Phase 1: clear fluid (first week)
The most important aspect of your clear liquid diet, immediately after bariatric surgery , is to keep well hydrated.
Staying Hydrated
- Sip liquids constantly. You should have 48–64 ounces (six to eight, 8-ounce cups) of fluids per day.
Remember, your stomach is still recovering from bariatric surgery. It’s common to experience nausea or vomiting at this point. Please keep yourself hydrated.
Suggested Choices for a Clear Liquid Diet After Bariatric Surgery
Fruit juices – Diluted or light juices with artificial sweetener. Limit — 2 cups daily, due to calories
- Apple
- Grape
- Cranberry
Broths
- Clear beef soup
- Clear Chicken soup
- Clear Vegetable soup
Others
- Water
- Herbs tea: anise, mint, chamomile
Avoid beverage
- Tea and coffee
- Soft drinks
- Spicy herbs tea like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom
- Any drinks with added sugar
Phase 2A: Full Liquid Diet for Bariatric Gastric Band Post-Surgery Patients (second week)
During the full liquid diet phase following your lap sleeve surgery:
- Continue consuming 48–64 total fluid ounces (six to eight, 8-ounce cups) per day.
- Add the suggested liquids below to your diet.
- Consume ½ cup of full liquid fluids at each meal.
Suggested Choices for a Full Liquid Diet After Gastric Band Surgery:
- Beverages
- All drinks from the previous stage
- Low-fat milk
- yogurt and fruit yogurt (plain or sugar-free, low or nonfat, blended without fruit chunks)
- Juices: you can drink juices of all kinds, preferably fresh juices, provided that it well filtered from the pieces, such as guava, mangoes, carrots, bananas, melons, and apple juice. Filtered cocktails such as milk with bananas, dates, or strawberry cocktails…
- Thick soups: you can eat soups of all kinds, provided that they are ground in a blender and filtered, just like oatmeal soup and mixed vegetable soup such as potatoes, carrots, zucchini, squash, and grounded and filtered lentil soup.
- Jelly and (cream caramel and pudding made with free or low-fat milk and without adding sugar). You should choose only one type per day and eat only a quarter of a cup.
- Avoid beverages
- High-fat soups, such as soups that contain cooking cream.
- If you suffer from gas, it is recommended to avoid milk.
- It is forbidden to consume all kinds of soft drinks during this period at least 1 year after surgery.
Tips and Ideas for Staying Hydrated
- Sip all fluids slowly to prevent nausea and vomiting
- Carry a water bottle with you everywhere
- Other liquids to help maintain hydration include decaffeinated coffee and tea, broth, and sugar-free fruit juices, and other beverages with artificial sweeteners
Phase 3: Puréed Food Diet for Post-Bariatric Surgery Patients (Third week)
- Consume three small meals each day.
- Liquids between meals
- Wait at least 30 minutes after each meal
- Try to spread fluids out over a three-hour period.
- Stop drinking at least 30 minutes before mealtime.
Suggested Foods Ideas for Puréed Diet After Bariatric Surgery
Protein Sources
- Puréed beef, chicken, or turkey
- Baby food meats
- White fish (cod, haddock, tilapia, orange roughy) mashed with a fork
- Canned tuna fish in water, mashed
Grains/starches
- Pureed oatmeal with low-fat milk
- Pureed free sugar corn flakes with low-fat milk
- Mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes
- Puréed winter squash
Fruits
- Mashed bananas or mashed canned fruits in their own juices non added sugar.
- Puréed peaches, apricots, pears, pineapples, melons
Vegetables
- Puréed spinach, carrots, summer squash, or green beans
How to Purée Foods
Puréed food should be the consistency of baby food, “spoon thick.”
- Cut food into small pieces and place in blender or food processor
- Add liquid (broth, low-calorie gravy, or low-fat milk)
- Puréed until smooth
Phase 4: Adaptive or Soft Food Diet for Post-Bariatric Surgery Patients (Fourth and Fifth weeks)
During this phase after bariatric surgery, you will transition to more solid foods. This may include soft meat, fish, chicken, cereals, cooked vegetables, and canned and fresh fruits.
Post-Bariatric Surgery Meal Plan for Phase 4: Adaptive/Soft Foods Diet
- Consume three small meals each day.
- Add a variety of low-fat, low-calorie starches, fruits, and vegetables to your diet, as tolerated.
- Avoid skins and seeds on fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid bread.
- Chew foods thoroughly.
- Stop eating whenever you feel full.
- Liquids between meals
- Wait at least 30 minutes after each meal.
- Stop drinking at least 30 minutes before mealtime.
In addition to the foods listed on the pureed diet, begin introducing the following foods to your diet.
Suggested Food Ideas for Phase 3: Adaptive or Soft Food Diet
Protein Sources
- All varieties of fish and shellfish
- Turkey breast or chicken breast (chopped, white meat)
- Sliced or grated low-fat cheese (5 grams of fat or less)
- Hard-boiled or poached eggs
- Soups (dilute with low-fat milk or add finely minced meats)
- Mashed cottage cheese (low or nonfat, small curd)
- Ricotta cheese (low or nonfat)
- Scrambled eggs or egg substitute
Grains/starches
- Hot cereals
- Unsweetened cereals softened in skim milk
- Baked potatoes, sweet potatoes,
Fruits/vegetables
- Canned fruit (in own juices or water packed)
- Cooked or canned vegetables
- Avoid raw, fibrous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Avoid skins and seeds.
Phase 5: Stabilization Diet for Post-Bariatric Surgery Patients (Back to normal life)
During this phase or stage, after your bariatric surgery, you will be able to eat foods of regular consistency. This does not mean, however, that you can go back to your old eating habits and patterns.
Key Goals of Phase 5: Stabilization Diet
- Eat three, well-balanced, meals each day with fluids between meals.
- Avoid empty calories. Since you will only be able to tolerate limited amounts of food at a time, it’s very important to eat nutrient-dense foods.
- Avoid foods high in sugar or fat that do not contain protein, vitamins, or minerals.
- Continue taking your vitamin supplement with minerals, since your meals won’t be large enough to meet your daily requirements through food alone.
Meal Plan for Bariatric Surgery Patients in Phase 5: Stabilization Diet
- Consume three balanced meals each day containing nutrient-rich foods, such as:
- lean meat, poultry, pork, and fish
- low-fat dairy products
- low-fat starches and whole grains like rice or whole-grain pasta
- vegetables and fruits
- These foods contain the energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals that your body needs.
- If you can’t tolerate the amount of food at one meal, you may have to consume six smaller meals each day.
- Stop eating whenever you feel full.
- Protein — You should be able to meet your protein needs through foods. If not, you may need to supplement with protein shakes between meals.
- Women: 50–60 grams of protein
- Men: 60–70 grams of protein
- Liquids between meals
- Wait at least 30 minutes after each meal.
- Stop drinking at least 30 minutes before mealtime.
General tips for a healthy life:
1. Avoid emotional eating when feeling angry, sad, or bored.
2. Meals must be eaten gradually and divided into daily meals (3-6) meals per day, taking care to eat small amounts of food commensurate with the current size of the stomach.
3. Chew food well and slowly.
4. Immediately stop eating when you feel full.
5. It is recommended that the last meal is 3 hours before bedtime.
6. You must drink water in sufficient quantities during the day in proportion to your body so that the minimum amount required to be drunk daily is calculated through the following equation: Weight (kg) x 0.03 = the amount of water in liters (for example, if the weight is 70 kg, then you must drink the equivalent of 2.1 Liters of water per day minimum).
7. Avoid drinking water while eating (leaving half an hour between drinking and eating).
8. Prepare food in healthy ways, such as boiling or grilling, and avoid frying and adding fats and oils when preparing it.
9. Avoid trans fats such as vegetable butter and margarine, and instead consume natural vegetable oils such as olive oil.
10. Avoid food with little benefits, such as chips, chocolate, soft drinks, non-fresh juices, and ready-made sweets such as candy and liquor ice that are high in sugar.
11. Avoid eating fast food such as burgers, shawarma, and pizza.
12. Avoid sweets that are high in calories, such as cakes, cookies, chocolate, sweet cheese, and cheesecake.
13. Don’t forget your nutritional supplements and take them continuously, while following up with the instructions of your specialist doctor.
Physical activity
• It is recommended to walk from the second day after the operation for half an hour to an hour daily.
• Swimming, jogging, and jogging are allowed one month after the operation.
• Heavy exercises such as aerobics, abdominal exercises, and gym exercises are allowed after three months of the operation.
Pregnancy after gastric bypass surgery
It is preferable to delay pregnancy for a year after bariatric surgeries, especially bypass surgery, after which it is preferable to delay pregnancy for a year and a half.
Returning to work after sleeve gastrectomy
Returning to work after sleeve gastrectomy depends on the type of work, and it differs according to the individual’s ability to endure, which differs from one person to another, but in general, the person can practice his office and light work after one week of the surgery.