​Protein. The building blocks of muscles, cells, organs and every cell of the human body. Protein is a hot topic in the world of nutrition. Protein are long chains of amino acids that are broken down in the body to build and repair the aforementioned cells. 

Protein is abundant in foods, however is particularly found in meat, dairy and protein supplements. Protein is no issue for the general population. However, for those that have had weight loss surgery, protein needs are higher to prevent muscle breakdown, hair loss and to ensure all body cells receive enough protein daily. I talk all day about getting enough protein with my patients. Here are some easy tips that you can implement today to improve your protein intake after weight loss surgery.

Here are three top tips on how to eat enough protein post weight loss surgery:

1) Plan your meals in advance

• Sit down on Sunday night and plan your meals for the week ahead. It is important that you choose the meat or dairy foods first to make sure that you are making those foods a priority. The stomach is very small after surgery, which means you have to be clever about what foods you choose to eat first.

2) Snack smart

• ​Choose snacks that help you reach your protein intake. Snacks should be smaller meals and should turn turn into graze sessions. Aim to have snacks to be more than 10g of protein to have a significant impact on your daily protein intake. 

3) Consistency 

• Be consistent with your protein intake. To prevent deficiencies in protein, you need to make sure that you’re not only eating enough protein on one day of the week, but all days. This will prevent your hair from falling out and your muscles breaking down. 

We hope this helps you improve your protein intake. For more personalised diet advice, please contact us for a consult or purchase a diet analysis today! 

Having a gastric sleeve, lap-band, Roux-en-Y Bypass or Mini Bypass or even a SIPS/SADI procedure, does not automatically ensure that you have adequate nutrition after your surgery. All of these different procedures require different nutrients after your procedure, which means you need individualised advice. 

Dietitians are university qualified professionals that are adequately equipped with the latest evidence based research to help you through your bariatric or weight loss surgery journey. Dietitians tailor the research to suit you. There are different dietitians, just as there are different types of doctors.

​Dietitians may have a special interest or field. For this reason, it is important that you choose a dietitian that would help you towards your nutrition goals. 

​For myself personally, bariatric nutrition is my special interest. I have seen and helped thousands of patients reach their goals after weight loss surgery. My role is to ensure that you are well equipped with the knowledge you need before you make the life-changing decision; provide you with your pre-surgery diet and arm you with the knowledge of what to expect after your procedure. I then also help you through the different diet progressions after your procedure, give you new food ideas to trial and ensure that you’re not getting any nausea/vomiting/pain or issues with your bowels. Dietitians also prevent and treat nutrient deficiencies by recommending products to prevent these from arising.