Bariatric surgery entails a significant change in lifestyle after the procedure. Weight loss surgery is the first step in your journey to a healthier and fulfilling lifestyle.
After the surgery, it is important to develop habits that will increase the durability of the surgery’s results and improve your general well-being.
You should be aware of the following things after your weight loss surgery.
Avoid Caffeine
Initially, after bariatric surgery, you will be restricted on what to eat or drink. One of these restrictions includes caffeine. Caffeine and bariatric surgery should not be encouraged. After the surgery, your stomach is quite sensitive. Hence, caffeine can irritate the stomach if taken within the first month after surgery.
Once you are past one month after surgery, you can reintroduce caffeinated beverages into your diet in small portions upon instruction by your surgeon.
Reduce Fat and Sugar Intake
After a weight loss surgery, you will have to reduce your fats and sugars to less than five grams per serving. If you take excess sugar after the surgery, you can develop dumping syndrome. This is a condition where the body empty’s sugars from the stomach into the small intestines. You will have a bloated stomach, diarrhea, and low blood sugar when this happens.
Your intake of fats should also be significantly low because bariatric surgery makes it harder to absorb and digest fat. Your diet should contain more proteins with a daily target of 60-120 grams.
Gallstones
It is common to have gallstones after losing a lot of weight rapidly. About half of the gastric bypass patients develop gallstones, ordinarily harmless. About 15%-25% of patients require surgery to get rid of gallstones after weight loss surgery.
Eat Small, Frequent Meals
The weight loss surgery creates a smaller stomach, meaning it will hold less food. Therefore, eating large amounts of food will cause problems. It can be challenging to eat smaller portions as many obese people are binge eaters.
It would be best if you did not drink during meals as it will empty the stomach too quickly and interfere with your feeling of satiety. Instead, you should take water or other fluids between meals to keep your body hydrated.
Exercise
Regular exercise helps maintain the weight attained after the surgery, and it becomes more accessible after the procedure. If you are not used to exercising, take it easy initially and gradually take on more vigorous exercises.
Ask your doctor about the activities you should start with or, better still, work with a trainer or physical therapist. A significant number of bariatric surgery centers provide programs to help patients adopt a healthier lifestyle pre-and post-surgery.
Final Take
After the surgery, you may not meet particular mineral and vitamin needs with the food you eat. Mineral and vitamin deficiencies are a common occurrence among patients after bariatric surgery. Common deficiencies include zinc, calcium, vitamin B12, folate, and iron. To ensure that you consume all vital nutrients, taking calcium and multi-vitamin supplements is advisable. Vitamin supplements are readily available at your local pharmacy over the counter.
