Medical Weight Loss and Management Nutrition
Post Weight Loss (Bariatric) Surgery Nutrition
Weight loss (bariatric) surgery alone is not enough to help you achieve a healthy lifestyle. The key to successful weight loss also includes incorporating a bariatric diet plan and eating small portions of foods that meet your body’s nutritional needs. Changing your eating habits can seem overwhelming, but our experts are with you every step of the way.
At Baptist Health, you receive help before and after surgery from trained bariatric surgery nutritionists (registered dietitians) who specialize in working with bariatric patients. We give you a personalized nutrition plan along with practical tips for fitting healthy eating into your busy lifestyle.
Personalized Nutrition for Weight Loss Surgery Patients
Our team makes it easier to change your eating habits by giving you the information and support you need to be successful. Our surgeons, nurse practitioners and/or dietitians will meet with you during every office visit to celebrate your successes, expand your knowledge of good nutrition and help you achieve your goals.
We help keep your weight loss on track with:
- Precise dietary recommendations: We are one of few programs in the community with special tests (basal metabolic testing or BMR) that help us fine-tune diet recommendations. BMR measures the rate at which your body is turning food into fuel for daily living. We use this information to let you know how many calories you should be getting every day and what vitamins and minerals you should consume after bariatric surgery. BMR testing is available through our Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss program in Louisville and in Lexington at the Health Worx Fitness Center.
- Bariatric nutrition education you need to be successful: We get to know you so we can offer recommendations tailored to meet both your nutritional needs and food preferences. With every appointment, we help you learn about healthy eating and how to overcome challenges. Our personalized approach helps you adopt healthy eating habits so you can live a healthy, happy life. Read our patient success stories.
- Extra support: Whether you are making steady progress toward your goals or need help breaking old habits, we are here for you. Monthly support groups are a place for you to discuss your experiences in a warm, caring environment. In addition to meeting patients who are going through the same challenges, you also hear from others who have overcome them. Find out more about our support groups.
Nutrition After Weight Loss Surgery: Our Approach
There is no one-size-fits-all weight loss surgery diet. The post bariatric nutrition plan that’s best for you is the one that meets your body’s needs and includes foods you enjoy.
You don’t have to change all of your eating habits at once. We help you set realistic goals and give you all the information and support you need to achieve them.
Our approach includes helping you learn:
- About nutrition: If you’ve never given much thought to healthy eating, we start by covering the basics. We help you understand which foods give your body the vitamins and nutrients it needs and which ones do not. As you are ready, we expand your knowledge by talking about other important topics, such as eating healthy in restaurants and ways to cope when you are tempted to eat foods you shouldn’t.
- How much to eat: Overeating after weight loss surgery can make you feel sick and prevent you from achieving your goals. We let you know how many calories it takes to meet your body’s needs and how much food you should eat at each meal.
- What to eat: After weight loss surgery, you can expect to feel full after eating smaller meals, so it is important to make good food choices. We help you find the foods that best meet your nutrition needs. These recommendations include high protein, healthy fat and low complex carb food choices.
- How to set goals: We help you make steady progress toward healthy living by always having a goal. These goals include small changes that feel within your grasp.
- How to eat: To help you avoid complications, or intense diarrhea (which is rare), we help you learn a different way of eating. You will need to chew your food until it is smooth, eat slowly and not drink liquids with meals. We give you information and practical tips to help fit this new way of eating into your daily life.
- Ways to overcome challenges: Healthy eating can be a constant struggle. Our compassionate approach makes it easier to talk about the challenges you are facing. We work together to come up with a plan for overcoming them.
Find a Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss Program Near You
Baptist Health Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss Lexington
2716 Old Rosebud Road, Suite 350
Lexington, Ky. 40509
859.519.3110
Baptist Health Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss Louisville
4000 Kresge Way
Louisville, Ky. 40207
502.398.8674
Baptist Health Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss Paducah
2601 Kentucky Ave., Suite 102
Paducah, Ky. 42003
270.443.4519
Baptist Health Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss Richmond
801 Eastern Bypass
Richmond, Ky. 40475
859.623.3131