Steps for Success

These eleven steps will help keep you on the path to successful weight loss.

1. Eat and drink low-fat, sugar-free and no-sugar-added foods and beverages. Limit snacks between meals.
2. Eat three protein-centered meals every day. Skipping meals can lead to eating too fast and too much at your next meal. It can also cause you to miss out on the protein and nutrients the body needs.
3. Eat protein first at every meal. Take a protein supplement, as needed. Eat nonstarchy vegetables second. If you’re still hungry, have one serving of fruit and/or a starch.
4. Eat slowly, and chew your food completely. It should take you 20-30 minutes to eat each meal. Chew food 20-30 times until it is the consistency of toothpaste. Timing yourself and/or eating with your nondominant hand will help you eat slowly. These actions make it easier for your body to digest food and pass it from the pouch into the small intestine. Eating too quickly will cause discomfort. 
5. Eat mindfully and watch for your soft stop. A soft stop is a signal your body gives when you’ve eaten enough. A soft stop signal may be a sigh, runny nose, hiccup, sneeze, yawn or watery eyes. Not all people have a soft stop, but it is something to be aware of. 
6. Drink fluids between meals, not with meals. If you fill your pouch with liquid, you won’t have room for food. Plus, liquids may speed up how quickly solid food passes out of the stomach. This could cause some discomfort. Avoid drinking fluids at least 30 minutes before, with, and for 30 minutes after meals.
7. Limit caffeine and coffee intake. Caffeine is a diuretic and may cause dehydration. In large amounts, coffee can produce an ulcer. If you must drink caffeine, limit your intake to two 8-ounce cups of caffeinated beverages per day.
8. Limit carbonated beverages, which can cause excess gas and reflux and lead to discomfort.
9. Limit your use of straws. Drinking with a straw may cause you to drink too quickly, which can cause discomfort. Straws also introduce air into the pouch, resulting in gas. Feel free to use a straw when you are comfortable regulating how quickly you drink.
10. Limit alcohol for at least one year after surgery. Alcohol provides extra calories and can cause ulcers.
11. Take vitamins and minerals. Make taking daily vitamins and minerals part of your lifetime routine of healthy living.