Drinking After Bariatric Surgery: Essential Dos and Don’ts for Safe Recovery

Bariatric surgery is a type of weight loss surgery that helps people lose weight and live a healthier life. There are different types of bariatric surgery, but they all work similarly by making the stomach smaller.

This surgery can be a good option if you are very overweight and have tried other ways to lose weight, like dieting and exercise, but haven’t had enough success.

Research shows that having surgery can help people live longer, especially if they maintain a healthy lifestyle after surgery.

What is Bariatric Surgery?

Bariatric surgery is a surgical procedure used to manage obesity and obesity-related conditions. These surgeries change the shape and size of your stomach, causing you to eat less. Some types also change how your body digests food, helping you burn fat better. A few procedures even affect hunger hormones, so you feel less hungry.

But surgery alone won’t solve everything to maintain your weight loss; you still need to eat healthy, stay active, and develop good habits. 

What are the Dos after Bariatric Surgery?

Weight loss surgery can change your life. But remember, the surgery is just the first step. To keep your results and stay healthy, you need to follow some important instructions after the surgery.

Some surgeries, like the gastric balloon, are only temporary. Others, like the gastric band, do not change your stomach permanently. No matter what surgery you have, you should always follow your doctor’s advice, especially about food.

•Here are some simple Dos and Don’ts after weight loss surgery:

✅Eating After Surgery

• Eat small meals.
• Your stomach is now smaller, so you can’t eat heavy meals like before, and eating too much can make you feel sick.

✅Eat protein-rich food first.

• After surgery, you will lose weight and sometimes, muscle, too. To keep your muscles strong, eat protein like eggs, fish, chicken, and tofu first during meals. Because your smaller stomach gets full quickly, eat the important meal first.

✅Take Care of Your Mental Health

Some people feel sad and depressed after surgery, but it is more common than you think.

You can talk to a psychologist, join a support group, don’t hide your feelings, speak up, and get help.

✅Don’t Forget Your Vitamins

After surgery, your body might not absorb vitamins and minerals properly. That’s why you need to take supplements every day. If you skip them, you could face problems like iron deficiency, weak memory, and kidney issues. So, take your vitamins daily as your doctor tells you.

✅Stay Hydrated

Drink 2 to 3 litres of water every day, because it helps your body recover and stay healthy.

But don’t drink any liquid 15 minutes before meals. Also, you should avoid sugary and fizzy drinks, limit tea and coffee, and plain water is best for you.

What are the Don’ts After Bariatric Surgery?

•After your surgery, take your time before returning to your old eating habits. Follow the food plan your doctor provides:

❌What to Eat and When

• Days 1-2: You should only drink small amounts of clear liquids at room temperature, like water and clear soup.
• Days 3-7: You can start having milk, clear broth, and yoghurt.
• Week 2: Begin eating soft, pureed foods like mashed veggies and blended fruits.
• Weeks 3-4: You can eat soft foods that are easy to chew, scrambled eggs, soft fruits, and steamed veggies.
• Weeks 5-8: Start adding fresh fruits, vegetables, and beans into your meals.
• After Week 8: Now, you can slowly go back to eating a regular, balanced diet.

❌Things to Avoid

You must avoid soda and sparkling drinks, because the gas in them can stretch your stomach and make you feel hungrier.

❌Don’t Drink with Meals

• Drinking while eating pushes food through your stomach too fast, which causes dumping syndrome, which might make you feel sweaty, bloated, crampy, nauseous, and vomiting, feel dizzy and weak. To avoid this, don’t drink anything 30 minutes before and after eating. 

❌No Alcohol

• Your body reacts more strongly to alcohol after surgery. Just one drink might affect you more than before. However, avoid alcohol for at least 12 months after surgery.

❌Quit Smoking

• Smoking after surgery can cause pain because your stomach is now smaller. Also, smoking reduces the oxygen, and your body needs to heal and stay healthy.

❌Wait Before Getting Pregnant

• Don’t plan a pregnancy right after surgery, because your body needs time to heal and build up nutrients and vitamins. Generally, it takes 12 to 18 months before your body is ready for a healthy pregnancy.

Success Tips After Bariatric Surgery

• You must eat three meals every day.
• At each meal, eat a protein food and a carb like rice and bread, and always eat your protein first.
• Take your time, and spend 30 minutes eating each meal.
• Chew your food very well, like 20 to 30 times for each bite.
• Choose healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean meats like chicken and fish.
• Do not eat junk food like chips, cookies, crackers, ice cream, fried food, candy, brats, and bologna.
• You should avoid snack foods that have little nutrition, like pretzels, rice cakes, and animal crackers.
• Do not drink fizzy drinks like soda, juice, and alcohol, because they can stretch your stomach and add too many calories and sugar.
• Drink at least 6 cups of plain water every day.
• After drinking 6 cups of water, you may have unsweetened tea and coffee.
• Do not drink anything with citric acid, like lemonade and citrus drinks.
• Do not drink 30 minutes before a meal, during a meal, or 30 minutes after a meal.
• Do not smoke and use nicotine, because it slows healing and can cause problems.
• Try to exercise for 30 minutes or more every day.
• Do not use a straw, because it puts air into your stomach and causes pain and stretching.

Conclusion

Most people lose about 4.5 to 9 kgs a month in the first year after surgery. Weight loss will decrease over time. By sticking to your diet and exercise from the beginning, you will lose more weight.

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