Diet and life after weight loss surgery

After your bariatric surgery, you will need to make permanent changes to your eating habits to experience successful weight-loss. It is important that you adhere strictly to your surgeon’s instructions. The following are some of the generally accepted dietary guidelines after bariatric surgery:

• When you start eating solid food, it is essential that you chew thoroughly. You will not be able to eat steaks or other types of meat if they are not ground or chewed.
• Do not drink fluids while eating. They will make you feel full before you have consumed enough protein.
• Omit desserts and other items with sugar listed as one of the first three ingredients.
• Avoid carbonated drinks, high-calorie nutritional supplements, milkshakes and foods with a high fat or high fiber content.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Avoid gum.
• Limit snacking between meals.

Your ability to resume pre-surgery levels of activity will vary according to your physical condition, the nature of the activity and the type of weight-loss surgery you had. Many patients return to pre-surgery levels of activity within six weeks of their procedures. Patients who have had a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure may be able to return to these activities within a few weeks.

It is recommended for women to wait 18 months after surgery before getting pregnant to help ensure a safe pregnancy for you and your baby.

In addition, a child born after the mother's surgery is less likely to be affected by obesity later in life due to the activation of specific genes during fetal growth. There is also less risk of the mother needing a cesarean section.