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Bariatric surgical procedures such as lap-band, sleeve gastrectomy, and gastric bypass are all effective techniques used to help reduce stomach size or capacity, control food cravings, help with portion control, and ultimately promote weight loss.
Most people who undergo bariatric surgery lose an average of 50 percent of their excess bodyweight within the first year or two after surgery. If you’ve struggled with your weight for years and tried a long list of fad diets and exercise programs with mixed results, bariatric surgery can be life-changing in more ways than one.
Nutrition Plan After Surgery
After surgery, your healthcare team will provide you with a nutrition plan to help you change your eating habits, make healthy food choices, and maximize your results. Depending on your surgery and other factors, it may take 6 to 8 weeks to adjust to eating differently than you did before surgery.
In most cases, you’ll follow a liquid-only diet after surgery. Then you’ll add pureed foods to your diet, followed by soft foods, and eventually resume eating smaller portions of solid foods. You’ll also learn to drink the right amount of liquids without stretching your stomach. But your nutrition plan after surgery doesn’t stop with making smart food choices.
After surgery, your stomach may be restricted with the lap-band, or surgically resized with another procedure. This helps with satiety and portion control to limit calories and promote weight loss. But it also changes the way your body absorbs nutrients from food.
Add a Chewable Multi-Vitamin to Your Nutrition Plan
That’s why you should take a chewable multi-vitamin at breakfast and dinner for at least the first six months following surgery, according to the American Dietetic Association Nutrition Care Manual, and research published in The Ochsner Journal. After six months, gastric bypass patients may switch to a multi-vitamin that can be swallowed. Lap-band patients should stick with a chewable multi-vitamin to supplement nutrition.
In addition to food, a chewable multi-vitamin is a kind of nutritional insurance that can help you get adequate levels of vitamins and nutrients your body needs. Patients who undergo bariatric surgery often need to take supplements to get enough calcium, vitamin D, iron, B vitamins, thiamin, and folate, according to the ADA. You’ll be eating plenty of healthy foods. Adding a chewable multi-vitamin will help fuel your body with all the nutrients it needs for optimal health.
Contact the New York Bariatric Group for more information on their bariatric procedures and bariatric nutritional supplements for both pre and post surgery.
