Bariatric surgery is one of the best ways of shedding unwanted pounds and getting the life you’ve always dreamed of having. If you’ve tried a healthy lifestyle and just can’t seem to get rid of unwanted weight, you should be looking for doctor supervised weight loss methods that could help you achieve your goals. One possible way of achieving weight loss is through weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery.
But for your bariatric surgery to be effective, you will have to make long-term lifestyle changes. This will include radical changes to your diet where you build your life around healthy foods and healthy eating habits. Here’s what you need to know.
Why Is Eating Well Important?
A healthy diet and good food after this surgery are crucial for two important reasons. For one thing, your safety and health are at risk if you eat poorly after having bariatric surgery. Bad foods can put pressure on your stomach that it can’t handle.
The second important reason you need to eat well is that doing so when you’re feeling less hungry right after surgery can help you reset bad habits and replace them with good ones. This will make a huge difference down the line.
What Do I Eat Immediately After?
Right after bariatric surgery you’ll only be able to drink clear liquids. Authorized foods may include fat-free milk, broths, or things like sugar-free jellos as well. The most important thing to do during this period is to stay well hydrated.
How Do I Return to Other Foods?
Once you’ve been cleared to eat more than just clear liquids, the next stage of the diet is high protein. Because the size of your the stomach has been reduced, there’s no room in it for useless foods or junk. Your body needs protein and your second two or three weeks after bariatric surgery will involve a lot of protein shakes, pureed meats, and egg whites. During this period it is absolutely crucial that you don’t drink or eat any simple carbohydrates. This would include sodas, sugars, and alcohols.
Introducing Real Food
After a few weeks of a liquid diet, you’ll be able to start eating real food again. Your first foods will be soft and should be mostly meat and vegetables. If the food is soft enough to be mashed with a fork, then it’s soft enough to eat during this period. The goal is to keep up getting plenty of protein while adding in vegetables and other things that will add valuable nutrition. At this point, you’ll enjoy chicken and turkey, fish and egg whites, non-fat cheese, tofu, and a wide variety of vegetables. You’ll also take a multivitamin to ensure you’re getting all the nutrition you need.
Back to Real Life
About six weeks after bariatric surgery, you’ll be back to eating solid food. This is the diet you’ll follow for the rest of your life, and it should focus on plenty of high-quality protein, vegetables, and fruit. You should avoid most grains and nearly all refined sugar.
The best way to do this part of the diet is to try one food at a time. See how your body reacts to it and then cut it or add another one. Another key to success at this point is to carefully and thoroughly chew your food, which will allow your stomach to digest it more easily. Always eat protein first, vegetables next, and carbohydrates last. Choose real, simple foods and not processed food.
A Good Food List
There are plenty of foods you’ll be enjoying for the rest of your life after bariatric surgery! There are healthy fats to enjoy, like nut butters, coconut oil, avocados, and salmon. You’ll also be able to eat freely of lean meats and fish and some high-quality carbs. You’ll want to limit desserts, but in many ways this only makes them more enjoyable. They become a special treat rather than a boring daily routine.
Your bariatric surgery could be the key to a whole new life. To get to that thinner, happier you, you’ve got to eat right after your surgery and start down a new lifestyle that will last the rest of your life.