Losing Weight With or Without Surgery

No matter how you decide to achieve or maintain a healthy weight, one unavoidable remains—the amount of calories you take in must equal the number of calories you burn. Whether you use a personal or surgical approach to weight loss, you need to have an eating plan you can follow consistently to achieve and sustain weight loss.

Three Steps to Success

A successful eating plan requires three components for weight loss and maintenance.

Healthy Portions

Every successful plan limits the amount of food you can eat. Most plans usually recommend a range of foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, so you get enough protein, fat and carbohydrates every day.

Eat at Regular Times

People who successfully maintain weight loss, with or without surgery, stick to a regular meal schedule. Spontaneous snacking is not part of a successful program. Some people have three regular meals a day, while others eat three smaller meals with two snacks. Whatever plan you choose, you need to follow it every day. Keep in mind that people who eat breakfast every day are more likely to be successful in their weight-loss efforts.

Avoid Certain Foods

People with successful long-term weight loss avoid sugary and high-fat foods. These trigger foods can make you want to eat more even when you're full. Most people who have been successful at long-term weight loss also drink little or no alcohol, as this is an "empty calorie" food, with no nutritional value.

The chart below compares the personal and surgical approaches to long-term weight loss.

Diet and Exercise Requirements for Weight Loss and Maintenance
	Personal Management Plan	Surgical Plan – Post Operative
Weight loss	Appropriate calorie intake Meal/snack schedule Include fresh fruits and vegetables Omit "empty calories"	First month: volume restriction 1/4-1 cup of pureed food Thereafter, 1 cup of food three times a day pureed or well chewed, no bulky fibrous food No high sugar or fatty food No liquids with meals No high-calorie liquids
Maintenance	Continue appropriate calorie intake Continue scheduled meals and snacks Quantities can be adjusted for maintenance based on activity level Can comply with the USDA/CDC recommended diet	Continue restriction of 1 cup of food three times a day Avoid high sugar foods to prevent symptoms of mal-absorption Avoid fatty foods No liquids with meals No high-calorie liquids Is not compliant with USDA/CDC recommended diet
Exercise	Regular exercise of 45-60 minutes a day, 5-7 days a week is associated with long-term weight loss	Regular exercise of 45-60 minutes a day, 5-7 days a week is associated with long-term weight loss

Surgery Alone Isn't the Answer

Bariatric (obesity) surgery alone will not make you successful in achieving a healthy body weight. You'll also need to follow a healthy postoperative diet every day to get that result. Surgery only limits the size of your stomach, so you feel full with less food. You can still gain weight after if you eat very rich foods or stretch your stomach out by eating too much food.

Even with surgery, you will need to follow the three-component plan—healthy portions, regular meals, and a limited food list—to achieve long-term success.