured you will see results. So, here are some tips on portion control that you can do to make the process easier.
Consider Smaller Plates
After your gastric bypass surgery, you may think you can do smaller portions on your regular plates. But, many patients have found that smaller plates make this easier.
The smaller plates literally won’t let you put as much on your plate, and your plate still looks full sending a signal to your brain that you are about to eat a full meal.
Use Bariatric Portion Plates and Bowls
In addition to eating less portion-wise, you need to ensure your proportions are correct. I have found that a bariatric portion control plate works wonders at helping you get just the right amount of protein, veggies, and calories. You can find bariatric bowl and plate sets on Amazon.
Eat Slowly
It can be challenging to eat slowly when you are starving, but this is a crucial component of bariatric surgery. When you eat too quickly, there is less time for your body to process that it is full. Eating after gastric bypass is significantly different to the liver shrinking diet before gastric bypass.
This means you tend to overeat. To eat slower, chew your food thoroughly, stop in between bites to relax, and drink water throughout your meal. By taking your time, your body has a chance to digest so that you feel fuller on a smaller plate.
Follow the “20, 20, 20 Rule”
When eating, it is advised to follow the 20, 20, 20 rule to keep your portion sizes where they should be. If you haven’t heard of this rule, here is what you do:
- Take a small amount of food on your fork or teaspoon (size of your thumbnail).
- Chew a mouthful of food 20 times before you swallow.
- Put your silverware down, count to 20 before putting the next bite in your mouth.
- Eat in this way for 20 minutes, but not longer than 20-minutes.
- At this point, stop eating for 5-10 minutes and see if you are still hungry. If not, discard the remaining food. You may eat more in the same fashion if you legitimately still feel hungry.
Bariatric Cutlery for Portion Control After Gastric Bypass
To control the amount of food you are eating per bite, as the rule states above, consider getting a set of bariatric cutlery. Cutlery designed for bariatric patients helps slow down your eating at a sensible pace. These forks and spoons hold about 50% less food than conventional implements. And, on the plus side, they don’t stand out as different from other silverware.
Gastric bypass surgery is life-changing. However, using these tricks and tips will help you on your weight loss journey making it easier to reach your goals. You may also enjoy these Healthy Instant Pot Recipes.
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About Angela Milnes
Angela Milnes is a Qualified Early Years Teacher who has specialised in teaching. She has a wealth of experience teaching young children and adults. Angela has also taught cooking classes and loves to share both family recipes and easy instant pot recipes here on The Instant Pot Table. Follow her on Pinterest!
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