Surgical Treatment of Obesity
Recovering from Surgery: Your Diet
During the first six to eight weeks, you will primarily eat pureed foods in very small portions of about 2-4 tablespoons. In addition, you can drink low calorie liquids (especially water) as often as you want. It is essential that you maintain an adequate fluid intake by drinking at 48-64 ounces of fluid each day.
Beginning at about six to eight weeks, you can begin to try very small portions of soft foods such as scrambled eggs, low fat cheese, tender fish, chopped/moist poultry, no sugar added canned fruit, and steamed vegetables. Again, these must be in very small amounts. You must avoid dry and hard-to-chew foods such as nuts, raw carrots, celery, and shrimp. You should also avoid foods that caused you gas, heartburn, indigestion or acid stomach before the operation. Eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly is always important.
You should not drink and eat at the same time because your stomach is so small. This combination will lead to painful stretching of your pouch, may lead to permanent pouch enlargement and can induce the dumping syndrome. The dumping syndrome is a condition of crampy abdominal pain, lightheadedness and diarrhea that occurs when a high concentration of foodstuff, particularly sugars, rapidly enters the small intestine. Avoid carbonated beverages.
It is essential that you change your eating behaviors in order to maximize weight loss and reduce the chance that you will develop nutritional deficiencies such as anemia, loss of bone or muscle mass from an inadequate intake of calcium or protein. Protein rich foods (low fat dairy, legumes, poultry, meat, fish, egg, and soy) should come first at a meal. You will require a protein supplement for several months.
Vitamin, mineral, and calcium supplementation is required for the rest of your life.
Foods to avoid
High sugar foods:
- Candy
- Canned fruit in heavy syrup
- Milkshakes
- Chocolate
- Fruit drinks
- Soda
- Cheesecake
- Ice cream
- Alcoholic beverages
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- Cake
- Sherbet
- Cookies
- Frosting
- Honey
- Marmalades/jelly/jam
- Table sugar
- Maple syrup
- High fructose corn syrup
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High fat foods:
- Potato chips
- Corn chips
- Fried foods
- Fast food
- Donuts
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- Bacon/sausage
- Hot dogs
- High fat gravies and sauces
- Pot pies
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Foods Recommended
Beverages
- Decaffeinated tea/coffee
- V-8/tomato juice
- No added sugar fruit drinks
- 100% fruit juice (not fruit punch or drink)
- High protein/low carbohydrate shakes
- Artificially flavored water (non-carbonated)
Dairy Products
- Skim milk
- Low fat cheeses
- No added sugar, low fat yogurt ("lite")
- Artificially sweetened puddings and custards
- Soy beverage (unsweetened)
- Lactose-free milk (if you are lactose intolerant)
Fruits
- Unsweetened applesauce and canned fruits
- Ripe/peeled fresh fruit (banana, melon, pears, peaches)
- Blenderized fruit shakes
Vegetables
- Mashed or baked yam or sweet potato
- Soft cooked vegetables (summer squash, butternut squash, green beans, etc)
- Soft and peeled raw vegetables (tomatoes or cucumbers-no seeds)
Soups
- Vegetable soups
- Beef or chicken broth
Meats, poultry, fish, eggs*
- Chicken/turkey cooked in a moist way (stew/soup)
- Veal
- Ground beef (meatballs, meatloaf, stewed)
(Red meat may not be well tolerated for 6-12 months)
- Shaved lean deli meats (turkey, chicken)
- Tofu
- Fish (cod, flounder, sword, salmon)-served moist
- Eggs (scrambled, hard boiled)
*serve with low fat sauces or low fat gravies to keep moist.
Starches
- Low fat crackers
- Toast
- Hot cereals
- Unsweetened dry cereal (soaked in milk)
What happens to my body after surgery? >>
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