If you are having gastric bypass surgery, gastric sleeve surgery, or some other form of weight loss surgery, the aim is to minimize the overall amount you eat and absorb into your body. As a result, over-eating after gastric sleeve or gastric bypass surgery becomes even more complicated. However, it is not impossible, and overeating after weight loss surgery can have some significant effects, including but not limited to reversing any weight loss that has occurred. So, what’s going to happen if you overeat after bariatric surgery?
Risks of Eating Too Much After Bariatric Surgery
Extreme abdominal pain and cramps are the most common reaction to overeating following bariatric surgery. Part of what makes it so difficult to heal from weight loss surgery, and yet so important to long-term success, is that it causes the body to “punish” overeating habits with pain. Not only are you not going to be able to eat as much, but you’re also not going to want to because of the pain. Another popular answer is that your body refuses food. Vomiting may occur if you eat too much, but it may also occur if you eat the wrong food at the wrong time.
Diarrhea is another complication that happens when you eat too much after a gastric sleeve or a gastric bypass surgery. This is due to the malabsorption of food while the digestive tract is attempting to absorb it. Other more serious complications may arise if the patient overeats after surgery, which may lead to significant intestinal and stomach problems. Apart from all these dangers, the risk of experiencing these complications is lowered the more time you have spent post-op. As a result, it’s not rare for people to get into the groove of eating, and then eventually slip back to overeating and that can result in a reversal of weight loss. So, what can you do to prevent this?
Eat Small Portions: Keep your portions small. Your doctor will provide you with prescribed portion sizes at different post-op points. Through consuming small portions, you are more likely to consume more of the nutrients in the food while feeling more whole. If you’re in a situation where large quantities of food are given to you (like at a restaurant or a social gathering), make sure that you get half of the food you get and save the rest for later, or for someone else to have. Don’t be afraid to reject large portions of food, because you just had surgery, and it might be dangerous!
Eat Slowly: Overeating habits also evolve early in life alongside fast eating. Eating quickly allows you to feel less full, encouraging you to eat more. During gastric sleeve or gastric bypass surgery, this may have very painful effects. Through eating slowly, you’re going to let your body tell you when it’s full and you don’t want any more food.
Drink Between Meals, Rather Than with Meals: You should drink between meals instead of drinking with a meal that takes up space in your stomach. This has two effects. The first consequence is that it avoids possible problems from overeating since there are dangers if your stomach has too much food in it. The second result is that it helps you to feel complete every day. You’re not hungry for a short time because you’ve had plenty to drink.
Binge Eating After Bariatric Surgery In Summary
- Overeating after gastric sleeve or gastric bypass surgery may lead to painful complications and weight loss reversal.
- Eat small portions, and let your doctor tell you how much you should be eating.
- Eat at a slow speed.
- Drink water and other beverages between meals.
