Bariatric Surgery is a big step towards weight loss. However, only getting the surgery does not ensure long-term results. You need to stick to a proper bariatric diet to see the desired result after the surgery.

In this article, Dr. Harsh Sheth, a weight loss surgeon in Mumbai talks about pre and post-surgery diet with bariatric surgery.

What is a Bariatric Diet? 

If you have a BMI of 35 or more, you are the ideal candidate for weight loss surgery. Weight loss surgery is useful if you are overweight and any other weight-loss treatment is not helping you lose your weight.

It is very important to maintain a proper bariatric diet before and after the surgery. The pre-surgery diet is designed to reduce the amount of fat in and around your liver. This will reduce the risk of complications during the surgery.

The post-surgery diet generally consists of weekly phases. It will help you recover meeting the needs of your smaller stomach and help you gain healthier eating habits.

Your weight loss surgeon will provide you with a customized diet plan depending on your surgery, health factors and lifestyle. These plans do have specific guidelines.  

Dr. Harsh Sheth is a weight loss surgeon in Mumbai with over 10 years of experience in treating patients who need weight loss surgery.

If you have any doubts about the bariatric diet, you can ask questions here!

Pre-surgery Diet

Weight loss before the surgery not only keeps you safe during the surgery but also teaches you to adapt the ways in which your diet is going to be after the surgery, says Dr. Sheth.

These diet changes are going to be lifelong and it is essential that you make these changes.

The pre-op diet for bariatric surgery generally has protein shakes and other high in protein and low-calorie food that is easy to digest for you.

Common Guidelines for Pre-surgery diet

Even though the diet for each patient is unique for them, says Dr. Sheth, weight loss surgeon in Mumbai. Following are the general guidelines for diet before the surgery:

• Reduce or eliminate saturated foods, like, dairy products, fried foods, fatty meat, etc.
• Reduce or eliminate your food intake with high carbohydrates like sugary desserts, potatoes, pasta, bread, etc.
• Eliminate beverages that have high sugar beverages like sodas and juices.
• Try to control your food portions.
• Stop smoking
• Don’t consume alcohol

When your surgery date is near, you might need to follow a mostly-liquid or liquid-only diet. Based on your health and weight, your doctor might allow you to have some solids in the meantime.

Post-surgery Diet

Post-surgery diet consists of a few stages. Your doctor will determine how long a stage will last and what you can eat or drink.

The most crucial aspect is learning to regulate your eating quantities, says weight loss surgeon in Mumbai, Dr. Sheth. This will assist you in maintaining your weight loss and preparing you for how you will eat for the rest of your life.

Stage 1: Liquid Diet

In stage 1, your food intake is focused toward helping your body heal from the surgery. Your diet can help you avoid complications after the surgery.

First few days following the surgery, you will be allowed to drink clear liquids at a time, these can include water, juice without pulp, broth, etc.

This will help your stomach to heal without stretching out.

After clear liquids, your doctor will allow you to allow other liquids like:

• Decaffeinated coffee and tea
• Skim milk
• Thin soup or broth
• Unsweetened juice

Stage 2: Pureed diet

After your doctor says it is ok, you can move on to the second stage of the diet. This consists of pureed foods that are thick in consistency.

Spicy foods can irritate the stomach. So you should eliminate it altogether. Don’t eat fruits with a lot of seeds. You should also avoid foods that are rich in fibers.

It is important to not drink fluids with your meals at this stage.

Stage 3: Soft foods

 For a few weeks, you will be eating pureed food. After your doctor tells you it is okay for you to eat soft and easy to chew foods in your diets. These can include:

• Soft-boiled eggs
• Steamed or baked fish
• Ground meat
• You should eat in small bites and eat a little at a time.

Stage 4: Stabilization

In stage 4, the doctor will reintroduce you to solid food. It generally happens after 2 months of the surgery.

As your stomach is much smaller after the surgery, you will need to chop or dice your food in small bites or it could cause blockage and cause vomiting, pain and nausea.

Conclusion:

After about 4 months after the surgery, you can start eating normally. But you need to control your food portions. Your diet must consist of vegetables, fruits, healthy carbohydrates and lean protein.

If you need to find out you qualify for weight loss surgery you should visit the weight loss surgeon in Mumbai, Dr. Harsh Sheth.