- Reference Number: HEY1028/2023
- Departments: Nutrition Support
- Last Updated: 31 October 2023
Introduction
This diet sheet has been provided by your nurse, doctor or dietitian to provide initial advice for you to follow in the first few days after surgery. You need to see a dietitian and nurse 6 weeks after your weight loss surgery. An appointment will be sent to you in the post.
Eating after weight loss surgery
The aim of this diet sheet is to give you an introduction to food and drink after weight loss surgery and is suitable for the first few days. This diet sheet is suitable if you have had one of the following operations for the purposes of weight loss:
- Roux-en-y Gastric Bypass
- Sleeve Gastrectomy
- Single Anastomosis Gastric Bypass
It is normal for your portion sizes will be very small to begin with following your surgery. Always stop eating when you feel full, you do not have to finish a full portion.
Foods should be blended until completely smooth; you may need to add extra milk to ensure that the mixture is thin enough. Aim to eat 3 meals per day.
Choose one of the following foods to have at each meal:
- Very thin porridge
- Natural yogurt mixed with fruit juice
- Smooth soup
- Sugar free custard
- Sugar free ground rice / milk pudding or semolina
Do not add any sugar to your meals or drinks. If you plan to purchase pre-made foods, make sure each meal contains no more than 5g of sugar
Drinking after weight loss surgery
You should aim for 2 to 3 litres (4 to 5 pints) of still, sugar free fluid every day. Suitable fluids include water, sugar free flavoured water, diluted no added sugar squash and skimmed or semi skimmed milk. Avoid all fizzy drinks. Drinking enough fluid will help you avoid constipation and dehydration.
It is important to remember not to drink around meal times. Stop drinking 30 minutes before a meal and start drinking again one hour after a meal. Your fluid intake should include 200ml of fortified milk, protein water or protein shake 3 times a day, in-between meals.
Fortified milk recipe: whisk 3 to 4 tablespoon of skimmed milk powder into 600ml of skimmed or semi skimmed milk.
This information does not replace the advice and diet sheets previously given to you.
If you do not have the diet sheets mentioned above, or need further information, please call and ask to speak with a dietitian as soon as you are discharged from hospital. You can contact the dietetic department on tel: 01482 461941
General Advice and Consent
Most of your questions should have been answered by this leaflet, but remember that this is only a starting point for discussion with the healthcare team.
Consent to treatment
Before any doctor, nurse or therapist examines or treats you, they must seek your consent or permission. In order to make a decision, you need to have information from health professionals about the treatment or investigation which is being offered to you. You should always ask them more questions if you do not understand or if you want more information.
The information you receive should be about your condition, the alternatives available to you, and whether it carries risks as well as the benefits. What is important is that your consent is genuine or valid. That means:
- you must be able to give your consent
- you must be given enough information to enable you to make a decision
- you must be acting under your own free will and not under the strong influence of another person
Information about you
We collect and use your information to provide you with care and treatment. As part of your care, information about you will be shared between members of a healthcare team, some of whom you may not meet. Your information may also be used to help train staff, to check the quality of our care, to manage and plan the health service, and to help with research. Wherever possible we use anonymous data.
We may pass on relevant information to other health organisations that provide you with care. All information is treated as strictly confidential and is not given to anyone who does not need it. If you have any concerns please ask your doctor, or the person caring for you.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 we are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any information we hold about you. For further information visit the following page: Confidential Information about You.
If you or your carer needs information about your health and wellbeing and about your care and treatment in a different format, such as large print, braille or audio, due to disability, impairment or sensory loss, please advise a member of staff and this can be arranged.
