The first thing you must realize about life after bariatric surgery is this: It's not a quick fix.
You're on a new and ongoing journey toward weight loss, and you'll get there on the road of lifestyle changes. After surgery, the difference in your body makes it physically easier to adjust your eating and lifestyle habits. The good news is that you won't have to go through the process alone. A team of professionals will be there every step of the way to support your efforts. You'll see positive changes in your body, your weight and your health, but you'll need to be patient through the recovery process.
And now for the $64,000 question: What will eating be like?
Well, the changes that were made to your gastrointestinal tract are going to require some permanent changes in your eating habits, and they must be followed to the letter if you want to be successful in your new life after bariatric surgery.
Post-surgery dietary guidelines vary from one bariatric surgeon to another. You may hear about post-surgery guidelines that are different from the ones you receive. It's important to remember that these guidelines will be different depending on the surgeon and type of procedure. The key is following your surgeon's guidelines. Here are some of the generally accepted dietary guidelines for a healthy diet after bariatric surgery:
• When you start eating solid food, it's very important to chew your food thoroughly and eat very slowly. Wait two to three minutes after swallowing before putting the next bite of food in your mouth. You won't be able to digest steaks or other chunks of meat if they aren't ground or chewed thoroughly.
• Don't drink fluids while eating. They will make you feel full before you have eaten enough food. Fluids consumed with meals can cause vomiting and dumping syndrome, which can lead to feeling hungry sooner after a meal.
• Don't eat desserts and other items with sugar if they have more than three to five grams per serving size.
• Avoid carbonated drinks, high-calorie nutritional supplements, milk shakes, foods high in fat, and foods that have no nutritional value.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Limit snacking between meals. Eating after bariatric surgery will be much different than before.
• Consider dietary counseling. Dietitians and nutritionists can advise patients as to what foods they should be eating to help ensure they are receiving enough vitamins and minerals. It is also important for a meal program to be formulated that satisfies the patient's caloric requirements to maintain good health while continuing to support the weight loss.
• Exercise. It's important to any weight-loss program. Ramping up your metabolism, burning calories, and improving the overall health of your body are all achievable through exercise. You should meet with a personal fitness trainer and exercise physiologist who can design a custom program to encourage safe exercise for you. As you progress in physical capability, these programs will continue to be modified to promote maximum effectiveness without putting you at risk.
Going Back to Work After Bariatric Surgery
Your ability to resume pre-surgery levels of activity will vary according to your physical condition, the nature of the activity and the type of weight loss surgery you had. Most patients return to work and are able to exercise within one to three weeks after their laparoscopic gastric bypass. Patients who have had an open procedure do so about six weeks after surgery.
Birth Control and Pregnancy
It is strongly advised that women of childbearing age use the most effective forms of birth control during the first 16 to 24 months after weight-loss surgery. The added demands pregnancy places on your body and the potential for fetal damage make this a most important requirement.
Long-term Follow-up After Bariatric Surgery
Although the short-term effects of weight-loss surgery are well understood, there are still questions to be answered about the long-term effects on nutrition and body systems. Nutritional deficiencies that occur over the course of many years will need to be studied, and can depend on your diet after bariatric surgery. Over time you will need periodic checks for anemia (low red blood cell count) and Vitamin B12, folate and iron levels. Follow-up tests will be conducted at least yearly and more often as indicated. Click here to see DeKalb Medical's Follow-up Plan for Bariatric Patients.
Support Groups
The widespread use of support groups has provided weight-loss surgery patients an excellent opportunity to discuss their various personal and professional issues. Most learn, for example, that weight-loss surgery will not immediately resolve existing emotional issues or heal the years of damage that morbid obesity might have inflicted on their emotional well-being. Our surgeons have support groups in place to assist you with short-term and long-term questions and needs, including the most effective exercise and diets after bariatric surgery. Most bariatric surgeons who frequently perform weight-loss surgery will tell you that ongoing post-surgical support helps produce the greatest level of success for their patients in their life after bariatric surgery.
Plastic Surgery
In some cases, plastic surgery may be required or desired to achieve the look and feel you want to have after successful weight loss surgery.
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