Following a healthy diet is fundamental after having weight loss surgery. This means making smart choices when it comes to snacks, and cutting out some of your favorite foods, like fast foods and sweets.

However, following a healthy diet isn’t simply about what you eat. Especially after weight loss surgery, much of following a healthy diet is knowing how much to eat. Making smart food choices means knowing how much food to eat in any given sitting, and when it is time to call enough, enough.

Portion Control after Bariatric Surgery

It is possible to overeat even with healthy foods. Part of developing a healthy diet is becoming familiar with how much food your body needs to not be hungry anymore. Eating until you are overly full is not healthy, and could prevent you from being able to lose weight.

The good news is that weight loss surgery helps reduce your desire for too much food, making it so that you’ll feel exceptionally full after just having a small amount of food. While this is great for promoting weight loss and cutting calories, it means that you need to put a lot of thought into what you are eating. You need to make sure that you are managing your calories appropriately so that you are getting all of the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs to thrive.

As you plan your daily food choices, make sure that you are getting the following nutrients daily:

• Protein
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Mono and Polyunsaturated fats
• Complex carbohydrates

So how can you know if you are eating the right size portions? A good start is to talk with your weight loss surgeon about how big your daily meals should be, and what types of nutrients you should be looking to include in those meals.

Many surgeons recommend eating smaller meals more often throughout the day so that you aren’t trying to eat too much at once at any point. Also, pay attention to the nutrient labels on your preferred foods to ensure that you are measuring out your portions appropriately.

When you have to follow such a restricted diet, it may be necessary to take a vitamin supplement to help you reach the proper daily recommendations for each of these nutrients. Talk to your weight loss surgeon before starting any new dietary supplements or making any changes to your diet.