What to Expect After Surgery

Learning a New Way to Eat

Incorporating an entirely new diet regimen is very important after gastric sleeve surgery, as is learning new healthy eating habits. The program for reintroducing solid food differs from one bariatric surgeon to another.

You can expect the gastric sleeve post-op diet to be liquid-only for the first two weeks following your procedure. During the next two weeks, you will be allowed soft, pureed foods. As long as everything is going well, you can expect to be able to re-introduce solid food in small portions 5 weeks after gastric sleeve surgery. It is extremely important that you follow the gastric sleeve post-op diet closely as it gives the staple lines on the newly formed sleeved stomach time to heal properly.

Adopting Lifelong Healthy Eating Habits

After gastric sleeve surgery, you cannot return to eating the way that you used to, even after you are given the approval to re-introduce solid foods. Your weight loss success depends on you changing the way that you eat permanently. It may take some getting used to over time. You will need to learn to eat very slowly, having only small servings at each meal. You will also need to be sure to chew thoroughly and swallow food sufficiently so that it is easy to swallow and digest. Drinking and eating at the same time is to be avoided. The fluids that you drink will flush the food through the sleeve quickly, allowing you to eat more.

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

After gastric sleeve surgery, you will need to avoid consistently eating foods that are lacking nutritional value. Consuming these types of food can lead to nutritional deficiencies. You will not be capable of eating as much food as you previously did, so your body will be absorbing fewer nutrients than to which it is accustomed. It is recommended that you have annual checkups to help monitor your health. You will need to take a daily multivitamin, calcium and possibly other supplements as well depending on results of your lab work. Our dietician can help guide you on the proper diet and nutritional needs needed to have lasting results after gastric sleeve surgery.

Immediately after receiving approval from your surgeon to resume physical activity, you should begin exercising regularly. One of the many important changes that you will need to make to your lifestyle is regular physical activity. This will help you achieve and maintain maximum weight loss results from your procedure and increase your energy levels. Regular physical activity will also help to increase your core muscle mass and decrease your body fat percentage. It is recommended that women try to maintain a body fat percentage between thirty and thirty-five percent and men should ideally be between twenty and twenty-five percent.