Making a Personal Plan

Resources mentioned in this video:

My “Don’t Jump to Conclusions” Placemat for mindful eating and learning from each meal

Current Menus on Bariatric Food Coach

How to make custom menus with BFC Recipes 

Transcript:

We’ve set the stage a little with the 4 pillars of hydration, meal planning and food quality, movement and sleep. Now we are going to build up on that foundation.

Reminder, our goal is to be really good managers of hunger. If we can manage hunger, we can better manage emotional needs, energy needs and more. When we are managing hunger, we aren’t as confused by body signals and can better identify what we are in need of.

When it comes to the bariatric eating guidelines, to me it’s like the boundaries of the game but there is freedom to make your playing style your own. Like the boundaries of the soccer field, there are boundaries to play inside but how to move the ball down the field can have your own style to it.

Sometimes the ball goes out of bounds and you throw it back in. You didn’t break the law when you went out of bounds, it’s not that serious. But getting the ball back into the boundaries can get you back in the game. Get back to basics on your boundaries, but don’t be really hard on yourself that you went out of bounds.

If you’re working with a bariatric dietitian, their boundaries may differ slightly but for the most part bariatric nutrition has consistent boundaries and from there patients and dietitians find their style.

Here are my bariatric boundaries:

Eat three meals a day, a protein snack if you need it for true hunger control

Use my “don’t jump to conclusions mat” to help get back to basics with eating behaviors! (link below)

Those are the boundaries that will help you control your hunger. When you go out of bounds, throw the ball back into play with meal planning – one of your four pillars. Your membership includes both pre-written menus from me or you can create custom menus with My Collections. There are over 600 recipes on the site all focused on helping you stay in these boundaries. This is where you can make it your own style. Try a new recipe from the site each week. If you like it, add it to a photo binder or save it to your collection. Over time you’ll have a library of protein focused recipes you know you like.

Remember, the four pillars and these boundaries will help with your hunger control. That is a leading indicator. Plan your meals, control hunger and weight change is the lagging indicator. If you eat some potatoes with your dinner one night, be at peace. You may be more hungry the next day and need to throw the ball back in bounds to control your hunger better. You didn’t break anything!

Now let’s spend a moment talking about portion sizes. You’re probably wondering how much you should be eating and why I haven’t given you numbers. The beauty of the 2:1 protein method is that it allows YOUR pouch to tell you how much is right for you. It can differ based on the day and based on what you are eating. This is a more mindful eating approach to say, I am going to eat two bites of the protein to every bite of the veggies, take small bites and listen to my first sign of fullness. It truly doesn’t matter how much you are eating if you are eating the right things. If you cut yourself off short, you won’t be managing your hunger. Fill up on as much protein and veggies as your pouch says you need. Aim for 20-30 minutes at each meal. More than 30 minutes will turn into a grazing pattern and you may end up eating more with a larger window of time.

Once again, programs differ and I do recommend working with a bariatric dietitian. Let me know if you need help finding someone in your area. It’s possible that dietitian might have you use grams of protein or calorie counting and that’s okay if it feels like the right time for you. But know that I have coaching hundreds of patients to lose thousands of pounds without counting anything. Focus on the quality of food and your body cues for hunger control and you’ll be okay without the numbers.

One final note before we wrap up and it has to do with trashing the trigger food. There are certain foods that have a very high dopamine release when we eat them. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is very powerful for us to feel pleasure. It’s a really good thing in the body but it is also associated with addictions. If there are foods in your home turf that are very high in sugar or fat, these foods have a high dopamine release which make controlling your hunger very difficult. Consider taking my Pantry Clean Out Challenge linked below to purge your pantry and refrigerator and restock for your best bariatric success. The Pantry Challenge includes a lesson to working with you family to make food changes in the house. For many it’s the work environment that is full of high dopamine release foods. It might take considering on how to avoid the break room or fill a drawer with items to help you in tempting moments. Whatever it is, setting yourself up in your environment is very important for staying in your boundaries and managing your hunger.