Allow me to introduce to those of you who are not familiar with, what I consider to be, the gold standards of weight loss surgery success habits. These are success habits developed by people way smarter than me who have defined the keys to achieving permanent weight loss with bariatric surgery.

Allow me to introduce to those of you who are not familiar with, what I consider to be, the gold standards of weight loss surgery success habits. These are success habits developed by people way smarter than me who have defined the keys to achieving permanent weight loss with bariatric surgery.

I feel these must be read and memorized by every bariatric surgery patient. My trinity of owner’s manuals for the bariatric surgery are:

The Bariatric Diet developed by Dr. E. E. Mason (the father of obesity surgery)

The Pouch Rules for Dummies adopted from Dr. E. E. Mason

The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients by Colleen Cook, based on research with patients successful with bariatric surgery

Here is a high-level of the success habits found in each text. You’ll need to read the full texts in order to reap the benefit. Just click through the links above.

The Bariatric Diet

The following is the gist of the bariatric diet developed by Dr. Edward E. Mason. Dr. Mason is an Iowa bariatric surgeon who is considered the “father of obesity surgery” and the bariatric diet is the gold standard for weight loss surgery patients to follow. The ideal meal for weight loss is:

• Fill one-half of your plate with two to four ounces of animal source, low-fat protein.

• Fill one-quarter of your plate with lightly-cooked or raw low starch vegetables.

• Fill the remaining quarter of your plate with fresh raw fruit.

These food choices are coarse, solid foods that should be cut finely and chewed well in order to be tolerated. They are likely to stay in the pouch longer and offer good nutritional value. Read How Does the Bariatric Diet Work for further details.

The Pouch Rules

The following is an overview of the pouch rules developed by Dr. Edward E. Mason. Read The Pouch Rules for Dummies for the complete instructions.

• Eat solid foods. Take very small bites of low-fat meats, crisp or raw vegetables, and solid fruits like apples or pears.

• Eat at least two ounces of meat with each meal.

• Try to finish your meal within 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure you still chew your food thoroughly. Don’t rush through the meal, but don’t linger at the table either.

• Avoid drinking with meals and for two hours afterwards.

• Start drinking when the feelings of hunger return to avoid thirst and minimize hunger between meals. Start with smaller sips, and increase the volume until you feel full again.

• Drink 8 to 12 ounces of water rapidly over 20 seconds, then top off with sips until you feel comfortably full. Do this whenever you feel hungry. This will keep the pouch distended and minimize hunger.

• Drink a full glass of water 15 minutes prior to eating. By drinking a lot of water before the meal, you shouldn’t need to drink during the meal or afterward.

• Avoid snacking since snacks usually do not eliminate hunger. They also are filled with empty calories.

• Minimize caloric liquids and softer foods. These foods are not off limits, but when you make exceptions you will likely get hungry sooner and have to deal with the consequences.

The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients

Colleen Cook had gastric bypass surgery in 1995 and went on to author the The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients. It is based on research conducted with patients who have been successful with bariatric surgery. I have found that I maintain my weight loss when I follow the success habits. When I slip up and stop using the habits, I gain weight fairly quickly. And I take off that weight when I return to the Success Principals:

• Success principal #1: Personal accountability (this is fundamental – you must “get” this principal before you can work the other principals into your new life)
  
• Success principal #2: Portion control
  
• Success principal #3: Nutrition
  
• Success principal #4: Fluid intake
  
• Success principal #5: Regular exercise
  
• Success principal #6: Vitamins and supplements
  

I find the chapter “Back on Track” particularly helpful. It’s for weight loss surgery patients who have regained weight. Colleen Cook shares an approach that has helped many patients turn it around, get back on track, lose the weight and keep it off by following these principals.

Weight-loss surgery is a big part of the solution, but it is not a cure-all. If you follow these success habits you will increase the amount of weight you lose as well as ensure a healthy weight for the rest of your life.

Living larger than ever,

My Bariatric Life

I didn't get surgery to eat meat and die of cancer or heart disease.

The meat obsession when it comes to WLS is indeed a bit strange.

I didn't get surgery to eat meat and die of cancer or heart disease.

LMAO.

I didn't get surgery to eat meat and die of cancer or heart disease.

If you don't eat animal Protein, then substitute the protein of your choice. If you are vegan or vegetarian you are should already be used to this.

I didn't get surgery to eat meat and die of cancer or heart disease.

If you don't eat animal Protein, then substitute the protein of your choice. If you are vegan or vegetarian you are should already be used to this.

It didn't say protein, it just kept saying specifically animal protein and animal meat. I don't think specifically saying animal protein for a universal post is helpful to those of us that have read things like the China study.

The meat obsession when it comes to WLS is indeed a bit strange.

Right?? It makes them look very unreliable as far as what they know.

I think there is a lot of focus on Protein only when it comes to nutrients out there regarding nutrition after WLS. Like protein and Vitamin pills are enough to provide healthy nutrition while ignoring phytonutrients more or less completely.

I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be much concern out there regarding absorption of phytonutrients. I wonder how much e. g. lycopene is absorbed when eating a tomato etc.

I didn't get surgery to eat meat and die of cancer or heart disease.

The meat obsession when it comes to WLS is indeed a bit strange.

Well, the prescribed 2-4 oz of meat is hardly an obsession when the average American is probably eating 8 oz of animal Protein at a meal.

I am 13-years out from gastric bypass and have not eaten red meat for so many years that I have lost count at this point. But the validity of bariatric surgeons telling us to eat animal protein is apparent to me, based on my personal experience. And my experience has been that, I eat wild caught fish and organic raised on pasture eggs and supplement with vegan Protein powder (of which most brands are crap) and collagen. Sometimes I will eat organic free range poultry. I also take lots of supplements including a heavy dose of Iron. All this personal history is given just so that I can tell you that given these high dietary standards, I still struggle with iron deficiency and anemia from time to time. So, I will say that there is legitimacy to the prescribed "up your animal (red meat) protein intake."

Dr. E. E. Mason wrote these gold standards several decades ago and there is a lot of value in them. They are not nutritional guidelines per se and so they don't include things like phytonutrients -- that's my take on it anyway. That said, given what we are now seeing as far as nutritional deficiencies and digestive disorders in long-term bariatric patients, perhaps the ASMBS will publish more comprehensive nutritional guidelines for micronutrients and (one could only hope) phytonutrients. There is some detailed information on the ASMBS website regarding micronutrients, and a European bariatric surgeon that I spoke with recently said this was a big area of discussion at their annual meeting.

When I had my gastric bypass surgery in 2003, I was told that I needed to take one Multivitamin, one Calcium, and one iron tablet a day. That turned out to be a complete fallacy. The quantity of supplements that I take is extreme.

GSleeve822, rather than try to degrade ops with name calling -- ops, who I might add, take precious time out of their busy lives to write articles such as this purely to help bariatric patients -- why not add to the conversation with information from authoritative sources that support your point of view rather than issue complaints that show your lack of gratitude and decorum in a public forum?

As always, my information is cited from the authoritative sources from which they are taken, and shared here for informational purposes. You should always check with your healthcare provider, as well as trust your gut instinct... if something doesn't feel right to you then by all means exercise your right to not believe it.

Well, the prescribed 2-4 oz of meat is hardly an obsession when the average American is probably eating 8 oz of animal Protein at a meal.

Meat at every meal (so the article says is recommended) seems a bit excessive, even if it's still less than the "average American" consumes.

However, to each their own. In the end nobody is forced to eat that much meat (or animal protein in general).

There is nothing wrong with eating animal meat if you choose to... we were advised to eat Protein... protein does not only come from meat, you can get it from many sources....

I think the focus on animal meat products is that it is the easiest and most well known type of protein... any layman when asked what protein is.. will answer meat, poultry, fish.

I personally get sick of eating the same type of food... i need variety... so i switch between animal and non animal sources depending on what i feel like.

Also, i think the original info which was published in 1995 has some info that would be considered redundant now as new research emerges... it would be good if there was an updated version

There is nothing wrong with eating animal meat if you choose to... we were advised to eat Protein... protein does not only come from meat, you can get it from many sources....

I think the focus on animal meat products is that it is the easiest and most well known type of protein... any layman when asked what protein is.. will answer meat, poultry, fish.

I personally get sick of eating the same type of food... i need variety... so i switch between animal and non animal sources depending on what i feel like.

Also, i think the original info which was published in 1995 has some info that would be considered redundant now as new research emerges... it would be good if there was an updated version

Yes, I was going to say the same. New research has slightly different gold standards.

Dawnie_doo

There are quite a few points that i disagree with... eg waiting 2 hours after eating before drinking!.. you would never get your fluids in... it also states to drink Fluid rapidly... this causes pain for some people.

Also adding fruit to make up a quarter of a your plate... this wouldn't apply to diabetics... thats way to much for each meal.. way to many sugars

There are quite a few points that i disagree with... eg waiting 2 hours after eating before drinking!.. you would never get your fluids in... it also states to drink Fluid rapidly... this causes pain for some people.

Also adding fruit to make up a quarter of a your plate... this wouldn't apply to diabetics... thats way to much for each meal.. way to many sugars

Yes! I was told 45 after eating to drink Water, take sips, eat slowly at meals, limit veggies in the beginning Smh many differences. I'm looking for the articles I read that support the new gold standards.

Dawnie_doo

Drink Water rapidly? This is so wrong.

Well, the prescribed 2-4 oz of meat is hardly an obsession when the average American is probably eating 8 oz of animal Protein at a meal.

Meat at every meal (so the article says is recommended) seems a bit excessive, even if it's still less than the "average American" consumes.

However, to each their own. In the end nobody is forced to eat that much meat (or animal protein in general).

Ah, gotcha. I am curious now why Dr. Mason finds "meat" superior to these other protein sources. My guess -- and this is completely my opinion -- is that because it stays in the pouch longer (he seems to emphasize delayed emptying of the pouch in his rules) as well, perhaps the higher Iron content.