After weight loss surgery in Mexico, you experience a lot of changes, some of which are physical and others of which are related to your habits. The biggest changes you need to make will be related to your diet and physical activity.
The bariatric diet is often the greatest struggle for patients, especially those who emotionally eat. However, it is essential that each patient follows the bariatric surgery diet stages, including the soft and liquid diets.
Understanding the Liquid and Soft Diets
The liquid diet for bariatric surgery is used both before the surgery and during the first weeks of recovery. This diet itself can be broken down into two stages: all liquids and clear liquids. At some points, only clear liquids can be consumed.
The soft diet is a step up from the full liquid diet after gastric sleeve and other procedures. With this, you can eat foods of a thicker consistency but that is very soft—think pureed foods and anything easily mashable with the back of a spoon. If it requires teeth, it is a no-go.
Why the Bariatric Liquid Diet and Soft Foods Matter
After surgery, no matter what type of bariatric procedure you get, your stomach will be highly sensitive, and in most cases just beginning the healing process from numerous incisions. Consuming solid and heavy foods will cause significant pain and gastrointestinal distress, not to mention potentially damage your new stomach in the cases of gastric bypass or gastric sleeve in Mexico.
Other reasons the liquid and soft diets are essential include:
- Reduced Complications: Bariatric procedures are considered safe, but as with any surgery, things can go wrong. The clear liquid diet stepping up to a full liquid diet helps to significantly reduce the likelihood of complications occurring.
- Increased Hydration: After surgery, you need to stay hydrated. This is central to your bodily functions, and thus your ability to heal. Since your stomach capacity is reduced, you need even your food to be liquid in order to properly hydrate.
- Stepping Up: The soft diet is essentially a steppingstone to solid foods. With your new smaller stomach, going straight to solid foods can cause severe stress and even stretch the stomach—something you want to avoid.
- Jumpstarting Weight Loss: Finally, these diets tend to naturally restrict the number of calories consumed, meaning they jumpstart the weight loss process.
Ready to learn more? Dr. Jalil is here to answer your questions about everything from how gastric sleeve works to what to expect from life after surgery. Contact us today to discover how we can help you.
