Bariatric Tips That Are Total BS!
August 19, 2024Know what bugs me the most for you and our bariatric community? The never-ending of crap nutrition information on the Internet promising you all kinds of miracles and delivering a big fat zero. In my Facebook group, I answer many questions about this baloney. I’m not talking about the baloney you eat either, but the baloney or pseudoscience you’re constantly fed online with bariatric tips. Instead, devour this science-smart information so you can make decisions based on facts, not hype.
Bariatric Tips: The Keto Diet
Let’s start with the keto diet. Does an alarm go off in your head when you hear KETO? Maybe it should. It’s so popular and is promoted as a lifestyle after bariatric surgery. I’m not a fan. Here’s why. The keto diet is a high-fat, inflammatory diet. Neither of which you need after your surgery. The focus instead should be on protein…quality protein. In fact, fat calories make up 70–80% of your total day’s calories on keto, so it hogs the calories that protein should fill. This high-fat diet can cause fatty diarrhea. Besides being no fun, this diarrhea prevents you from absorbing vital nutrients such as fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K). Carbs are very restricted and often exclude fruits and vegetables that are good sources of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, all of which your body wants and needs to function properly so you don’t get constipated. A high-fat diet can be constipating, and you don’t need to feel like there’s a concrete block in your intestines.
A successful bariatric lifestyle has very different nutritional requirements, specifically when it comes to the macronutrients, which are protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Protein is the most important distinguishing factor in a bariatric eating plan that works and is going to help you be successful long-term. With keto, you’re not going to get nearly enough protein. Your needs after surgery are about 60–90 grams or more per day on average.
Bariatric Tips: Intermittent Fasting
Let’s counter keto with intermittent fasting. Maybe this diet is the lifestyle you need. Why not just kick the keto diet to the curb since we know it’s not the secret sauce for weight loss surgery and try intermittent fasting? There’s a book out called The Obesity Code; it promotes intermittent fasting as the way to go. But don’t miss this – when health and nutrition professionals reviewed the book, they rated it a pitiful 31% for scientific accuracy.
What I like about intermittent fasting is that it closes the kitchen at certain times, which discourages grazing/nibbling all day. But here’s the issue: After bariatric surgery, closing the kitchen should only be for 2-3-4 hours at a time, not for extended periods like 12, 14, or 16 hours as with intermittent fasting. The bottom line is that intermittent fasting is not the medical nutrition therapy recommended for WLS because it’s hard to get the specific nutrition that the body needs in a short window of time. Plus, restrictive eating can set you up for overeating, binge eating, and night eating. It’s critical after surgery to listen to and learn your body’s cues, including hunger and fullness.
With the changes in hormones, including leptin, ghrelin, and GLP-1, after surgery, your timing of meals, portion size, and macro distribution are so important, and intermittent fasting is not helpful for any of these three. This sets you up for failure, not success.
Just recently, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that among patients with obesity, a regimen of time-restricted eating, also known as intermittent fasting, was NOT more beneficial when it comes to three things: reduction in body weight, body fat, or metabolic risk factors.
Bariatric Tips: Black Castor Oil
What about black castor oil, which is trending on TikTok, especially to treat hair loss, which you know after surgery can be a big issue. Castor oil is most known for its use as an ingredient in motor oil for your car, not the human body. It has been used for centuries to temporarily treat constipation. The active ingredient in it is a fatty acid called ricinoleic acid, which attaches to a receptor in your intestines, causing the muscles to contract and helps you to poop. Today, there are many other more effective and safe ways to treat constipation.
Most importantly, there’s no shred of evidence that this oil will grow you any new hair. In fact, using castor oil in your hair could result in a rare condition called felting, which is when your hair becomes so tangled it has to be cut off. Plus, there is no benefit from putting it in your belly button, which supposedly goes into the Pechoti gland. Do NOT miss this. There’s no clinical evidence to support the existence of this Pechoti gland that lets you absorb oil through your belly button. All of this is BS, pseudoscience, or fake science. In fact, some people are allergic to castor oil and experience itching, rashes, and swelling. It is not something you need to add to your plate after surgery.
Last but certainly not least, have you read that bariatric surgery and the rapid weight loss that follows will permanently slow your metabolism? And because of this slowed metabolism, this is why even when you eat fewer calories, you still can’t maintain or lose weight.
Metabolism Is NOT Permanently Slowed After Surgery
Here’s the great news! Metabolism is NOT permanently slowed after surgery. Weight loss, especially rapid weight loss, can slow the metabolism. This is true, and the body can use fewer calories during the day. However, metabolism is affected by a lot of things, but the amount of muscle mass in the body is one huge factor, and the metabolism rate can be changed by changing the amount of muscle mass in your body.
Maintaining muscle as you lose weight and building muscle once your weight stabilizes affects metabolism since muscle is active tissue. The more muscle mass, the more calories burned. Remember, the amount of calories needed per day is very individual and is based on many factors, such as surgery type, body weight before and after surgery, muscle versus fat percentage, ability to tolerate various amounts of food, metabolic issues, body shape, etc.
Strength Training
Once you are cleared for exercise, this is the time to add strength training to your activities. This type of exercise builds muscle mass, which is the active tissue that burns calories. Think of it like a furnace that needs fuel in the form of calories. Try to add strength training two days a week and start slowly, as you don’t want injuries.
For a successful transformation, skip the online nutrition BS. Look for accurate nutrition information delivered by a bariatric dietitian who knows the science behind the surgery and the food your body needs.
Bariatric dietitian Dr. Susan Mitchell is host of the podcast Bariatric Surgery Success.
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bariatric dietitian Dr. Susan Mitchell is host of the podcast Bariatric Surgery Success. Selected as one of the Best 35 Dietitian Podcasts, Bariatric Surgery Success was chosen from thousands of podcasts on the web ranked by traffic, social media followers, domain authority, and freshness. With a focus on nutrition before and after bariatric surgery, I help you eat for success while you conquer cravings, emotional eating, and weight regain. |
