Weight loss dietitians Perth
Aruna followed her post-operative bariatric diet meticulously.
Bariatric Diet
What is a Bariatric Diet?
Pre-operative diet
All our patients are required to go on a diet before bariatric surgery. This is an Optifast diet that you will need to follow for between 2-4 weeks pre-surgery. The bariatric liquid diet is extremely important, as the small amount of weight loss achieved during this period of time significantly improves the safety of your surgery. It does this by reducing the amount of friable fatty tissue immediately adjacent to the area in which the weight loss surgeon needs to work within your abdomen.Post-operative diet
You will also need to follow a specific diet plan after bariatric surgery. Immediately after the surgery, a special diet will allow your stomach to heal. Initially, the stomach doesn’t contract very well, so you will consume liquids only for the first two weeks. This means no solid food at all during the post-op diet, although some people can manage runny pureed food by the end of this initial two weeks.Two weeks after weight loss surgery
You can start to eat soft and moist foods. We can help you make a bariatric diet food list for guidance. You will be able to manage most food textures by six weeks after surgery. Some foods, such as chicken breast or well-done steak, often take longer to manage. Occasionally there may be a food that just never sits well in the stomach after surgery.Video: What can you eat? Perth bariatric surgeons
Keep in mind
You will need to learn to eat slowly, chew food well, and get used to not finishing meals.
The following points are really important to keep in mind:
- Everyone progresses at different rates with what foods they can manage after surgery, the amount of food they can eat comfortably, and their rate of weight loss.
- It can take some people weeks to get used to eating smaller amounts of food and not finishing meals. You will adjust though, it just takes some time and patience.
- Here are a few things that you can try when eating out:
- only order small meals, entrees rather than main courses;
- share food with others at your table;
- ask to take leftovers home when eating out at restaurants and cafes. It’s important to acknowledge that you will rarely finish a restaurant meal in Australia. However, there are ways around this issue.
After a gastric bypass
After a gastric bypass, (and sometimes gastric sleeve), patients can encounter something known as Dumping Syndrome when eating foods high in simple carbohydrates such as sugar. For this reason, the bariatric gastric bypass diet does not include these foods.
Orbera gastric balloon diet
Our dietitians will provide very detailed information regarding what is suitable for the bariatric balloon diet. The main difference is that the progression from a very thin liquid diet to pureed and then soft foods is a little quicker. This is because the Orbera placement is a non-surgical procedure and no healing of surgical sites is required for the transition to occur. It is important to remember that the volume of food you will be consuming will be significantly reduced due to the presence of the balloon.
Helpful Tips
If you are getting uncomfortable when eating - for example, regurgitating, vomiting or having a buildup of saliva after eating - this means you are usually eating too much or too fast. If you believe it is for none of these reasons, please contact the clinic so we can help you resolve any underlying issue that might be causing you problems.
Try using smaller cutlery such as teaspoons rather than the usual knife and fork to help you to eat more slowly.
When preparing specific bariatric diet recipes, don’t hesitate to halve the quantities to create a smaller meal.
Serve your food on smaller plates and in smaller bowls to help to adjust to smaller portions.
Do not drink anything too close to eating. Wait about 30 minutes after eating to start drinking again. It’s important to remember that both food and drinks fill the space in your stomach and because you have had this stomach size reduced this it can be difficult to drink and eat at the same time.
Avoid getting over-hungry as you are more likely to eat too quickly, leading to some discomfort.
Can multivitamins cause nausea?
Sometimes multivitamins can cause nausea, particularly if taken on an empty stomach. Most patients will need to take calcium in addition to the multivitamin, and some patients will need other additional supplements such as iron or vitamin B12. Please talk to our dietitians if there are any issues with taking the recommended vitamins & minerals.
Supplements
It is strongly recommended to take a complete multivitamin after bariatric surgery. In fact if you have had a bypass this is essential to reduce the risk of a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
Currently, the widely available ‘Gummie’ multivitamins are not a sufficient alternative for our bariatric surgery patients. There are two chewable multivitamins currently available in Australia that are designed for bariatric patients, especially if you have trouble swallowing the larger multivitamin tablets that are also available.
Video: Vitamin Deficiency | Perth obesity surgery
Bowels
You can expect your bowels to change after bariatric surgery. You may go more or less often than usual. Ensure you are drinking enough fluid and contact our clinic nurses if you experience ongoing issues.
Reflux
Some patients can experience reflux symptoms such as heartburn after bariatric surgery. Ensure you are not eating too much in a sitting, drinking too soon after eating or eating too close to bedtime. If reflux continues to be a problem, please book an appointment to see your bariatric surgeon.
The role of exercise
Video: What is the role of exercise?
FAQ
Resources
BN Chewable Bariatric Multivitamins
Nutrichew Chewable Bariatric Multivitamins
Boomers Whey Protein Powder
Peptipro Collagen Protein Powder
Other Protein Powders/Protein Waters
Life Extensions ‘Bone Restore’ calcium and vitamin D supplement Bariatric Recipes
- www.nutritionforweightlosssurgery.com
- The Gastric Sleeve Bariatric Cookbook by Sarah Kent
About Obesity Surgery WA: Our 6 commitments
Taking surgery seriously
We know that entering into an operation is a big deal and we are very serious in getting the best outcome for you. We practice what is considered to be a world class standard. Our staff regularly attend national and international conferences and bring back what is the latest research and technology.Running on time
Our Surgeons and all of our staff try their best to run on time. Although it's not always possible, our commitment is that we do our best. Your time is valuable and we respect that.Readily available
Our surgeons (or at least one of them) are always available in a crisis. Some of them may provide you with a direct contact, but all are available through the hospital switchboard and happy to chat any time if there is a crisis.An obsessive attention to detail
We do our best to not miss anything. Every stitch, every staple and every clip is applied to exactly where it needs to be with the greatest care possible.Commitment to performing the best operation possible
Not all operations are the same and there a few extras that we do to make things better. We know that our results are better with the minimiser ring so we offer it to everyone. We know that reflux can be an issue so we try to tighten every oesophageal hiatus to make reflux control as good as possibly can be.A commitment to new technologies
- We have brought in STRETTA into Western Australia, which we believe will revolutionise reflux management. (Have a look at the Stretta page for more information).
- SJOG Murdoch has just purchased a new DaVinci robot and we believe that this will allow us to do operations with keyhole surgery that previously needed a major laparotomy incision. Lynx is on the horizon and promises to also help manage reflux, we hope to have access to this in early 2020.
Useful links
Gastric
sleeve
Gastric
bypass
Obesity
Meet our team
Dr. Harsha Chandraratna
Consultant Surgeon
MBBS FRACS
Dr. Bill Gong
General and Laparoscopic Surgeon
MBBS FRACS