Undergoing weight loss surgery means still celebrating all those wonderful events that revolve around food, such as Christmas and New Years, but without the weight gain.
A few tweaks may need to be made, but for the most part, you can keep the rituals and just say good-bye to the kilos.
At Surgical Weight Loss Centre, we help you to improve your health without sacrificing quality of life. We’ve put together a list of our top tips and tricks to ensure you enjoy the Festive Season just as much as you used to. Frankly we believe it will be even better than last year.
Start small
You are generally able to eat the same things after surgery as before, it just takes much less food for you to feel full and satisfied. If you’re a big fan of sampling lots of different foods in one sitting – go smaller. Tapas and hors d’oeuvres are a great way to enjoy a variety of foods without eating too much. If you’re entertaining, try creating a variety of bite sized foods for friends and family to enjoy. If you’re the guest at an event, fill up on the smaller foods and skip the main. Alternatively, avoid the snacks altogether and opt just for the main. Remember to eat mindfully, slow down and listen to your body. When you’re full; take a break, chat with your friends and concentrate on the experience.
Make it fancy
When you are eating smaller serves, make them mouth-wateringly beautiful. Serve your smaller portions on fancy platters with decorations and such! Whether you’re cooking for friends or cooking for one, treat yourself to some beautiful crockery that’s better suited to your new portion sizes. Shops like Daiso, Kmart and Target all have affordable smaller sized serving options including plates, bowls, cups, platters and lunch boxes. Or if you’re wanting something fancier, try checking out your local craft market for a special something hand-made. The markets at the Gold Coast Arts Centre on a Sunday have a great selection of hand-made wonders.
Swap the Champagne
A glass of champagne at Christmas and New Year is traditional, however after stomach surgery bubbles may not be your friend. Try switching to a refreshing flat white or a fruit drink such as apple or grape juice with a dash of vodka. And be sure to use a flute! A big part of the champagne experience is the fancy glass so don’t deny yourself. Serve your drinks in a glass flute or fancy cocktail glass, indulge in decorations and crack on with the festivities. As above – make it fancy!!
Pace yourself
Whether you’ve had weight loss surgery or not, pacing yourself at Christmas is a tactical manoeuvre. If you eat or drink too much you’ll end up like old uncle Jim asleep on the coach by midday! Start slow, start small and add something other than food to your celebrations. Maybe your family has a little ritual where you play a backyard game, cards, Christmas trivia or watch a special family movie; National Lampoons Christmas Vacation anyone? If you don’t have something like this in your family culture, be the one to bring it in! Whilst food is a big part of Christmas, it’s not the only part. Share these new rituals with your family, who knows, it may do them a world of good.
Reward yourself
Remind yourself that you’ve done an amazing thing for your health. You’ve taken decisive action to turn your health around and focus on your future rather than just this minute. Reward yourself for making this decision and stand strong in it. If you are pressured to overeat or ‘go on have a glass,’ remember that your reward for making this commitment to yourself is far further reaching than that bite of food or glass of champagne, or even that persons effect on you. When you say such a resounding YES to yourself, it means that a few ‘no’s to others have to come along the way. Know this, be prepared and enjoy your Christmas how YOU want to. To some of us this is hard, but it gets easier with practice, promise.
Have a Happy Holiday everyone. You deserve it.
— Dr Jordaan and the team at Surgical Weight Loss Centre