7 things to practise before surgery

So you’ve decided to go ahead with surgery, congratulations!

The hardest thing to get used to after a sleeve is how to eat not necessarily what to eat. It takes a while for your brain to adjust to what has happened to your stomach (sometimes months!). With a sleeve, you can eat any texture, but how you eat it is the thing that will determine how comfortable you feel. Other than the portion size, there are a few new eating habits that new ‘sleevers’ struggle to adjust to the most. The best thing to do? Practise these habits before you have the surgery so it’s easier to adjust afterwards. Here are my top 10 things to practice before surgery.

1. First things first…Before you eat, start asking yourself if you’re actually hungry. If yes – how hungry? On a hunger scale of 0-10 where 0 is absolutely starving and 10 is Christmas Day full, aim to stay between a 3 and 7.  Avoid getting over-hungry (<3/10) as this leads to eating too fast or too much at the next meal. Stop eating as soon as you feel satisfied or ‘not hungry anymore’ (7/10) – remember your body takes about 20 minutes to register how full you are.
2. Rather than rushing and eating on the go, take a moment to sit down and eat.
3. Slow down! After a sleeve you’ll need to take 20-30 minutes to eat your meal. If you currently bolt your food down in a couple of seconds, it’s really important to start slowing down, even if it’s just taking 10 minutes to eat. The next couple of points will help you to slow down (sounds simple but takes practise!).
4. CHEW, CHEW, CHEW!
5. SAVOUR each bite: swallow one mouthful before taking another. Actually put your cutlery down between mouthfuls
6. Turn off the TV/computer/phone while you eat. If you’re distracted you’re more likely to eat more than you need.
7. Do not drink with meals. Instead, drink plenty of water between meals. After a sleeve you’ll need to leave about 30 minutes before and after meals so it’s good to get in the habit now.