​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! 

A gastric sleeve is where the surgeon removes 2/3 of the stomach. This procedure also reduces appetite by removing cells that stimulate your hunger. These cells are called ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is responsible for driving hunger. Leptin is responsible to keeping hunger cues 'on'. When there is an abundance of fat, leptin - which is stored in the fat cells, become resistant to the hormones that try to switch it off. As a consequence, leptin is on all the time, driving hunger/appetite. This affects weight gain. Removal of these cells is effective to prevent weight regain and promote weight loss. 

Figure 1: Gastric Sleeve Surgery Outline: The normal stomach (which is NOT enlarged in obese patients) holds about 1.5 litres of food. The stomach is reduced by removing the larger part of the stomach (see Figure 1). This large part of the stomach is removed completely. This leaves a small sleeve of the stomach that can only hold 150ml (1/2 cup). The stomach capacity is reduced by 70%. This means that you will not be able to eat as much as you used to. This procedure is restrictive and not malabsorptive. 
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A gastric band is a plastic device held around the top of the stomach to restrict food that can enter the stomach. The device holds saline solution, which causes the restriction of the stomach. It decreases hunger by causing a stretching of the stomach above the band, which sends a message to the brain telling you that you are full – even if you had a small portion of food.


There is no malabsorption in this procedure. This procedure needs adjustments with saline solution (salt) through the port, to increase or decrease the amount of food that can enter the stomach. If you are gaining weight, the band can be tightened. If you are losing weight too quickly or cannot get food down, the band can be loosened. ​

​A gastric band is a surgery that is done laparoscopically (using small incisions in the stomach), a band is introduced into the abdomen and secured around the stomach and sewn in place. It is made of silicon and Silastic. It has a balloon on the inner surface, which is connected to a tube and small port – under the skin. This lies on the top of you abdominal wall. In the port, your doctor will add or remove saline/salt water to increase or decrease the size of the stomach.  

The lap-band needs a significant change in your dietary habits. Please ensure that you are well aware of these changes before undergoing the surgery. An accredited practising dietitian will assist you in making these changes.