The gastric sleeve diet is an essential diet recommended to follow strictly while going through the process of gastric sleeve surgery. The process of gastric sleeve surgery includes the separation of functional part of the stomach i.e. gastric sleeve from the rest of the organ. Due to its elimination, the body tends to shed weight.
This surgery is a medically acclaimed effective solution to reduce body weight fastly. Without the consumption of a proper diet pre and post surgery, this surgery will not show results. In addition to this, with the intake of a gastric sleeve diet, the risk of complications and infections decreases in the surgical procedure.
The pre and post gastric sleeve diet is given below. Certain common guidelines to consider while consuming a diet before and after your surgery is provided.
What to eat pre-gastric sleeve surgery?
It is important to adhere to several guidelines regarding diet consumption before the surgery for better results. The benefits obtained from a pre-surgery diet are the following:
Decreases the risk of complications:
With obesity, the risk of body diseases increases before and after surgery. Therefore a good diet can lower down the risk of complications.
Becomes easy for a surgeon to do the surgery:
Obesity makes the size of the liver large. With a large liver, it becomes difficult for the surgeon to perform the surgery easily. A strict gastric sleeve diet shrinks your liver size and keeps you healthy.
Makes life easier after the surgery:
By following a proper diet you will be able to lead a happy life after the surgery. With this, your day to day habits and activities will become smooth and easy going.
Guidelines for pre-gastric sleeve surgery
The gastric sleeve diet should get started before the 3 weeks of the survey. The main guidelines required to follow are:
3 weeks before surgery
A long term diet consists of whole, fresh and limited processed foods are preferred before the 3 weeks of the surgery. Sometimes your meal can also be replaced with a complete meal replacement drink.
Reduce the intake of carbohydrates:
As you know that the consumption of carbohydrates increases the number of calories in the body. Products like soft drinks and candies should be removed from the diet. Also the other sources of carbohydrates like bread, pasta should also be consumed in a minimum amount.
Increase protein intake:
It is advisable to consume at least 60 gm of protein on a daily basis. Chicken, lean ground beef, eggs, and salmon are some of the good contributors of protein in the body.
Eat healthy fats:
Some common sources of healthy fats are fish, nuts, and olives. These fats are good for the body and provide energy. However, there are other bad facts including butter and oils which should be strictly eliminated.
Drink plenty of water:
Water is the utmost important source of energy in the body. So don’t dehydrate your body and drink lots of water daily.
2-3 days before surgery
Before 2-3 days of your surgery, you should only focus on a liquid diet. Instead of taking food items you should switch on to water, gelatins, and sports drinks which have low calories. If you will not follow these with discipline then it can create problems in your surgical procedure.
Medications to discontinue before gastric sleeve surgery:
- NSAIDs, such as Tylenol, Motrin, and Aleve.
- Herbal supplements
- Arthritis medications
- Anticoagulant medications
Also please consult your doctor or coordinator for more details and prescriptions.
What to eat post gastric sleeve surgery?
The post surgery diet is as crucial as a pre-surgery diet and it needs to be followed after weeks and months of your surgery. Initially, you will have to take liquids only and gradually, you will be consuming some solid foods. If you will follow this diet without any leniency then you will surely get rid of risk for diseases like diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and gastric leaks.
1st week after surgery
As stated above during the first week after your surgery, you need to take only liquids. Water is the most necessary drink to take in the right amounts on a daily basis. In addition to water, take drinks like broth, decaffeinated beverages, forgo carbonated beverages.
2nd week after surgery
In the second week post your gastric sleeve surgery; you will add the thicker liquids in your diet. Items like applesauce, greek yogurt, protein shakes, and puddings can be added.
3rd week after surgery
Now you have reached the 3rd week after your surgery, so it’s time to include some soft and pureed foods in your consumption. Things like eggs, meats, fish, beans, soft fruits should be added.
4th week after surgery
So one month is about to over and now you can take solid foods. This diet will be now as similar to your pre-surgery diet. Do not take fried foods, candy, nuts, seeds, and dairy products. You can take caffeine but only in limited quantities.
What to eat for the long term?
The diet referred above is not just sufficient to avoid any complications and risk of diseases. Even when you have followed this diet efficiently, you should continue with the healthy eating practices for long term improvements and a healthy body.
Some tips to keep your body strong and healthy are:
- Consume whole foods.
- Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day.
- Make proper diet meals and strictly follow that.
- Put lots of healthy eatables in your kitchen.
- Reduce the intake of sugary foods and drinks.
- Do not take processed foods in larger quantities.
- Eat slowly and do not eat too much.
- Exercise on a regular basis.
Final words
So it can be understood that surgery is the effective and safest option to lose weight quickly. However, it is not easy to carry out the surgery successfully. Therefore a proper gastric sleeve diet is essential to follow so that no complications and diseases can infect you. When you will follow a gastric sleeve diet then you will definitely feel healthy from inside also.
