When people begin their Weight loss surgery (WLS) journey, it is important to start changing unhealthy eating and exercise habits to lose weight and keep it off for good. When I meet with people before surgery to educate them on the new lifestyle changes, I often hear people say now they have to make one meal for themselves and another meal for the rest of the family. My response is: “Why?”
Bariatric eating is healthy eating that is good food for the whole family. You don’t need to be a short order cook. Even if you have a partner or children that are not overweight or even on the thin side, eating healthfully and exercising is good for everyone!
How to get your family on board:
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Healthy foods do not have to be boring or tasteless
There are many bariatric websites and cookbooks that can provide you with a large variety of healthy recipe ideas. Just search the internet. Our patients are also given a list of bariatric cookbooks in their post-surgery diet information handouts.
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Make exercise a family affair
Unless you have been told by a doctor to not exercise, practically everyone needs to exercise, regardless of their weight. Exercise is not only an important part of weight loss and keeping weight off, it is important to overall good health and wellness. Make family outings active — go out for walks, ride bikes or hike together. When parents exercise, kids are more likely to exercise. If you want your kids to be healthy, parents need to set an example.
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Give your kitchen a nutritional make over
Go through your cabinets, pantry and refrigerator and get rid of most of the junk foods and replace them with more healthful foods. We are what we eat – if there is a lot of poor food choices around the house, that is what we and our families will eat.
Obesity and being overweight are, in part, due to genetics. When parents are overweight or obese, their children are more likely to have weight issues at some point in their life. It is important for parents who struggle with their weight to set good eating and exercise habits for their children so they are less likely to have the same weight issues.
Remember: Bariatric eating is not dieting, it is your new way of life – lean protein, vegetables and healthy carbs are a basic healthy meal everyone can enjoy!
Check out more of my diet and exercise tips here and share your thoughts and questions with me in our comments section.
Dietitian’s Corner by Lori Skurbe
Dietitian’s Corner is a monthly column for post-op and pre-op patients of bariatric surgery in NJ written by Prime Surgicare’s Lori Skurbe. Lori has been a dietitian for over 20 years with an extensive background in weight management, bariatric nutrition and diabetes education.