Canadian Bariatric Surgery Dietitians
We’re so glad you found us because finding us brings us one step closer to supporting you! At BariatricSurgeryNutrition.com (or as we refer to ourselves, “BSN”), our main purpose is to offer specialized bariatric surgery nutrition support at every stage, from thinking about having surgery and wanting to know what it will truly be like, all the way to pregnancy after bariatric surgery. Not every dietitian, just like not every health professional, truly understands bariatric surgery and every step of the process that a patient will experience. This is why it’s an absolute game changer to consult with a dietitian who had dedicated a large portion, if not all of their career, to bariatric surgery nutrition. Our dietitians are vetted and pass an interview process in order to ensure we offer the highest quality of care to our patients.
What can a bariatric surgery dietitian do for you?
Bariatric pre-op support
Our highly experiences bariatric dietitians often help support patients who are thinking about having bariatric surgery but who want to know what eating and socializing will be like afterwards. Our patients often wonder if they will continue to eat the same foods, at the same time, or follow the same pattern. Our dietitians can assess your current lifestyle and identify every aspect that will be different after surgery, and even better, they will give you tips on how to prepare for that stage.
Some of our patients also want help navigating their pre-operative bariatric diet which our specialized dietitians can help coach you through and in some cases, make alternative recommendations that best suit you.
Bariatric post-op support
There’s no doubt that every single week after surgery can be overwhelming in trying to adapt to a much smaller stomach and hydrate and eat pureed nourishing foods…all while having very little to no appetite at all. The texture progression occurs quickly for some and slowly for others and this post-op stage needs to be adapted to your needs, your preferences, and your nutritional needs. Our bariatric dietitians will help guide you through the first 6 weeks of your texture progression.
Once you’re on soft solid textured foods, our dietitians will discuss your individualized target protein needs which are dependent on your height, your ever-dropping weight on the scale, your physical activity level, and your medical profile.
Post-op support doesn’t end after your first year or once you’ve reached your goal weight. We like to say that while the first year of surgery is more physically challenging, our experience working with thousands of bariatric surgery patients has clearly shown that every year after surgery is the more psychologically challenging time. Along the way, there’s no doubt that certain habits begin creeping up on you. This can be a discouraging part of the process because you didn’t have surgery to bring back habits that may have led to weight gain in the past. Our bariatric dietitians will support you on your journey, maybe even help you understand why these habits have returned and what you can do about them to find balance in your lifestyle and eating habits. This type of support is SO IMPORTANT and is a vital part of the process of long-term weight loss and weight maintenance.
Weight regain after bariatric surgery
It may surprise you (or not) to know that the majority of our patients who consult with our dietitians are people who have regained some weight after surgery (anywhere from the first 5-10 lbs even up regaining every pound back). We receive our patients free of judgment and with encouragement to feel better and reach the potential they once experienced. We ensure that our dietitians provide you with long-lasting support and tips and incorporate counselling techniques to help you explore and understand certain eating behaviours. Our goal as dietitians is to help you on your journey for as little or as much as you need. We don’t offer, sell, or recommend any products to encourage weight loss following weight regain after bariatric surgery. Some people who impersonate dietitians (such as ‘nutrition experts’) will try to sell you products that you become dependent on to lose weight and keep it off. We believe that our patients should not depend on us for life. We equip you with the tools, techniques, and plans, that are achievable, maintainable, and realistic so that you can carry on and live your life in your best way.
Pregnancy after bariatric surgery
Some women pursue bariatric surgery with the goal of being able to regulate their menstrual cycle and carry a pregnancy. Others may have bariatric surgery and end up welcoming an unexpected surprise after their surgery. The rapid weight loss that is experienced after bariatric surgery has been shown to improve fertility, even in women who may have been told they would never be able to carry their own children. Some of our patients experience pregnancy 1 year or 10 years after their bariatric surgery and wonder how to navigate this stage of life to be sure that their baby is getting what they need in utero but also to be sure that they are gaining the appropriate weight in pregnancy, just a little for some, while for others it may be advised to maintain their weight during their pregnancy. We’ve also counselled patients who found themselves to be pregnant mere months after their surgery and are overwhelmed with what to do, what to eat, how to eat, how much protein they need, and how in the world to navigate their weight loss at a time when a baby is being nourished inside of them. We have experience in guiding our patients throughout this process and guide our patients exactly as to which vitamins to maintain, which ones to increase, which ones to decrease, which foods to eat for a safe pregnancy, which foods to avoid for a safe pregnancy, and how to tackle the weight loss, gain, or weight maintenance of pregnancy. We strive to provide you with the support you need to minimize the overwhelm and have a safe pregnancy by tackling the nutrition part of things.
Virtual bariatric dietitian support
Patients “discharged” too soon from public bariatric programs
Did you know that BSN was the first in all of Canada to start up virtual nutrition support exclusively for bariatric patients? We’ve been operating since 2016, serving Canadians with experience and expertise. BSN started because as bariatric dietitians working in a hospital setting, we saw that services were cut off to individuals who wanted to continue working with a dietitian but couldn’t because they are “discharged” from the bariatric clinics as patients. The honest reality that we experienced in the hospital settings as bariatric dietitians is that we had to see a certain number of patients per day. As much as we offered quality appointments, there simply wasn’t enough time to address so many other topics and often times there were too many issues at once (for example: needing to adjust the vitamin doses, tackling tolerance issues, addressing the night eating habits that were starting up, figuring out a plan for eating out, what foods were the best items in a fast food menu when you have no other option, managing sugar cravings, etc.). There simply wasn’t enough time to go through all the elements that were affecting our patients in the public hospital setting, so we had to limit ourselves to one or two things to talk about. We found it to be a difficult and unfortunate reality that we were limited not only on time spent with each patient, but we also could not offer our patients more frequent appointments if we considered them necessary because the departments are not staffed for this reality.
At BSN, our patients can spend as little or as much time in follow-up with their bariatric dietitian. They can also choose to consult with them as frequently as they like, especially when tackling issues like weight plateaus, weight regain, or maladaptive eating habits.
Flexiblity
Our second major reason for starting BSN is that we noticed many patients would not attend their follow-up nutrition appointments in the hospital, and it wasn’t for the reason we initially thought! People were skipping their appointments, not because they were doing well or thought they knew it all, but because taking time off work to drive over to the hospital, wait in the waiting room for their consultation, and so on, was taking up a minimum of 3 hours of their day, and in some cases half a day or more if they lived far from the hospital. These patients said they couldn’t take all the time off work for their follow-up appointments and in some cases, the travel time cost them too much. The hospital setting doesn’t permit for evening or weekend appointments, and we saw this as a significant need for some bariatric patients.
At BSN, you can request evening or weekend appointments that fit your needs and your schedule. We respect your time, and most of the time there’s no need to drive over to a dietitian when we can do the same thing virtually.
Bariatric surgery abroad
Another driving force behind starting our practice comes from seeing many Canadians who had surgery abroad (i.e. Mexico, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, etc.), but who return home only to realize that they have no follow-up care. Many of these people would seek out care from local bariatric surgery programs, but these hospital programs are mandated to follow their own patients, not those who had surgery in other countries. Too often, we would notice these patients who chose to have surgery abroad miss out on the care and follow-up that is so vital and essential to their surgery - they would often end up in the emergency room with severe vitamin deficiencies - so we started BSN to give people the option to consult with experienced bariatric dietitians.
At BSN, we welcome patients no matter where they had surgery. No patient is turned away because they chose to have surgery in the public sector, the private, sector, or outside of Canadian territory. All Canadians deserve access to experienced bariatric dietitians if they choose to.
Bariatric Surgery Nutrition Support Across Canada
At BSN, our practice is 100% Canadian. We offer nutrition support from Canadian bariatric surgery dietitians. We serve most Canadian provinces either through bariatric dietitians working under our umbrella or with connections we have in other provinces. If we don’t have a dietitian located in your province to offer you insurance receipts, we’ll help you find a bariatric dietitian in your province.
We ensure that the dietitian you’re connected with has the experience, knowledge, and know-how of walking you through every step of your bariatric journey. Our dietitians are well-versed in intuitive eating and simply realistic lifestyle habits. They are each dedicated to working WITH you, not ON you. We ensure that our dietitians have worked sufficiently in the field, maintain continuing education in the field of bariatric surgery nutrition, and work inclusively with every patient to provide individualized care. Our dietitians even have to pass a formal interview with various case scenarios to be sure they’re the right fit for BSN. We take our vetting process very seriously to provide you only with the best!
Bariatric Surgery Dietitian in Ontario
We service cities in Ontario such as Toronto, London, Mississauga, Sudbury, Kingston, Hamilton, Ottawa, Windsor, Oshawa, Kitchener, Thunder Bay, and St. Catherines. We essentially service all of Ontario with our bariatric dietitian who is registered with the College of Dietitians of Ontario. We offer virtual bariatric nutrition support to every resident of Ontario.
Bariatric Surgery Dietitian in Quebec
We service cities in Quebec such as Montreal, Laval, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, and Gatineau. We essentially service all of Quebec with our bilingual bariatric dietitian who is registered with the Ordre des diététistes nutritionnistes du Québec. We offer virtual bariatric nutrition support to every resident of Quebec.
Bariatric Surgery Dietitian in Manitoba
We service Winnipeg residents as well as any resident of Manitoba with our Ontario bariatric dietitian who is eligible to work across provincial borders. We offer virtual bariatric nutrition support to every resident of Manitoba.
Bariatric Surgery Dietitian in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland
We service maritimers from St John’s to Fredericton, and Halifax alike as well as any resident of New Brunswick, Nova, Scotia, and Newfoundland with our Ontario bariatric dietitian who is eligible to work across provincial borders. We offer virtual bariatric nutrition support to every resident of the Maritimes.
Bariatric Surgery Dietitian in Alberta
Whether from Calgary or Edmonton, any resident of Alberta can consult with a dietitian that we refer to who has been working in bariatric surgery for many years and who is largely considered to be recognized in the field. Upon request, we provide you with their contact information so that you can begin your bariatric surgery nutrition support with a trusted source.
Bariatric Surgery Dietitian in British Columbia
Whether from Vancouver, Victoria, or Kelowna, any resident of British Columbia can consult with a dietitian that we refer to who has been working in bariatric surgery for many years and who is largely considered to be recognized in the field. Upon request, we provide you with their contact information so that you can begin your bariatric surgery nutrition support with a trusted source.
Bariatric Surgery Dietitian in Saskatchewan
Whether from Regina or Saskatoon, any resident of Saskatchewan can consult with a dietitian that we refer to who has been working in bariatric surgery for many years and who is largely considered to be recognized in the field. Upon request, we provide you with their contact information so that you can begin your bariatric surgery nutrition support with a trusted source.
