By reducing the size of your stomach, bariatric surgery looks to reduce the amount of calories you will consume before feeling full. Because the surgery is a permanent change, it needs to be a lifestyle decision to lead a healthy existence. For many years, patients have been choosing between the common options like lap-band and gastric bypass. The gastric sleeve is now the most commonly performed bariatric procedure of all.
Surgery - When it comes to the surgery itself, a laparoscopic tool is used in order to make small incisions in the abdomen. After inserting a small camera, the surgeon can then look inside the abdomen and insert little instruments with the aim of reducing the size of the stomach by roughly 75–80%. Once finished, the stomach will be shaped rather like a sleeve, hence the name, and the opening can be closed with staples.
After surgery, patients normally remain in hospital for a couple of days before being sent home for a recovery period of a few weeks. Of course, there will be swelling around the abdomen area and it will feel sore for a little while afterwards. If the pain becomes too much to handle, you will be able to get medication from your doctor. Over time, you will adjust your diet until you are used to regular food once more.
Pre-Surgery Diet - In order to prepare your body for the surgery, you may be asked to go onto a diet a couple of weeks before the surgery. To reduce the risk involved in the surgery, a short-term diet can be used to reduce the amount of body fat around the liver. In the diet, patients consume high-protein liquids and stay away from high-calorie foods, carbonated drinks, and caffeine-heavy sugary drinks. During those two weeks programs typically set a high-protein, low-calorie target — yours will give you the specific numbers.
Post-Surgery Diet - Ultimately, this surgery puts a lot of stress on the whole body but particularly the stomach. For this reason, the post-surgery diet will ease the stomach back into foods first starting with a two week liquid diet. Much like the pre-op diet, this will contain high-protein, low-calorie drinks. At the start of the third week most programs move to pureed foods — everything blended to about the consistency of applesauce. Eggs, cottage cheese, pureed meats and soft cooked vegetables. Starches like pasta, rice and bread stay out at this stage.
Soft foods follow, then regular foods from around week six or seven, with the protein drinks slowly tapering out. Our full guide to the four diet stages after gastric sleeve surgery covers each phase in detail — and your own program's timeline takes precedence over any of it.
Exercise After Gastric Sleeve Surgery - After having gastric sleeve surgery, many people ask how long they have to wait until they can exercise once more and this is a good question. While you are still in pain and you need medication, there is no way you should be exercising. At first, you can try to walk as much as you can but try not to lift anything too heavy. If you walk a little each day, you can aim for a target of being able to walk for half an hour each day within a month of surgery.
Top Tips
- Chew all foods well and eat slowly before swallowing
- After eating food, leave it at least half an hour before drinking
- Avoid eating outside of set meal and snack times
- Stop when you feel full
- Lose junk food and sweets
