18 Tips to Keep Weight Off After Weight Loss Surgery

Congratulations on your weight loss surgery! Now that you've recovered and are feeling great in your new body, it's important to take steps to maintain your weight and keep the pounds off.

Maintaining your weight loss after surgery takes planning, a conscious effort at following a healthy diet, incorporating more movement into your days and a commitment to better health, day in and day out.

Here are 18 expert tips to help you keep the weight off after weight loss surgery.

1. Incorporate Lean Protein Sources

Your diet should include a variety of lean proteins so you have energy and get crucial vitamins that build tissue and support muscle function. Try to include at least one serving at every meal and snack to help you feel full. Look to boneless and skinless chicken breasts, boneless pork, seafood, beans, eggs and soy products.¹

2. Avoid Sweets

Try to eliminate sugar from your diet as much as possible. Look for it in sneaky sources such as condiments, cereals, yogurt and snacks. While we understand it's challenging to limit sugary foods, make an effort to keep sweet treats for special occasions and avoid drinks that have sugar.²

3. Slow Down When You Eat

Take 30 minutes to eat your meal. Put your fork down in between bites to help you slow your pace. You might also want to eat with your non-dominant hand to help you take your time. It's also not recommended to drink while you eat meals.³

4. Chew Your Food Well

Another way to slow down while you're eating and to maintain weight loss after surgery is to chew your food well. Count to at least 20 to 30 chews for each bite in order to get food to a pureed consistency before swallowing.³

5. Take Your Vitamins

Your weight loss surgery healthcare team can advise you on the best vitamins to take daily to help with your healing and stay healthy. People who've had vertical sleeve surgery or gastric bypass surgery will likely need to take additional vitamins — on top of eating a healthy diet — for the rest of their lives.⁴

6. Prioritize Sleep

Sleep deprivation can be a risk factor for weight gain. Research has found that people who regularly sleep less than seven hours a night are more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI) and develop obesity.

Not getting enough sleep can mess with the body's hunger hormones, making you more likely to feel hungry and less likely to notice when you're feeling full — and chances are you're going to struggle to make healthy food choices when you're tired.⁵

7. Drink More Water

You probably knew this tip was coming in any weight-centric article, but that's for good reason. Staying hydrated can make sure you aren't mistaking thirst for hunger, you're able to feel energized and alert and your body can function optimally — particularly your digestive processes.

Aim for 48 to 64 ounces of low- or no-calorie beverages in the form of water, decaf tea and seltzers. If you had bariatric surgery, your healthcare team might advise you to avoid carbonated beverages, as they can stretch out your pouch.³

8. Learn How to Manage Stress

Feeling anxious or overwhelmed can trigger binge or impulse eating in some, making it harder to keep the weight off after weight loss surgery when you give in to temptation during trying times.

Find healthy ways to manage stress that don't involve food. This is a great opportunity to go on a walk to clear your head, connect with a friend, practice meditation techniques, read or engage in a favorite hobby that makes you happy.⁶

9. Enlist a Support System

From family and friends to coworkers and your weight loss support group, having others to count on can help boost the likelihood that you'll stick with your weight maintenance goals. Support groups can also help hold you accountable and even act as cheerleaders to keep you on track with your weight loss and maintenance journey.⁷

10. Add More Veggies to Your Diet

Vegetables are chock-full of nutrients to give you energy, enhance healing and keep you full in between meals. Look for colorful vegetables to add to every meal and snack. You might even find meal prepping helpful: Wash, cut and set aside or cook a lot of vegetables at one time so it's easy to incorporate them into your daily diet.⁴

11. Separate Eating and Drinking by 30 Minutes

Take small sips of water. Having liquid in your pouch after gastric bypass weight loss surgery can wash food out and make you feel hungrier soon after eating.⁴

12. Log Your Food Activity

Keep detailed records of your food and activity each day. Research has shown that people who track their food intake can lose up to twice as much weight.⁷ This can also help when you have your next dietitian appointment. Jot down your daily intake via apps, a small notebook, a piece of paper and a pen — whatever is easiest for you.³

13. Break Grazing and Snacking Habits

Eating throughout the day by nibbling on snacks can cause weight gain, particularly if you aren't tracking your food intake. It's easy for “BLTs" (bites, licks and tastes) to add up to hundreds of unwanted and unaccounted-for calories. It's recommended that people who have had weight loss surgery eat three meals a day. Those meals should contain a balanced mix of protein and fiber so you're able to stay fuller longer.⁷

14. Kick the Smoking Habit

Smoking and nicotine use can impede the body's healing process after weight loss surgery and lead to health complications.³

15. Avoid Calorie-Dense, Low-Nutrient Foods

To maintain your weight loss after surgery, limit foods such as cookies, ice cream, candy, fried foods, chips, hot dogs, high-fat deli meats and other processed foods.³

16. Skip Caloric Beverages

Don't drink juice, soda, caloric teas and coffee beverages or calorie-dense alcoholic beverages. The calories can quickly add up with these drinks and they don’t provide nutritional value.⁴

17. Schedule Cardio Workouts

It's suggested that you exercise 250 to 300 minutes a week to maintain weight loss. While that might seem like a lot at first, 250 minutes is about 35 minutes a day.

Some ways to get this exercise in could be a daily stroll at lunch, going for a 10-minute walk after dinner, taking your dog on a walk, following along with a fitness video or committing to a workout class at the gym. Block out the time in your calendar that you'll exercise and set a reminder so it's easy to stick to your fitness routine.

18. Do Resistance Training to Build Muscle

A common change after weight loss surgery tends to be saggy skin due to rapid weight loss, as well as loss of muscle mass. Incorporating strength training into your fitness routine will help you burn more calories while at rest and create a strong, lean physique.⁴

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Author Bio

Diana Kelly Levey is a freelance journalist, content marketing writer, and author with more than 15 years of experience covering health and wellness.