Bariatric surgery is only the beginning of a desired weight-loss goal, and should be supplemented with an effective diet and exercise regime. Maintaining the weight lost through bariatric surgery is a vital long-term management factor. Our goal is to help you learn about and get used to changes in lifestyle and eating habits you need to make in order to live healthy and manage your weight.
You will be given eating and drinking instructions before bariatric surgery to prepare your body for the procedure. After surgery, your diet will start with liquid foods, move on to semi-solid foods and later include solid foods, as you allow the surgical site to heal completely. This healing process may take a month or more. It is important, especially in the early weeks, to stick to this postoperative diet which is designed to give you proper weight loss surgery nutrition while minimizing the chances of vomiting which may delay or prevent proper healing. When you transition to solid foods, you will need to pay close attention to your intake. Your dietician will design a diet that best suits your body and condition.
Our ultimate goal is to educate you about the chosen procedure and the diet specific to it. The preoperative diet is the same for all weight loss procedures but the postoperative diet is slightly modified for each procedure to maximize the strengths and avoid the weaknesses inherent to each procedure. Post-surgery diets are specific to and vary depending on the procedure you undergo. To learn more about individual diet plans and guidelines, please visit the below links.
Along with a well-balanced diet, it is very important to incorporate regular exercises into your daily schedule. Exercise starts soon after the surgery as you will be advised to get out of bed and walk. This can be increased slowly and progressively to more vigorous activities. Aerobic and weight resistant exercises will be suggested, to increase lung capacity and cardiac output, and improve muscle strength and flexibility, respectively. It is important to note that exercise will depend on the condition of the patient and wound healing. Always keep yourself hydrated. While working towards a weight plan, it is important to set realistic goals. Rewarding yourself when you reach set milestones will help you to keep going. Apart from weight loss, regular exercise has added health benefits: reduced risk of developing some cancers and heart diseases, and higher self-esteem and wellbeing.
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