Gastric sleeve surgery, also known as sleeve gastrectomy, is a clinically proven method for reducing body weight. The procedure involves decreasing stomach size, which helps reduce appetite and aids in long-term weight control. The effectiveness of this surgery depends significantly on both your pre-op and post-op diet. Following a structured diet after gastric sleeve surgery is essential to ensure successful recovery and long-term weight loss. This article provides a detailed guide to the dietary guidelines for week 3 post-operation, focusing on how to nourish your body while supporting the healing process.
Understanding the Gastric Sleeve and Its Impact on Diet
The gastric sleeve is the functional part of the stomach after gastric sleeve surgery, representing about 15% of the stomach’s original volume. This smaller stomach size means a smaller appetite. After weight-loss surgery, you’ll need to change how you eat and live for the rest of your life. The gastric bypass diet follows a staged approach to help you ease back into eating solid foods. How quickly you move from one step to the next depends on how fast your body heals and adjusts to the change in eating patterns.
Pre-Op Diet: Preparing for Surgery
The pre-op diet is your food-consumption plan for the period leading up to your gastric sleeve procedure. In many cases, you should begin your pre-op diet for a gastric sleeve surgery three weeks before your procedure.
Key Components of the Pre-Op Diet:
- Reduce calories: Especially carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are a major contributor of calories to most American diets. Refined sugars, like those in candy and soft drinks, should be eliminated.
- Maximize protein intake: Eat 60 or more grams of protein daily.
- Focus on healthy fats: Healthy fats are found in foods like fish, nuts, and olives. Other fats, like those found in butter or oils, should be curtailed.
- Don’t dehydrate: Drink plenty of water in the weeks before your procedure. Two or three days before surgery you’ll need to switch to an all-liquid diet. Restrict your food intake to water, broth, gelatins, and low-calorie sports drinks (no sodas). You’ll need to cut out consumption entirely starting at midnight on the day of your surgery - even water.
Post-Op Diet: Week-by-Week Guide
The post-op diet - what you eat in the weeks and months after your gastric sleeve surgery - is just as important as your pre-op diet. Following your post-op diet is essential if you want to realize the benefits of a bariatric procedure. It will also help you avoid potential health complications, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and gastric leaks.
- Week 1: Clear Liquids: During your first week after surgery, you will be restricted to clear liquids. In addition to water, you can drink clear broth, decaffeinated beverages, and the sugar-free versions of drink mixes like Kool-Aid and Crystal Light.
- Week 2: Full Liquids: The second week will see the addition of thicker liquids to your post-op diet. Options include no-sugar nutrition shakes, thin broth and cream-based soups with no chunks, sugar-free pudding, and diluted fruit juices with no pulp.
Week 3: Pureed Foods
During week three, you can add soft, pureed foods to your diet. Make sure to eat slowly and chew food thoroughly - at least 25 times, if possible. Any low-fat, sugar-free food that you can puree, including lean protein sources and nonfibrous vegetables, are acceptable.
Read also: Gastric Sleeve Post-Surgery Diet
Nutritional Goals
At this stage, your caloric intake will probably be no more than 500 calories a day, divided into six to eight small meals. Consume 900 to 1,000 calories and at least 65 to 75 grams of protein a day.
Key Guidelines for Week 3
- Hydration: The goal at this stage is to take in around 64 oz of sugar-free, calorie-free, carbonation and caffeine-free fluids.
- Protein Intake: Protein will also be required at 65-75 grams daily.
- Small Portions: Cut your food into very small pieces. Don’t be concerned about the small portion sizes. You should typically be eating 4-5 times daily.
- Eating Slowly: Remember to eat slowly. Take at least 30 minutes to eat a meal.
- Avoid Empty Calories: Watch out for empty calories. This includes foods and beverages with no nutritional value and high in calories like pretzels, chips, and pastries.
- Consume Protein First: Consume protein-rich foods first.
- Healthy Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates should not be excluded. However, you should be choosing healthy sources of carbohydrates, such as cooked vegetables, whole grains and fruits.
- Avoid Inflammatory Foods: Avoid foods that can cause inflammation while the stomach is healing. Stick to the food options on your gastric sleeve food list.
- Introduce Foods Gradually: Introduce one food at a time. Some new foods may not be tolerated well. However, try different foods again when you are further out from surgery.
- No Fluids with Meals: Do not consume fluids with meals.
- Measuring Utensils: You will find measuring utensils very handy. At this phase, you will likely be using measuring spoons and measuring cups to portion out meals.
Sample Menu for Week 3
This sample menu includes different foods that are safe for you to eat. The sample menu offers eight small meals per day. Remember to drink 1 cup of water or other non-caloric fluid between meals.
- Breakfast: Refined hot cereals that are low in fiber, such as cream of rice or cream of wheat. Make them with extra liquid to create a soup-like consistency. To increase your protein intake, add 2 tablespoons non-fat dry milk powder, egg substitute or powered egg, or other protein powder to each 1/2 cup of nonfat or low-fat milk.
- Lunch: Begin adding very small portions of puréed and soft foods as tolerated. Take very small bites and chew everything very well.
- Dinner: This sample menu includes different foods that are safe for you to eat.
Food Ideas for Pureed Diet
- Jarred baby foods
- Silken tofu
- Cooked, pureed white fish
- Soft-scrambled or soft-boiled eggs
- Soup
- Cottage cheese
- Canned fruit in juice
- Mashed bananas or very ripe mango
- Hummus
- Pureed or mashed avocado
- Plain Greek yogurt
Importance of Supplements
You must take the following supplements on a daily basis to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Please remember that all pills must be crushed or cut into six to eight small pieces.
- Multivitamins: Brands that contain this formula include Trader Joe’s and Centrum Adult chewable multivitamins.
- Calcium: Take 1,200 to 2,000 mg of calcium daily to prevent calcium deficiency and bone disease. To enhance absorption, take the calcium in two to three divided doses throughout the day - for example, a 500 to 600 mg supplement taken three times a day.
- Vitamin D: This total amount should be taken in divided doses of 400 to 500 IUs twice a day. Vitamin D should be taken with your calcium supplement.
- Vitamin B12: Take 500 mcg of vitamin B daily.
- Folic Acid and Iron: Some patients need additional folic acid or iron supplements, particularly women who are still menstruating.
Transitioning to the Next Phase
Over time, you will be able to increase the variety and consistency of foods in your diet. Some foods may continue to be poorly tolerated, including red meats, chicken, breads, and high-fiber fruits and vegetables. Focus on low-fat, low-sugar and low-calorie foods and continue to count your calories every day.
General Diet: Long-Term Lifestyle Changes
You will be on a general bariatric diet for the rest of your life starting day 61 after your surgery. You need to:
Read also: Comprehensive Guide to Gastric Bypass Diet
- Chew food to pureed consistency (chew 20 to 30 times before swallowing).
- Eat lean foods, such as baked, broiled, grilled, or steamed foods.
- Drink eight 8-oz glasses of water each day.
- Take vitamin and mineral supplements as ordered.
- Keep doing strength and aerobic exercise for 60 minutes or more each day.
Tips for Success
- Use a blender or food processor to puree foods.
- Learn to recognize the difference between hunger (physical) and appetite (mental/emotional).
- Don’t overeat - your stomach will stretch in time and stabilize in size.
- Chew slowly, and eat slowly.
- Avoid non-nutrient calories.
- Avoid concentrated sugars.
- Avoid trans fats and fried, processed, and fast foods.
- Avoid dehydration by sipping water or low-calorie versions of Gatorade.
- Don’t eat and drink at the same time.
- Talk to your doctor about bariatric vitamins and supplements to decide what you should take, and when.
- Build movement into your life. Start with walking, and explore other exercises that you enjoy, such as swimming, dancing, and yoga.
- Avoid alcohol. Gastric sleeve surgery and other types of bariatric surgeries may increase, and quicken, alcohol’s effects.
- Avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as Ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen. These types of over-the-counter pain medications may reduce your stomach’s natural, protective coating.
Potential Complications and How to Avoid Them
The greatest risks of the gastric bypass diet come from not following the diet properly. If you eat too much or eat food that you shouldn't, you could have complications.
- Dumping syndrome: If too much food enters your small intestine quickly, you are likely to experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating and diarrhea.
- Dehydration: Because you're not supposed to drink fluids with your meals, some people become dehydrated.
- Constipation
- Blocked opening of your stomach pouch: Food can become lodged at the opening of your stomach pouch, even if you carefully follow the diet. Symptoms of a blocked stomach opening include ongoing nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
- Weight gain or failure to lose weight
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