I’m Having Weight Loss Surgery…But I’m Terrified of Vomiting
Many patients interested in weight loss surgery are terrified of vomiting after the surgery. They’ve always HATED throwing up and the idea of this being an issue makes them cringe. Watch this video for some good news – vomiting doesn’t have to happen after surgery if you follow these eating tips!
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Video Transcript
Having WLS But Terrified of Vomiting.
Hi! I’m Steph Wagner, Bariatric Dietitian at foodcoach.me.
Are you interested in weight loss surgery, but terrified of throwing up? Patients I meet with have a variety of nerves going into a big life change like Gastric Sleeve or Gastric Bypass surgery…and none more common than a fear of throwing up.
Everyone’s experience after surgery is very different and it’s not uncommon that a patient may struggle with nausea when they first come out of surgery. While the surgery itself and the hospital stay is something to talk to your nurse or surgeon about, I want to put your mind at ease when it comes to the first days and weeks of reintroducing yourself to foods after surgery.
You can avoid vomiting after surgery when you focus on a few important tips:
1. Don’t underestimate how small your bites need to be. Patients put a big emphasis on how much they chew their bite….but if the bite is too big to begin with…it doesn’t matter how much it’s been chewed. When that bite hits the opening into your new stomach, it can be enough to make you ill. Keep bite sizes the size of your pinkie finger nail – no matter how far out you might be.
2. While chewing bites well is important, be sure to PAUSE in between your bites to allow the bites to go down smoothly one after the other. Eating too quickly is a very common culprit for patients getting sick. It’s breaking years and years of habit but it’s incredibly important to slow down. Set a timer on your phone or use the app Eat Slower to help you put your fork down in between bites.
3. Stop at the VERY first sign of fullness. If you think to yourself “well, maybe that’s enough” just go ahead and stop. One bite too many can be enough to send you over the edge. Better to stop a bit early and learn that you could have had more than to learn that lesson the harder way. This is also why pausing in between bites is so important. If you eat too quickly you may have that one bite too many because you didn’t stop to ask yourself if you were done.
Don’t be overly scared of getting sick after surgery but instead, focus on practicing these three behaviors to set yourself up to succeed and feel great after your start eating meals again.
Keep following foodcoach.me by signing up for the and following me on Pinterest or Facebook. Best of luck on your road to surgery!