Over the years we have published many blogs around this time of year, to help our bariatric surgery patients navigate this potentially difficult time of year. If you’ve had bariatric surgery whether recently or some time ago, it’s important even at Christmas, Hannukah or just the holiday season in general, to maintain your new healthy lifestyle. But it’s probably the hardest time of the year to do so, with temptation lurking at every corner and traditions clashing with old habits.
This year we’ve put together a quick list of things to try to do this holiday season and a few that you should try to avoid.
Do – stay hydrated
In summer, keeping hydrated should be a priority for everybody, not just bariatric patients. Not only does staying hydrated help keep your body functioning properly, but it will also ensure that you aren’t having a false sense of hunger that is really thirst.
Don’t – drink your calories
Staying hydrated means drinking plenty of water. Avoid drinking your calories this festive season by sticking to water as much as possible, rather than juices or fizzy drinks that can be secretly high in calories. Or at least stick to the low or zero-calorie options. Avoiding alcohol where you can will also stop you from drinking your calories, as well as help to keep you on the right diet track.
Do – stick to your bariatric diet
Just because it’s a special occasion, holiday or time of year, it’s important to remember everything that you have learnt in terms of eating a healthy, balanced diet. Trying to stick to your new healthy diet as much as you can will ensure you don’t gain unnecessary kilos this festive season. Remember to be mindful of portion control, eating your protein first and avoiding foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients.
Don’t – snack
We always advise our patients to avoid snacking all year round. If you’re eating three balanced meals a day you really shouldn’t need to snack. But with buffets of food at parties or a cupboard full of tasty snacks, it’s hard to avoid. So if you can’t avoid it, try to stick to healthy options like carrot or celery sticks with hummus, or just take one rather than a handful of chocolates.
Do – stay active
Although you might not be in your usual routine, try to keep as active as possible this holiday season. Keep your daily step count up, take the stairs where possible – whatever activity you do will help keep you motivated to stick to your new healthier lifestyle.
Don’t – lose sleep
We’ve written a blog about the importance of sleep, especially when you are recovering from bariatric surgery and attempting to live a healthy lifestyle. Although late nights out celebrating or early starts from eager offspring can disrupt your sleep, it’s important to get as much shut-eye as you can during the festive season to avoid fatigue and bad food choices.
Do – plan ahead
Plan, plan and plan again. If you know you are heading to a party where there will be temptations such as a high-calorie buffet, then make sure you eat something ahead of time so you don’t feel tempted. Plan your own meals ahead of time, making sure you have healthy choices available so you aren’t tempted to order a takeaway after a long day. If you’re going out to eat at a restaurant, plan ahead by checking out their menu online and making a healthy choice before you get there and sticking to it.
Don’t – beat yourself up
At the end of the day, the holiday season is there to be enjoyed by everybody. So if you do save some room on your plate on Christmas day for your favourite foods that may not be in line with your diet, that’s okay. Everything in moderation, don’t let one bad day turn into a bad week or month. You can always get back on track the next day if you’ve ‘fallen off the wagon’.
0 Comments