5 tips to minimize cravings after bariatric surgery

Dawn (00:00):

Hello and welcome to the Gastric Health Show. My name is Dawn Boxell, and this week’s topic is five Tips to minimize cravings after bariatric surgery. Now, I would say this was probably one of the most common conversations I would have with bariatric patients after counseling tens and thousands of you. I will say this ranked at the top of one of the main conversations I would have that many of you felt very confused and frustrated because you experienced most of your cravings for all of your cravings.

Dawn (01:00):

But I would say the majority of you had most of your cravings kind of quietly go away right after bariatric surgery. And this was fabulous. And then as months and years went on many experienced those cravings return. So in essence, some of them will experience an increase in cravings kind of in an extreme way, and really nothing will resolve them until you indulge and that it’s holding you back from your health goals.

Dawn (01:28):

So for example, some of you may have experienced your diabetes returning and you may have needed to restart medications. You feel concerned, you feel like you’re stuck in a vicious cycle. My hopes for this conversation is to offer some tips that can help minimize or maybe even resolve these cravings enough to help you reach your ultimate health goals. So I think let’s kind of dig into some of this and hopefully you can take away some new strategies to implement.

Dawn (02:10):

But I do want to preface this with there are individuals with genetic SNPs that fall in the addiction category and cravings, hunger appetite are pretty complicated and some will require medication, some will require abstinence from certain foods to be successful at managing your health. But for the sake of this talk, we are approaching this with just tips to minimize hunger as we’re taking it as a general approach so that some of you will actually experience full resolution, but some of you will only experience a minimized effect of cravings because of those genetics that play a role.

Dawn (03:11):

And since we don’t know everyone’s genetics, I want to offer all of you options so you can make informed choices and it can kind of help you stay motivated to stay the course until you resolve them or get them in a better place that it’s manageable, it’s doable in your life. So first off, what are cravings? Cravings are your desire for specific foods and they are driven by genetics and microbes, your gut bacteria, hormones and emotions.

Dawn (04:00):

So as you can imagine, they can be quite complicated to resolve for some people. Of course, I look at cravings after bariatric surgery through the lens of nutrition and lifestyle, and I really try to focus on strategies that influence your genetics, your hormones, your gut bacteria positively without destroying your relationship with food. The goal is not restriction and restrict more. It is really approaching this in a way that is sustainable and long term.

Dawn (04:29):

So let’s dig into these five tips to minimize cravings after vari bariatric surgery. No. one is maintain a consistent blood sugar balance. Number two, consume quality carbs. No. three, improve your sleep. Number four, improve your gut bacteria. And number five, boost dopamine. The first one, how to maintain consistent blood sugars to minimize cravings. So hands down to me, this is one of the most effective ways to minimize cravings especially sugar and carb cravings.

#1 Blood sugars to minimize cravings after bariatric surgery

Dawn (05:20):

Anytime that your blood sugar goes high and low multiple times a day, your desire for sugar and carbs go up and your body is intuitive to know what it needs. So sugar is fuel for the brain. And when that is not available in your bloodstream to keep those levels up, your body knows it needs more of those carbs and sugars to boost that backup. So how do you maintain a consistent blood sugar balance?

Dawn (05:51):

I’m going to give you eight ways to kind of maximize your blood sugar balance. One is consume a low carb high protein diet, and this is kind of the plan for bariatric patients. So this shouldn’t be too hard, but I will get into just a little bit when we go into the quality carbs, I will get into some details of what does low carb look like and mean when it comes to numbers. And you might be surprised on some of this.

Dawn (06:00):

Number two is fiber filled carbohydrates and these can include resistant starch as well. So these are things like beans and lentils and a cooked and chilled potato like a potato salad. So these are going to be a great way to really balance out your blood sugars and maintain stability throughout the day a whole lot better. And then also get adequate omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium and vitamin D.

Get adequate Omega-3, magnesium & vitamin D

Dawn (06:59):

And we know that vitamin D can increase insulin sensitivity, so it can help improve how your body is responding to sugars and carbs and just work more efficiently. And then omega s, those fatty acids, think of the small fish like mackerel and anchovies and sardines. Those are great sources of omega-3. Of course you can take fish oil capsules, those are fine or soft gels I’m fine with that too. And then magnesium, really think about your dark leafy greens are a great source of magnesium.

Dawn (07:30):

Number four is move your body especially after meals. So if you start once you eat, if you get up and you walk and move around for about 10 minutes after a meal it can be you go outside and have a walk or it could really just be that you get up and you do all the kitchen cleanup and you keep moving, moving, moving for 10 minutes before you go and sit down.

Dawn (08:08):

So either way would work and be helpful in keeping your blood sugar stable. Number five is add apple cider vinegar or really just any vinegar two water for any high carb meals. So if you are having say pizza or pasta, I would encourage you to do a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in water for me. I like it in sparkling water only. And then drink that either right before the meal or during the meal. And that will help lessen the blood glucose spike.

Add apple cider vinegar mixed in water to high-carb meals to minimize cravings after bariatric surgery

Dawn (08:30):

So that will prevent that spike from that high carb meal. Number six is really just increasing the short chain fatty acid production. And again, these are things with having fiber filled carbohydrates is one of the best and easiest ways. And then seven, you can consider burberine, which is a supplement that can really help.

Dawn (09:17):

It really acts just like metformin. It’s just a natural form of it. So this is something that can be super helpful in really preventing that blood sugar from spiking and really kind of help with cravings. It really can kind of blunt that craving that people have for carbs. So again, I think that’s an option to consider. If you aren’t getting results with other things or you’re applying multiple things and you still have some issues with cravings, adding some burberine may be a good option.

Dawn (09:40):

And also it really does help prevent that blood sugar from spiking. So again, they are all tied together, the cravings and the blood sugar balance, so they work in that way. And then the last one is consider a continuous glucose monitor. And this really dials it in for you personally and pulls in that genetic piece that we may or may not have.

Dawn (10:19):

So if you don’t have a genetic test that you’ve ran and you don’t know your genetics, and if you are going to need to be more careful with certain foods and enlist certain strategies to maintain a balanced blood sugar at all times this is immediate feedback. This is how your body responds to food. And if you want to optimize your food relationship, this is one easy way to do that because this will really highlight and show you how your body reacts to food.

Dawn (10:40):

And then you’re not just randomly restricting whole groups of food, you are just restricting the foods that just don’t work for you. So again this is how you personalize it. This is how you really dial it in for your genetics and get the best results with really controlling cravings by really keeping that blood sugar tightly regulated. So that again, is just a great option to consider if cravings are an issue.

Consider a continuous glucose monitor to minimize cravings after bariatric surgery

Dawn (11:34):

Additionally, if your blood sugar is out of balance, you already know it is your A1C is elevated or you are having elevated fasting blood glucose levels or elevated fasting insulin if any of those are elevated or out of range or in the pre-diabetic range. So don’t wait until you’re in the diabetic range, attack it when you’re in the pre-diabetic range. Then that way you don’t get yourself to where you need insulin because.

Dawn (12:00):

It’s kind of a vicious cycle where you’ll get stuck because that blood sugar staying elevated, you are going to have a really hard time avoiding those sugars and carbs because your blood sugar is going to encourage that and want you to have those foods. If you want a better understanding of balanced blood sugars I did do a post and it will be in the links, but it’s titled Why Bariatric Patients Should Care about Blood Sugar.

Dawn (12:39):

And it kind of goes into the full detail with all the research and all the specific numbers of your a1c, your insulin, your blood glucose, all of those numbers. If you want that detail, check out that blog post or video. Okay, so the second one is get quality carbs for better craving control. So carbs I would say is the new demonized food. And I will say, although I don’t really fully align with all foods fit and everything on moderation carbs are definitely not the enemy.

#2 Get Quality Carbs for better craving control cravings after bariatric surgery

Dawn (13:00):

So we all know that the a keto diet has been quite popular and I would say we can say that not everyone truly needs to follow a ketogenic diet long term and it’s really not sustainable. Will it provide results? Absolutely. I do know that many people who have followed a ketogenic diet have gotten results, but I also have patients that try to ketogenic diet and they gained weight and they felt miserable.

Dawn (13:58):

So again, that you have to work with a provider like myself who can really help you dial in what is best for you. Now, I would say I remain neutral on a ketogenic diet and because really essentially there is plenty of evidence supporting its benefits, but I’m also realistic in understanding that it’s restrictive and some people do not need to be that restrictive lifelong. Again, this is where genetics play a role. If I had, here’s a great example.

Dawn (14:30):

If I had my genetics done and I learned that I have some of the APOE genes that is evident like I’m homozygous for APO… APOE, which is the genetic SNPs for Alzheimer’s and dementia. If I knew I had these and I have family members that have had it, multiple family members I would say to me that would be a consideration. There is evidence to support lessening of or slowing down the progression towards Alzheimer’s and dementia with a ketogenic diet.

Dawn (15:23):

So again, this is where I like to personalize it and not do these general things. So I’m not against ketogenic diets. I’m all for personalizing it and really limiting the amount of restrictions that you follow with your diet. So again, I think it’s working with a practitioner like myself before you even start something like this. So don’t just start one and then check it out and try it out and see if it works.

Carbs are all about quality when it comes to cravings after bariatric surgery

Dawn (16:00):

And then when you feel miserable or you know got results but then you couldn’t sustain it then you seek it out. No work with a practitioner like myself so that we can determine if this is something that’s truly appropriate for you in what your health history and your genetics really tell us. I really want you to understand how carbs really can be beneficial in supporting or minimizing your cravings. So not all carbohydrates are equal, and more and more studies are finding that those ultra processed carbohydrates can lead to increased cravings.

Dawn (16:46):

And this is why it’s so important to choose more of the fiber filled carbohydrates. And again, it ties back to that blood sugar balance and the increases, but those ultra processed foods, there are studies that are kind of deeming this to be in that we are going to, somewhere in the future, we are going to look at ultra processed foods, the way that we look at smoking and cigarettes and nicotine. So I think it’s going to be interesting as this research continues to be released but more and more studies are showing this addictive nature of these ultra processed foods.

Dawn (17:40):

So use caution. Again, I don’t believe in perfection and I don’t believe that there isn’t a time and a place to have these. But I will say this depends on the person. This de depends on their genetics and their emotions and just their ability to evaluate the situation and determine, hey, is this a good fit for me or no?

Dawn (18:05):

So it really depends for me, it depends on the person as to how we dabble in some of those ultra processed foods. But the ultimate go goal is that you’re really minimizing its use. You are really not relying on them as your main fuel sources really very often. It’s something that’s few and far between. That’s more of a very occasional treat. I don’t think that’s harmful. I think it depends again, if you have those dopamine genetics where you have those haven’t maybe worked on those pathways in your brain to change those pathways that are stronger for healthy behaviors that make it hard for you to have it.

Dawn (19:00):

One bag of lays potato chips because you get right back into that pathway of I’m going to eat these and I binge on them and I consume a lot of them. So again, it’s very individual and very personalized onto who can manage and really consume ultra processed foods without it contributing to binging and food addiction type behaviors.

Is the unanimously prescribed high-protein, low-carb bariatric diet hurtful?

Dawn (19:27):

So I’m definitely all for low carbohydrate diets and I do think we need to normalize the amount of carbohydrates. Most of you will likely need to maintain your cravings in a balanced way because well, I would say essentially this is where the genetics would be super beneficial because there’s only one U and no formula seems to work for everyone. And I wanna share some of these studies. So check this out. A study published in 2022 titled Craving for Carbs, food Craving and Disordered Eating in Low Carb Dieters and its association with intermittent fasting.

Dawn (20:00):

And they found significant association between cognitive restraint towards carbohydrates, food craving levels and disordered eating behaviors in low carb dieters compared to non dieters. So interesting. And then there’s a study, another study published in 2020 titled The Psychology of Food Cravings, the Role of food Deprivation. And it states that diet eating’s bad reputation for increasing food cravings is only partially true as the relationship be between food restriction and craving is more complex.

Dawn (21:05):

While short-term selective food deprivation may indeed increase food cravings, long-term energy restriction seems to decrease food cravings. Suggesting that food deprivation can also facilitate extinction of conditioned food craving responses. So is the kind of unanimously prescribed high protein, low carb bariatric diet, hurtful, helpful. Again, this is where genetics are kind of key. Understanding those appetites, satiety, mood and behavior pathways and genetic SNPs that most definitely will determine how you only deal with hunger cravings and appetite.

Dawn (22:10):

And this is where they truly can really guide you and kind of put out this roadmap that can help you make informed decisions. So how many grams of carbohydrates should you consume? And I think this is where bariatric patients get confused. I mean with the big fad of ketogenic diets really created this really low carb, less than 20 grams of carbs. And a lot of patients felt like that’s where that’s the normal amount but in reality some learned that you could take that from 20 to 50 grams, but again, that’s still very low.

Dawn (22:52):

So for me, what I find to be a little bit more realistic because I want your gut bacteria to help you, I want your blood glucose levels to be stable and I want you to find a way to have a balanced approach that you’re not restricting whole food groups and missing out on vital nutrients and vitamins and minerals that you will likely struggle to get otherwise so. I want you to understand that anything under 150 grams of carbohydrates is considered low carb so.

Try increasing your carb intake with whole food sources to minimize cravings after bariatric surgery

Dawn (23:20):

What I usually find to hit when I’m pl making a plan for a patient, if I wanna get adequate fiber, it’s going to land somewhere between 75 to 120 grams of carbohydrates a day to hit all of the nutrients in fiber needs that you will need to sustain balanced blood sugars, balanced cravings, and good gut bacteria, good buty production or good short chain fatty acid production.

Dawn (24:13):

It’s going to take some of those fibers that only come from carbohydrates to really give you your ultimate health, help hit your ultimate health goals. So I think if we could all normalize not being afraid of carbohydrates, but yet still follow a low carb plan, but maybe inch it up a little bit where you’re closer to that 75 to 125 grams of carbohydrates a day will be way better. And it is easier for really just to meet your needs and all your health goals.

Dawn (25:00):

And it’s important to really increase it with those whole foods sources of carbohydrates and not the simple. So go for the complex carbohydrates from whole grains and other whole food sources and avoid the simple carbohydrates that are the ultra processed foods. So those are the snack crackers and chips and just packaged goods that are so readily available. And we have hundreds of thousands of options to choose from at the grocery store.

Dawn (25:31):

But instead, if you want whole food sources of good complex carbohydrates, think of brown rice, whole grain pasta and bread, sweet potatoes, cooked and chilled potatoes, beans and lentils. Those types of carbohydrates are great to include and are what we consider smart carbs and kind of just a way to incorporate good beneficial carbohydrates that will optimize your health goals and minimize cravings. Okay, the third one is how to improve sleep to minimize cravings.

#3 How to improve sleep to minimize cravings bariatric surgery

Dawn (26:10):

And really sleep is kind of our ultimate replenisher. And this is when your body repairs and rejuvenates itself and resets and without it, without adequate sleep most of you will experience increased cravings the next day. There was a study published in 2019 that found those who sleep. What they did is the control group, they let them sleep their normal no disruptions, and then the test group, they cut back their sleep time by 33%.

Dawn (26:55):

And what they found were the people who had a 30%, a 33% decrease in their sleep time, then they had consumed more food and had increased food reward the next day. So think about it, if you’re consistently missing sleep, and this is kind of a nightly occurrence, it’s going to negatively influence your food choices and cravings long term, you’re going to get yourself in a cycle that this is the cause you’re not sleeping and this is the cause.

Dawn (27:20):

This is the cause of why you are having issues with your cravings. Now, your food choices, not your blood sugar, not anything else, it’s truly just your sleep. So don’t dismiss your sleeping habits and you really have to evaluate, how am I doing? How well am I getting that seven to nine hours of sleep every night and really getting deep restful sleep. So how can you optimize it or how can you kind of clean up your sleep hygiene?

Dawn (28:14):

One is keep your room at a cool temperature. Two, no electronics, one hour before bed, three room darkening curtains or shades. Four, keep your bedroom environment for sleep and sex only five. Avoid eating two to three hours before bed. Six, turn on your parasympathetic nervous system. Rest and digest get morning sunshine in your eyes within one hour of waking. Eight, limit caffeine after 2:00 PM for any slow caffeine metabolizers.

Dawn (29:00):

And nine, exercise regularly. And lastly number 10, unload mental worries with journaling. So those are 10 ways that you can really clean up your sleep hygiene and optimize how well you rest at night. So it’s super important to have quality sleep and you have to kind of figure out what’s compromising that because you need this sleep in order to have less cravings the next day. The next one is increase good gut bacteria to control cravings.

#4 Increase good gut bugs to control cravings bariatric surgery

Dawn (29:37):

So our almighty gut microbiome, this kind of ever-evolving area of research is growing and actually quite fascinating to me and it’s very clear that the gut microbiome shifts are directly related to your weight loss outcomes especially after a bariatric surgery. Not to mention the ability of your gut bacteria to influence cravings. There was a 2012 study that found that gut bacteria will change your taste receptors and increased sweet cravings. So if you struggle with car sugar and carb or sweet type food cravings this is one area. That really just correcting your gut dysbiosis can really change that.

Dawn (30:00):

So how can you boost your beneficial gut bacteria or improve your gut microbiome? One, you can increase your vegetables in fibrous foods with broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, those type of good fibrous vegetables. Number two, you can increase your polyphenol rich foods like berries, cocoa, dark chocolate cherries those types of deep dark colored vegetables are and fruit and different aspects that have those polyphenols.

Dawn (31:12):

Number three, you can choose whole grains over refined grains. No. four, be careful with artificial sweetener use. No. five, add fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, keefer all those are great fermented foods that can boost your beneficial gut bacteria. Number six, improve your nervous system regulation with meditation.

Dawn (32:00):

Number seven, take a high potency probiotic. And number eight, boost your short chain fatty acid production with beans, oats, and pysllium. So those are all great ways to really set your gut bacteria in the right direction. So that you can really minimize your cravings or kind of that response that’s occurring that gut brain communication that can trigger those cravings for sweets or carbs or other types of snacky foods that make it hard for you to avoid.

#5 Boost dopamine to minimize cravings after bariatric surgery

Dawn (32:16):

And the last one is boost your dopamine to minimize cravings. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is involved in helping you feel pleasure as a part of your brain’s reward system. And this feel-good hormone is involved in reinforcement. So things like sex and shopping, even smelling just some fresh baked cookies, canned trigger, a dopamine release. And then once you taste one of those fresh baked cookies. That’s when it makes it easier to come back for more.

Dawn (33:00):

Cause now we have reinforced that when you smell that you have a reinforcement of. Oh, do a boost of dopamine. I want some, I’m going to get some, I’m going to eat a cookie. So additionally, there are certain genetics that affect your ability to manufacture imbalance. Your brain chemicals like dopamine. And these are all necessary to manage your mood, your anxiety, your depression, addiction, and any related behaviors.

So how can you optimize dopamine to minimize cravings after bariatric surgery ?

Dawn (33:30):

So how can you optimize dopamine to kind of minimize your cravings? One, you can consume foods high in tyrosine and this is an amino acid. But it is a building block of dopamine. And these are foods like almonds, bananas, avocado, egg beans, fish, chicken, and dark chocolate. Number two follow a high protein low-carb diet. Which kind of ties right into our blood sugar balance and really keeping quality carbohydrates at your low carb choices. No. three, increase exercise. No. four, get a massage five, meditation Number six, include outdoor activities to increase your vitamin D uptake.

Dawn (34:20):

Number seven, get morning sunlight in your eyes within the first hour of waking. No. eight, take a cold shower or consider the cold immersion therapy. Where you kind of get into a little ice bath. Number nine, complete an important task. So if you feel stuck doing something as minimal as completing. A task that’s been on your list that is in your brain and not going away or making. You feel bad because you haven’t done it go complete it and that will boost your dopamine organize your workspace.

Dawn (35:03):

So if you feel overwhelmed and where do I begin? Pick one area, maybe like your desk and organize it. Number 11, get adequate sleep. Number 12, listen to call me music. And then number 13, you can consider some supplements like curcumin, L-theanine, tyrosine, ashwaganda and Rhodiola. All of those have been shown to boost and increase dopamine naturally. So hopefully you can see that applying some or all of these strategies can really help with your behavior. And your reward brain system that is set up with dopamine and really help you minimize cravings. When you implement these.

Conclusion

Dawn (36:00):

So let’s kinda wrap this up and tie it all together. Hopefully you can see that there are options. Hey, I have options to minimize my cravings. And for some of you, you really can accomplish full resolution of cravings. Where others you may find that they’re just quieter and they’re minimized. Enough that you can maintain your life in a healthy way. Because we know that your genetics will likely determine this.

Dawn (36:27):

But to optimize your genetics, consider those five tips that. I talked about of maintaining a consistent blood sugar balance. Consuming quality carbs over ultra processed carbs improve your sleep quality. Improve your gut bacteria balance, and boost your dopamine. So if you are really struggling with cravings, pick one of these things to get started. Find something that makes sense to you and start working on it and. Slowly go through this list and start implementing these strategies or finding ways that. You can truly feel that, hey, I’m actually feeling like.

Dawn (37:00):

I don’t need food at the same times in the same volumes that I once did. So I promise if you apply these they work. And I would say this is where the gastric health membership is super helpful. Because you can really take the time to work through these and. You can work with me and we can dial in the most impactful area and. Where you’re going to get the most bang for your buck.

Dawn (37:46):

So if you really aren’t sure set up a free chat with me. I do 15, 30 minute chats to kind of get a feel. If I’m even going to be able to help you or I have strategies that. I can offer you to hit your health goals I would love to work with you. And really help you hit your next health goals and. Making you feel like, hey, I’ve got these cravings under control.

Dawn (38:00):

I don’t have to worry about the next time they arise I have tools. In my toolbox to apply and I’m not stuck with just will powering or white knuckling it out. I have real tools that work because I’ve figured out what my

Dawn (38:35):

Body needs are and all I have to do is apply ’em. Doesn’t mean it had to be perfect lifelong, it’s just you do good. If it comes back, you apply the strategies and you get right back on track. So that’s where the gastric health membership is super helpful. So again, I really hope this has helped. You guys and feel free to reach out at any time with questions. I’m here to answer any questions that you might have on some of these. Strategies to see if there’s a different twist to it. So you guys have a great week and we’ll see you next time. Bye-bye.

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