Every type of weight loss surgery has slightly different dietary restrictions that you’ll need to comply with to stay healthy and lose weight. The sleeve gastrectomy procedure is no exception to this rule. Whether you get weight loss surgery in Dallas, Plano, Frisco or Lubbock, the dietary restrictions after sleeve gastrectomy surgery are going to be the same. Adjusting to these dietary changes is the first action to take after bariatric surgery.
Sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive form of bariatric surgery. The operation doesn’t require your intestines to be re-routed like they would during a duodenal switch or gastric bypass operation, so food will follow the same digestive process after your surgery as it did before. However, the amount of food your stomach can hold after gastric sleeve is drastically reduced.
As much as 85 percent of your stomach may be removed during sleeve gastrectomy surgery.
This is why the operation helps so many people lose weight. With a smaller stomach, you can’t eat the same amount of food as you once were able to. After gastric sleeve, meals need to be precise, small and nutritionally packed. That is where the dietary requirements come into play.
Diet Changes after Sleeve Gastrectomy
It is hard for most overweight people to imagine having a markedly reduced appetite, but you might be hard pressed to find yourself physically hungry after gastric sleeve surgery. When you are hungry, you are going to fill up very quickly. What you might once have consumed in a single sitting could potentially become several meals worth of food now.
You won’t have the luxury of indulging in large portions with multiple side dishes after gastric sleeve. You need to make sure you are eating a balanced diet with plenty of nutrients packed into a small amount of food.
Here are a few tips that you will need to keep in mind as you adjust to the post-gastric sleeve diet:
- Drink water between meals. Drinking while you eat can cause you to grow full faster, making less room for the nutrients your body needs.
- Cut out empty calories. Sugary drinks like iced teas, sodas and juices should be the first to go, as these are going to impede your weight loss process. You should also avoid drinking alcohol.
- Eat slowly. You need to chew every bite thoroughly and make sure that you are giving your body enough time to indicate when you are full before you continue eating.
- Protein first. Protein is crucial to your body’s ability to heal, and you will need protein in order to have energy to work out and tone muscles as you lose weight. If you are still hungry after eating your recomended portion of protein, go for nutrient-packed veggies.
These are just a few basic guidelines to keep in mind after getting sleeve gastrectomy surgery. Dr. Stewart will provide you with much more detailed instructions pertaining to your post-bariatric diet, and it’s crucial that you follow those exactly.
If you have any questions about the diet after gastric sleeve surgery, contact Dr. Stewart.
