Grocery Shopping after Weight Loss Surgery

After your weight loss surgery, a trip to the grocery store may seem slightly intimidating. Grocery stores are filled with comfort foods and treats that aren’t on the menu in your post-bariatric lifestyle. Temptation lurks down every aisle and can sometimes seem impossible to resist.

However, grocery shopping doesn’t have to be a torturous endeavor. Here are some tips for staying on track with your post-bariatric diet when shopping for food:

• Make a list. Prepare a list of everything you need from the store and stick to it. Make sure you take into consideration foods that are high in vitamins and minerals and lower in calories. If you go without a list, you may wander the aisles and be tempted to pick up something harmful to your diet.
• Don’t go up and down every aisle. If you’ve made a list, this should be easy. You want to avoid thoughtless purchases.
• Stick to the outside perimeter of the store. The produce and deli sections are usually located outside of the center aisles, whereas the processed foods tend to be in the center. Since you will want your new diet to be higher in protein and lower in calories, fats and sugar, the best areas for you to shop will be outside of the center aisles.
• Read nutrition labels carefully. Make sure you are checking out the nutritional facts about the food you are buying. Avoid trans and saturated fats and foods that are high in cholesterol or sodium. Also, look at the ingredients. Generally, if there is a long list of ingredients you’ve never heard of, those ingredients likely include various added sugars and chemicals. When it comes to ingredients, the shorter the list, the better.
• Stick to fresh foods and whole grains. Instead of buying bread from the bread aisle, check out the bakery for freshly made whole grain bread. It is better for you and usually tastes better.
• Make sure to purchase lean meats. You want a diet that is high in protein, and meats are often high in saturated fats. So you want to be careful about the types of meats you are purchasing. Try to avoid bacon, sausages or any processed meats like bologna.

If you stick to the above tips when grocery shopping after weight loss, your chances of being tempted by or purchasing old comfort foods should be lowered. When you head into a grocery store, remind yourself of the benefits of your new lifestyle and how far you’ve come since your weight loss surgery.