Every weight loss surgery is a process that starts before you arrive at the hospital and continues long after you leave. The first step towards a healthy, happy weight loss is preparing properly for surgery. This starts with a healthy, personalized diet prescribed by your nutritionist. Although this diet might help you lose a pound or two, its objective is to help you prepare your body so it’s in optimal conditions for surgery.
After that comes the liquid diet, which you are required to follow for 3 days before your surgery. This allows you to replenish fluids, reduce swelling on your liver, and most importantly, remove all traces of food in your digestive system. Cheating during this diet can affect your process. Surgery needs to be performed on a clean stomach to avoid complications or infections. Make sure that you tell your doctor if you cheated during your diet as you might have to reschedule your surgery. Think of the pre-op liquid diet as a short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain. Is cheating on this diet really worth postponing my surgery? Take this time to work on breaking bad habits, but also to determine if you’re ready to withstand the changes and challenges that come with weight loss surgery. Your pre-op diet is your first stepping stone
Once you have your gastric sleeve done and are ready to continue your recovery at home, you leave the facilities with a set of instructions that will help make your weight loss the safest and most effective experience possible. One of these steps is following a liquid diet for approximately two weeks after surgery where you will be required to drink at least 64 ounces (2 liters) of clear, non-carbonated, and sugar‐free liquids per day. This will help and keep you hydrated and allow your stomach to heal correctly. Not following this liquid diet correctly can cause an upset stomach a lot of unwanted discomfort.
Remember that after surgery, your stomach capacity has been significantly reduced so cravings and temptation are also minimal or non-existent. Learn to listen to your body and interpret its needs because sometimes other feelings can be mistaken for hunger, like boredom, anxiety and even thirst. It’s normal for patients to be intimidated at the thought of an all-liquid diet, but trust us when we say that it’s worth it and easier than you think, with help of your doctors and nutritionists you will be able to successfully overcome both stages and eat solid food in no time.
If you are looking into making this wonderful change in your life, get in contact with our team and patient coordinators. We are happy to help!
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