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Physical things I wish I knew about weight loss surgery

Writer's picture: Sonia McIndoeSonia McIndoe

It's not which weight loss surgery you choose to have

Your success will not be impacted by which surgery you and your surgeon choose, but more so by how you work with your surgery. People eat around their surgeries, slider foods, carbs, & junk food and drinks. Continuing with unhealthy habits pushing their new tummies to the limit and beyond. Following the advice of your surgical team is imperative. If you treat your new tummy with respect and stick to the bariatric basics it honestly doesn’t matter whether you’ve had a sleeve, a bypass or a mini loop, you can be successful. 



Protein berry smoothie

How to eat mindfully

You will be eating bariatric portions for the rest of your life if you wish to maintain your new lower weight. Learning how to eat mindfully so you eat to satisfaction and stay satiated from one meal to the next on bariatric volumes is essential.  With tools like 20-20-20, small plates and learning how to listen to your tummy, you can learn how to stop eating when your body is satisfied. Exercise is important The truth is those who have a regular exercise regime are statistically more likely to be successful on their weight loss journey. It doesn’t seem to matter what you do as long as you actually do it!

I wish exercise wasn’t important, because honestly I prefer not to do it. I do love what intentional exercise does for my mind. I know it’s essential for long term muscle mass and growing old gracefully with full confidence of health and mobility. Just do it!! 

A selection of protein sources

Protein is essential

We must ingest our protein, we can’t create amino acids the building blocks from protein, any other way. Eating enough protein can be challenging with a tiny tummy, so supplementing with protein powders and waters is recommended especially in the early stages post surgery. I still occasionally use protein (collagen) water as a top up and to help with me with physical hunger pangs in the late afternoon.

Personally I find protein so much more satiating than carb based foods, it’s my first food group choice - always. 

Regain happens to everyone - but you decide how much

Eventually, we hit what’s called the nadir - your lowest weight post surgery. Then we gain a little, some gain only a couple of kilos. Others gain everything they lost back. Recurrent weight gain is scary - we don’t go into WLS intending to put any of our lost weight back on. Knowing a little regain is normal and also recognising you need help if you’re worried is important. We don’t know what we don’t know. Help is available, so use me! 



Vitamins are our forever friends

Blood test vials

You need to take bariatric level vitamins and supplements for the rest of your life. Having gastric surgery means we alter our gut system. Obviously, we are eating less but it also means we don’t absorb everything we need.

Initially I tried to cut corners here. I ended up very ill, with 3rd world level iron deficiency. It took multiple infusions to get me back to within normal limits.

You can’t guess what vitamins and nutrients you need. Regular blood tests, at least annually, and getting professional advice are the only ways to make sure you’re healthy on the inside. 



It is possible to lose significant regain - in a non-diet culture way

I hate to admit this... but I’ve done it more than once. Letting my sugar dragon fly free she’s created mayhem and had me completely falling off track, slipping back to the habits that got me plus-sized in the first place. What took only weeks to put on took months to take off, as I was determined to do in a non ‘diet culture’ way.  Slay your sugar dragon - or regain - and work with me.

Join me for a free webinar!

So, I’ll leave you here with a warm invitation to my 8 Fundamentals FREE webinar where I share my daily to do list and how I actually manage my bariatric journey day by day. It’s in an ‘hour of power’ where I squeeze a lot of valuable information for you into the 60 minutes on Zoom - totally for free. 




 


About Sonia McIndoe

Sonia McIndoe in the kitchen baking

Hi! I'm Sonia, a NZ Bariatric Life Coach, who has had weight loss surgery and maintained a 70kg weight loss over more than nine years. I walk the walk and have dealt with my own regain by continuing to use and hone my own fundamentals and strategies which I share with you. Find out more about me here.

Like you, I struggled with my weight...

Cartoon image of elephant ballerina

I actually struggled with it my entire life. At 5 years of age my ballet teacher told me “I danced like a baby elephant”.  I yo-yo dieted my way to a body I loathed and had given up on. Food was my friend - but it was a love/hate relationship. In many ways it saved me, but it was also slowly killing me. 


I wasn’t convinced even Weight Loss Surgery would work for me … why would it when nothing else had! 

 

10 years post Weight Loss Surgery later and still several dress sizes smaller, I am the happiest I have ever been. 

 

Sonia McIndoe Bariatric Life Coach - before and after Weight Loss Surgery
Before and after my bariatric weight loss surgery, a total 70 kg weight loss

You can have the success you dream of too. I am so passionate about sharing how, that I work full time as a Bariatric Coach. 

 

I credit my Weight Loss Surgery with my 70kg weight loss, but keeping it off, I credit to doing the mind work. It’s this mind work that I teach in my Mind Empowerment coaching programmes. 

 

Mine Empowerment logo

The Mind Empowerment Programme Sonia McIndoe's coaching programme is called Mind Empowerment and starts with a free one hour webinar, "The 8 Fundamentals for Bariatric Success". The next stage is group coaching via Zoom, "Mind Empowerment" followed by "Lose Your Regain - Stay on Track". One on one individual coaching is also available. Sonia coaches live via Zoom, so you can be anywhere in New Zealand and access help from her as your weightloss coach.

Find out more at www.mindempowerment.co.nz





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