response to calories in postop pts

[Guest guest]

Everyone's response has been helpful & insightful. I tend to break-down the

info. I give patients into small steps 1st, build on these & then start

incorporating specific goals according to patient need. I don't focus on kcals

in the 1st yr post-op, but do provide parameters (how much can they eat at a

meal; priority of foods at meals; definition of a meal vs snack; how much

protein per meal per day; fiber and sources during limited dietary intake;

healthy carbs and fats, etc.) and think it helps to simplify the process for

patients. In fact, I believe that many patients know how to count calories, but

don't understand their behaviors and the drive to consume those calories; if 50%

of bariatric patients exhibit binge eating symptoms then it makes sense why we

may have differing opinions. The patients I see, tend to be unaware of their

" blind spots " don't have alternate coping strategies in the 1st yr post-op

especially since food can not be " binged " or used to disengage from life

(stress, emotions, etc). In my opinion, a patient who eats and drinks at the

same time employs a more dangerous saboteur than a person who is not counting

calories. But then again, we may all be talking about the same coin - just

different sides

Parrott, MS, RD, LD