How to make the most of a food and exercise tracker after weight-loss surgery

Ivory Lira, RDN - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Ensure you meet your nutritional needs, recover quickly, and lose weight after weight-loss surgery by using a food and exercise tracker.

Do you need to use a food and exercise tracker after weight-loss surgery?

Tracking what you eat and drink after weight-loss surgery helps ensure you stay on top of your plan. Logging with a food and exercise tracker is an excellent way to build personal accountability and reduce your chances of developing short- or long-term complications.

One key feature to look for in a food and exercise tracker is the ability to customize monitored nutrients according to your specific needs. Being able to customize your nutrition plan is essential, because the nutrient requirements recommended by your bariatric team (doctor and dietitian) differ from the default settings in weight-loss apps. For instance, your calorie goal may be lower, while your protein target may be higher than standard weight-loss requirements. MyNetDiary allows personalization of nutrient goals with a Premium membership.

Tracking protein–an essential nutrient after bariatric surgery

Meeting your daily protein needs is vital for a healthy body. You should be aiming for 60-80 grams of protein per day. Building your meals around protein-rich foods such as fish, seafood, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, eggs, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese makes it easy to meet your goals. Tofu, other whole soy products, and beans are also high in protein. However, you typically have to eat a bit more volume to get the same amount of protein as from animal sources. In this case, it may be helpful to supplement with a protein shake. If you are struggling to reach your protein goal, then please contact your bariatric team for advice.

What about protein supplements?

Protein supplements can be a great tool to help you meet your protein goals. Try to find options that are low in sugar (less than 3-4 grams per serving) to prevent dumping syndrome and better support your nutrition goals. Ready-to-drink shakes and protein powder are both excellent options. Unflavored protein powder can be added to a variety of foods, both warm and cold, to boost protein intake.

Keep track of hydration

Dehydration is one of the most common complications after bariatric surgery. Since your stomach is now relatively small, it is challenging to consume large amounts of fluid at once. Taking big gulps or chugs can be painful and lead to regurgitation. Sipping calorie-free, non-carbonated liquids slowly throughout the day will help prevent dehydration. Most bariatric clinics recommend consuming at least 64 ounces of water every day. If you are struggling to meet your hydration goals, contact your bariatric team for help.

Find a food and exercise tracker that simplifies hydration tracking. With MyNetDiary, you can track your intake by clicking on the water glass on your Dashboard. If you tend to forget to drink fluids, MyNetDiary has a water tracker reminder. To enable this, go to the Menu > App Settings > Reminders & Notifications > Water Reminders. With this feature, you can schedule the frequency and time range of your reminders.

Vitamin and mineral supplements

It is essential to take your prescribed vitamin and mineral supplementation after your surgery to prevent nutrient deficiencies over time. In the MyNetDiary app, you can log your vitamin and mineral supplements the same way you log your food. This ensures that all the nutrients you consume are accurately represented in your records. Since your supplementation will be part of a daily regimen, you can create a Custom Meal that includes all of your supplements. This way, you only need to log one meal item to account for all of your supplements. With a Premium subscription, you can create a separate meal category for your supplements.

Keep in mind that your vitamin and mineral intake from supplements is likely higher than the DRI/RDA values, which is okay. Since bariatric procedures are malabsorptive, you will need to consume more than the DRI/RDA to meet your needs. Typically, supplements include a bariatric-specific multivitamin with iron, calcium citrate, vitamin D, and vitamin B12.

A food and exercise tracker is a great tool to help ensure you are meeting your nutrient needs after weight-loss surgery. For safe and effective tracking, use your bariatric team's guidelines to customize your goals. Do not attempt to follow the automated values preset in the app for calories, fat, and carbs, as they will be too high.