The Post Gastric Sleeve Diet is a special type of diet that you have to do following a Gastric sleeve surgery, this surgery being one of the most effective procedures for weight loss. This procedure is usually performed mainly in people who suffer from obesity and cannot eliminate it with traditional methods such as a good diet and exercise.
The gastric sleeve procedure consists of reducing the size of the stomach by approximately 80% of its original size, leaving it as small as a banana. In this way, patients feel satisfied quickly, resulting in weight loss during recovery.
However, something that perfectly complements weight loss is eating a balanced diet that provides the necessary nutrients to the body. Eating healthy has the benefit of satiating yourself more quickly with foods high in protein, minerals, and vitamins, but these foods would allow you to recover faster.
This is why you should know what a Post Gastric Sleeve Diet consists of, how it should be done correctly, and what benefits it offers. At the same time, you are invited to learn more about the gastric sleeve surgery process.
Understanding Your New Digestive System
Gastric sleeve surgery has a substantial impact on the digestion of food. As mentioned above, patients who undergo this procedure will feel satiated faster because their stomach has lost 80% of their capacity.
For this reason, portions must be taken care of when undergoing a Post Gastric Sleeve Diet. Eating meat (including white meats such as fish or chicken) or any other type of solid food must be avoided for the first few days. This means that you must feed with liquid food during the first seven days. During this time, the stomach is in recovery, so it is much easier to digest solid foods.
After the first few days, the Post Gastric Sleeve Diet can include mashed foods, pureed foods, or soups. In this part, fruit and vegetables containing high amounts of vitamins and minerals can be included. Of course, the food portions must be taken care of very carefully since any alteration could hinder the patient’s recovery or harm the weight loss.
During the Post Gastric Sleeve Diet, priority should be given to drinking only water and refraining from other beverages containing high amounts of sugar, such as soft drinks, juices, or alcoholic beverages, since these can damage the recovery from a gastric sleeve. Drinking water will help you stay hydrated, and you will be able to digest your food much faster.
Eating with this Post Gastric Sleeve Diet is highly recommended in a relaxed way, in small portions, and drinking water in small gulps. Eating as you used to before can cause your stomach to fill up faster, even without finishing the meal.
The Fundamentals of a Healthy Post Gastric Sleeve Diet
A good Post Gastric Sleeve Diet is not only based on soups, purees, or liquid foods. Once patients have been through the first weeks of recovery, white meats such as fish and chicken can be included in this Post Gastric Sleeve Diet. Although, of course, if you have any doubts, you should first consult with the surgeon, who will indicate the portions that should be included in the diet.
You should also avoid including in the Post Gastric Sleeve Diet foods containing high amounts of carbohydrates since they tend to be more challenging to digest. Therefore, you should always prioritize high-protein foods.
Even after the first week of recovery, although foods such as white meats are already included, beverages other than water should still be avoided. Water will help all these foods to be digested effectively while cleansing the body of impurities. The patient may include other beverages until instructed by the surgeon in charge of the procedure.
Foods with fiber should also be included in the Post Gastric Sleeve Diet. Fiber helps to have better digestion, and at the same time, it avoids cholesterol, glucose, and bile acids.
Something very common is not being able to absorb all these nutrients in the food since this depends on each patient’s metabolism; that is why the use of vitamin and mineral supplements can also be introduced. Supplements complement a good Post Gastric Sleeve Diet greatly by allowing the body to absorb the vitamins and minerals that could not be absorbed from food.
Meal Planning for Success
The portions of each meal depend upon the type of patient. The surgeon in question is the one who will indicate to you how the portions should be and how often you should eat daily.
For example, during the first days, it is recommended to eat three times a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner); however, in this first period, the portions may be a little smaller because the stomach is recovering.
After these weeks, small healthy snacks can be included in the meals to complement the patient’s diet or even some yogurts. In addition, of course, the portions, in this case, will be slightly larger, but not enough to neglect the Post Gastric Sleeve Diet and the recovery.
Common Challenges and Solutions
Gastric sleeve surgery is mainly required for people who suffer from obesity, so it can be challenging to eat small portions at the beginning.
Sometimes patients during their Post Gastric Sleeve Diet begin to have cravings between meals, and instead of eating a healthy snack, they choose to eat food high in carbohydrates, which makes it difficult to lose weight. Some patients have even said that neglecting their diet has caused them to gain weight.
If you have these temptations, you must seek the advice of the surgeon who performed the procedure first, as they can give you some tips on coping with this behavior. In the best-case scenario, the surgeon may even recommend you go to a support group or a dietician to get the help you need.
The importance of a Healthy Post Gastric Sleeve Diet
Having a good Post Gastric Sleeve Diet results in a good recovery after surgery and better care by the patient to lose weight. In the beginning, adapting to this change is undoubtedly very complicated, especially in the part where a strict diet must be followed. However, you must have a lot of discipline and courage to correctly comply with each surgeon’s indications, recommendations, and instructions.
If you are determined to undergo gastric sleeve surgery but do not know of a clinic that offers you the security you deserve, you can come to us. At Baja Plastic Surgery, we offer this and other procedures with personalized treatment to your needs. People worldwide recognize our gastric sleeve surgery in Tijuana as a safe surgery with long-term results.
