The goal of weight loss surgery, whether it’s a gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, or duodenal switch, is to help you feel satisfied with smaller portions of nutritious food. However, the challenge of regularly eating slider foods can arise for many post weight loss surgery patients, creating an impact on both weight loss potential and longer term maintenance. Slider foods can essentially enable you to 'out eat' your surgery by allowing you to consume more calories without feeling satisfied, potentially leading to weight plateaus, weight regain and even complications like dumping syndrome.

WHAT ARE SLIDER FOODS?

Slider foods are processed, soft, or crunchy foods that are low in nutritional value and high in carbohydrates, fat, or sugar. Because they are easy to chew, easy to swallow, and move quickly through your digestive system, these foods don’t sit in your pouch or sleeve long enough to trigger that feeling of fullness. This means you can keep eating, even after you should be satisfied.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to eat an entire bag of crisps (potato chips) without feeling satisfied? But when you eat more solid, less processed foods, such as tuna on grainy crackers, you quickly feel that satisfying sense of restriction. That's the difference between slider foods and whole, unprocessed foods. 

HOW SLIDER FOODS AFFECT YOUR SURGERY SUCCESS

After bariatric surgery, your stomach is smaller, and you are meant to feel satisfied after eating small amounts of nutrient-rich foods, like lean protein and vegetables. These foods stay in your pouch or sleeve longer, signalling satiety and helping you manage your portion sizes. However, when you regularly eat slider foods—such as potato chips, cookies, or ice cream, you make it hard for your surgery to do its job.

Because slider foods slide through your pouch or sleeve so quickly, they leave space for more, meaning you can eat larger portions without  feeling satisfied. This can lead to consuming far more calories than you planned which not only stalls weight loss but can also cause weight regain over time.

PAIRING SLIDER FOODS WITH PROTEIN AND FIBRE FOR BETTER CONTROL

While it’s important to limit slider foods, there are strategies to help manage portions if you do choose to include them in your diet. Pairing slider foods with a source of protein or fibre can slow down digestion, increase satiety, and help control portion sizes. For example, instead of having a few rows of chocolate on its own, you could create a snack plate with:

• a small piece of chocolate (slider food)

• a serving of fruit (fibre)

• some grainy crackers (fibre)

• cheese or cottage cheese (protein).

This combination can help balance your snack and make you feel satisfied for longer.

Here are some other protein snacks and fibre pairings to consider:

• Rice crackers (slider food) with tuna or hummus (protein).

• A small portion of pretzels (slider food) with a boiled egg (protein).

• Rice cakes (slider food) with almond butter (protein).

• A scoop of ice cream (slider food) with some PB2 (protein) and berries (fibre).

By including protein and fibre, you are adding volume and nutrients to your snack, helping you feel more satisfied and keeping your eating habits in check.

COMMON SLIDER FOODS TO WATCH OUT FOR

To avoid slipping into unhelpful patterns on your weight loss surgery journey, it's important to recognise some of the most common slider foods that are often consumed by bariatric patients. Examples include:

• Savoury slider foods: crackers (Jatz, rice crackers, Cruskits), potato chips, corn chips and pretzels.

• Sweet slider foods: cookies, cakes, chocolate, ice cream, mouses, sweet custards, milkshakes, and flavoured milk.

These foods are highly processed and low in nutritional value, making them easy to overeat.

THE DANGER OF DUMPING SYNDROME

Many bariatric surgery patients may also experience dumping syndrome when eating sliders as these are common trigger foods high in sugar or fat. This happens when these foods pass too quickly from the pouch or sleeve into the small intestine, triggering symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness, and rapid heartbeat. To avoid these symptoms, it's essential to be mindful of not only the quantity but also the type of food you are eating, and following the strategies of combining sliders with protein and fibre to minimise the risk.

CONCLUSION: HOW SLIDER FOODS CAN SABOTAGE YOUR PROGRESS

While slider foods may seem harmless, they can undermine your progress after weight loss surgery. They slide through your pouch or sleeve quickly, causing you to eat more aqnd are a common culprit of weight regain. However, by recognising slider foods and pairing them with protein snacks and fibre, you can help control portions and support your long term weight loss.

If you find yourself struggling with slider foods or notice that they are creeping into your daily routine, our Smash Plateaus and Reverse Regain online course can help you tackle this issue head-on and develop healthier habits for long-term success.