Bariatric Surgery Recovery: Laying the Foundation for a Healthy Lifestyle

Diet Considerations

Sticking to your diet is one of the two essential parts of losing weight – even more so after bariatric surgery. Not only is it necessary to establish new and healthy habits, but there are often immediate physical effects if your stomach cannot tolerate the food you eat.

The First Two Weeks

In the first few weeks before and after surgery, your diet is strictly limited to liquids. Protein shakes, broth without solids, sugar-free and decaffeinated beverages, V8 and vegetable juice, and thin cream of wheat or rice are the most common options. In the days leading up to your surgery, this diet reduces the amount of fat around certain digestive organs. Post-operatively, this diet reduces the amount of food your body needs to digest, which lessens the stress placed on your digestive system.

A liquid diet is essential during the early stages of recovery.

After the First Month

After three or four weeks, your doctor may approve you to transition to the next stage in your diet. Patients will gradually move from liquid to soft to pureed to solid foods. However, because of the limited space in your stomach, only certain solid foods are usually approved over the long term.

Exercise and Fitness

Like diet, your exercise routine should start slowly. As your digestion improves and you have more energy, your regimen can become more intense. In the immediate days, patients simply need to walk daily and change positions frequently to encourage proper digestion and circulation. More intense lifting or even house cleaning, such as vacuuming, should be avoided. However, once you are approved to eat pureed foods, patients can typically return to work and their normal routine and begin a light exercise routine.

The best way to speed your recovery is to follow your doctor's instructions as closely as possible.

Unlike a poor diet, a lack of exercise does not have immediate physical effects on a patient. Consequently, exercise is often the easiest component of weight loss to overlook. It is all the more important that patients commit themselves to a regular routine: at least 30 minutes a day four to five times a week.

Contact Us Today

Dramatic lifestyle changes can be difficult to face on your own. The doctors, counselors, and team working through the Tijuana Bariatric Center provide the support you need to face them head-on. Reach out today to learn more about life after bariatric surgery.