21 Dec 2020

Dietary instructions after obesity surgery

We congratulate you for making the best decision in your life, which is to undergo one of the obesity surgeries to change your life for the better. Laparoscopic obesity surgery is a safe way to treat obesity and avoid or treat many of the chronic diseases associated with obesity.

Obesity operations lead to a significant reduction in the amount of food consumed without feeling hungry.

Bariatric surgery is the first step in a new life. Therefore, our old food habits and unhealthy lifestyle must be changed to reach and maintain the ideal weight after the operation. Exercise is very important after obesity surgeries because it has a significant role in increasing the rate of burning calories, improving body shape, tightening the contours, improving heart capabilities, and reducing stress.

There is a lifetime nutritional follow-up after obesity operations for free in the center with Dr. Mahmoud Zakaria and a therapeutic nutrition specialist.

1 – Fluid stage:

It lasts for 3 weeks.
Drink 10 ml of fluids every 10 minutes (half a cup over an hour).
Caffeine (coffee), soda, and acidic liquids (such as orange juice or tomato and tea) are not allowed for a month after the operation.

Allowed liquids:

Water (Evian/Flo).
Juices like Juhayna pure juice, Lamar, Al Rabie, or Caesar without sugar (apple, pineapple, pomegranate, watermelon, and cocktail).
Warm drinks like Anise/caraway (any light herbal drinks)

– Stop drinking for half an hour if you get a stomach ache.

– It is forbidden to use a straw for drinking to avoid getting air into the stomach.

– Drinking 6 to 8 cups a day to avoid dehydration.

– If the taste of water is not palatable, a flavor such as rose, or fruit can be added.

– EVIAN mineral water or Flo is one of the best and lightest types of water after bariatric surgeries.

– It is recommended to walk 3 times a day, each time for 10 minutes, and this can be increased as soon as you feel you can.

4 days after the operation, add to the above:

Lean soups (made with red meat, fish, shrimp, or chicken).
No fat, no chicken or meat broth cubes, with a little added salt. Eating any kind of meat is not allowed, only the soup.
Light carrot or lentil soup (mixed in a blender)
A little amount of salt can be added. No spices allowed.
Also, you can blend and add zucchini, potatoes to the mixture.
You can also add chopped onions or ground oatmeal.

Smoothie yogurt or skimmed milk mixed with fresh blended and filtered fruits.
Juhayna pure, Caesar, or Rabie juices without sugar (apple – guava – pomegranate – cocktail – watermelon – pineapple).
Fresh juices without sugar, diluted and refined (pomegranate – watermelon – pineapple – apple – guava) and should have a pure juice consistency.

Two weeks after the operation, the following can be taken:

Skimmed yogurt.
Cottage cheese (Qureesh cheese) or light feta plus some milk for easy mashing and digestion.
Peeled boiled fruits (such as compotes with diet sugar), except bananas, can be mashed and eaten without being boiled.
Pure mashed potatoes, topped with a little milk or cheese.
Milk pudding (Muhallabia) or custard with skimmed milk and diet sugar.
Boiled and mashed carrots and zucchini.
Mashed potatoes (grilled or boiled).

2- The soft diet stage:

It begins 3 weeks after the operation and continues for 3 weeks.

– Food should be well cooked.
– Chew the allowed food very well until liquified before swallowing.
– Limit the consumption of juices (only one cup per day).
– Do not pressure yourself to eat or drink more than you should.
– Start by trying a small amount of each new food.
– Avoid any food that causes nausea or vomiting.
– Drinking is not allowed half an hour before eating, during eating, and an hour after eating.
Add to the above:
– Scrambled eggs.
– Pureed tuna without oil.
– Vegetable soup.
– Grilled, peeled eggplant with yogurt.
– A whey-Protein meal for three months at least, scoop it over a cup of water, skimmed milk or yoghurt once a day.
– Peeled fruits.
– Molokhia.
– Chicken liver
– Nuts, as long as they are well chewed (20 nut pieces per day maximum)
– Soup of ground shrimp.
– Peeled and pureed beans.
– Any kind of bread is not allowed.

3- Regular eating stage:

– It starts after 6 weeks of the operation.

– You must chew the food well and get used to eating slowly.

– You should eat 6 small meals a day.

– You must not cancel any meal.

– Use a small plate with a small spoon.

– You should take at least 20 minutes to eat the meal.

– Do not drink half an hour before eating, during eating, and an hour after eating.

– Do not put pressure on the stomach (stop eating or drinking before feeling full, uncomfortable, or if you have epigastric pain).

– Avoid soft drinks, fizzy drinks, chewing gum, and hookah, etc.

– Start eating with proteins (fish – chicken – kofta – meat – cottage cheese – milk – yoghurt – tuna – beans – lentils etc).

– It is necessary to avoid white bread (especially white toast or buns, French bread “baguette”).

– Only Egyptian bread (Baladi bread) and brown toast are allowed because they have bran.

– You should eat 6 small meals daily.

Each meal should be less than 200 calories contains:

10-15g of protein.
Less than 15g of carbohydrates.
Less than 5g of sugar.

This is done by following up with our specialist nutritionist at the center, who will prescribe you a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats by prioritizing the food pyramid as follows: