Bart Decadt

Consultant Laparoscopic Bariatric

& Upper GI Surgeon

site by richardesign

Post-Operative Care

All patients will receive regular check-ups, will be encouraged to attend the aftercare support groups and will undergo the mandatory 2 Year Routine Check-ups.

Dietary Support

If you are advised to follow a modified eating plan then it is important to ensure regular meals and high protein foods to curb your hunger. Avoid all high sugar foods including biscuits, cakes, chocolate, full sugar drinks and full sugar yoghurts and smoothies. A good way to reduce carbohydrate content is to ½ your usual intake.

Liquid Consistency

Liquid foods are easy for your stomach to digest and it gives the digestive system a chance to heal. The volume of food that you can consume is significantly reduced and you must therefore remember to take your time and sip fluids slowly. If you drink too fast there is an increased risk of nausea and vomiting. Initially you may be apprehensive, this is completely normal. As you become more accustomed to the volume of liquids that you can tolerate you will feel much better.

Puree Consistency

Food should be of a baby food /apple sauce consistency. It should be smooth in texture and should not need chewing. At this stage your calorie intake will be less than 500kcal/day. You should aim for 5-6 small puree meals a day.  Your portion size for each meal should be around 3 tablespoons.

Your new stomach is sitting higher up and therefore you may feel tightness in your chest when you eat. Don’t be surprised at how quickly you feel full, this is normal and to be expected.

Soft Consistency   

Once you feel comfortable with a puree consistency you should progress onto soft foods. Food should moist and tender with some variation in texture.  By this stage a liquidizer should not be required. Your portion size should be around 4-5 tablespoons. Your calorie intake is likely to be in the region of 600-700kcals/day maximum. You should aim for 4-6 small meals/day.

Chewing your food well is essential. This will ensure that food does not get stuck. Take your time when eating and always remember to stop as soon as you start to feel full. Your stomach can only hold a small quantity of food if you eat more than this you will be sick. It is not recommended that you drink at the same time as you eat.

Solid consistency

Surgery is a tool. You still need to make the right food choices to gain the most from your procedure. You should aim for regular meals, adequate protein, a small quantity of complex carbohydrates, low fat and low sugar food choices, fibre as tolerated and alcohol in moderation.

Lifestyle changes and exercise are also important and a combination of all three will give you the best results. Healthy eating is not just about a healthy body weight. It should also incorporate a variety of food and food groups. It should be flexible to fit in with your lifestyle. Any plan must be sustainable and maintainable for the rest of your life.

Once you can tolerate a solid food consistency you should aim for a variety of healthy food choices and food groups to help reduce the risk of nutritional deficiencies.

Regular Meals

The body needs fuel to function, without food it cannot work to its full potential. Regular meals provide a steady release of energy across the whole day. Following surgery you must eat regularly to ensure a steady source of fuel as unlike before surgery you cannot consume a large amount of fuel in one go.

Long periods without food can increase hunger, make you more tired & irritable and make you crave for sweet foods such as biscuits and chocolates. Ensuring regular meals including breakfast, lunch and evening meal will help to avoid this.

For more information on diet and a complete guide to post operative eating, please click on the PDF file to the right to download our Bariatric Dietary Guide.

request a quote

POST-OPERATIVE Care

“I enjoy attending the monthly support group sessions where I am helped by others who have experienced weight loss surgery..”