Post- Op Diet

[ashsleeved 41]

I had my inital consultation yesterday and the PA was going over the post op diet. It seemed a little extreme to me, and from what i've read- most people's aren't like this. Obviously, I will do whatever the MD tells me to do, but I was just curious to if anyone will have a similar post-op diet as I will have.

Post-Op:

Days 1-30: Full liquids

Days 31-60: Purees

Days 61-90: Soft Foods

Days 90-?: Transition into regular foods.

[mae7365 372]

Wow. I was full liquid for 1 week then soft for 1 week. Then began transition to small amounts of normal food on week 3. You may want to ask for clarification on what you've been told.

[alwaysvegas 702]

My surgeon had me on full liquids for two weeks pre- and post-op for four weeks total. The liquids were actually no problem post-op. I had so little hunger and so little room that I felt perfectly satisfied on liquids. The transition to mushies will be a huge leap room-wise and you will fill the difference big-time. In fact, I did half-mushies half-liquids to transition over.

Surgeons' requirements (which vary quite a bit) help to ensure we don't damage our sleeves and that we determine what we can tolerate slowly as the sleeve heals. If you're handling liquids easily, then ask your surgeon if you can try to transition to mushies early. Most of us have no problems transitioning, but some do.

It does seem like a long time to get back to 'real food', but it's very doable. We have plenty of fat stores in our body post-op to make up for the calorie deficit. Our heads tell us otherwise, which is why we packed on so many pounds over the years. It's very tough to fight the head hunger, but for the majority of us, it became much easier post-op.

I'm six months out and I'm still not back entirely on regular foods, but it's fine. I have plenty to choose from and the weight loss has been fantastic!

Best of luck on your surgery and hang in there!

Edited January 22, 2015 by AlwaysVegas

[Pac-woman 325]

I Don't know what to tell you because it sure seems that every surgeon is different. Look at me, When I was discharged, next day I was told to go on pureed food. I can tell you this, because your tummy will be swollen, it won't want a whole of things and if it does want anything it will be very little. At the end of the day, you can TRY to follow the diet regimen they give you, but don't push it. If your tummy doesn't want it, it is not ready.

A good example is, I can have finely chopped chicken as long as it is super moist. I tried. My stomach wanted to part of it. Came back up quickly. So I am sticking to Protein shakes and broth until I feel my stomach is a little better. Doctors are there to guide, but your organs will tell you how they feel. Takes time to heal. Just make sure to hydrate and drink Liquid Protein of sorts so you don't get mal nourished.

[Kindle 8,667]

Mine was

day 1-18 liquid

Day 18-28 puree

Day 28-40 soft food

Day 41 transition to real food

And I can tell you I moved through the stages even slower than the recommended time frame. I made sure I only added in one new thing every few days so i didn't overwhelm my new tummy. I was doing liquids well into the pureed stage, and pureed well into soft food, etc. It was probably 3 months before I felt OK with real food, so your dr's schedule seems about right to me. I would definitely follow your plan and not worry about what other people are doing. It's the best way to keep safe and minimize any complications during that critical healing time. And there so many great recipes on here and eggface that you shouldn't get bored. Some of my favorite dishes are from the pureed stage and I still have them over a year out (not to mention my daily Protein shake)

Edited January 22, 2015 by Kindle

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I had my inital consultation yesterday and the PA was going over the post op diet. It seemed a little extreme to me, and from what i've read- most people's aren't like this. Obviously, I will do whatever the MD tells me to do, but I was just curious to if anyone will have a similar post-op diet as I will have.

Post-Op:

Days 1-30: Full Liquids

Days 31-60: Purees

Days 61-90: Soft Foods

Days 90-?: Transition into regular foods.

I had the same stages but only spent 2 weeks in each stage. The hardest part for me was Full Liquids. By the end of week 1 I wanted something to chew!

[ashsleeved 41]

Thank you for all the answers. I guess my surgeon likes to things a little different. I will of course follow his protocol, but its nice hearing other peoples experiences.

[Chuckie 9]

I have done this very thing self imposed. I believe it is to slow us down so we learn to eat. I have been on liquids/puréed for about 4 weeks and will stay on puree's for a minute. No hurry at all because I eat too fast.