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Reasons for diet stages?



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I had found an article a long time ago when I was doing research about the sleeve that talked in detail about why the diet stages after surgery were important. Can anyone list kind of specific reasons for each stage so I'm not temped to get ahead of myself? Thank you!

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The short answer and the one that will probably keep you from advancing too fast is this: your stomach is healing. Removing such a large part of it by cutting it and stapling it is traumatic to your body. It is swollen and pissed off. You need to be kind to it and eat through the stages. While really swollen only liquids so that it doesn't push. You don't want your stomach churning at this point trying to digest food when it is still recouperating from the physiological changes. Hope that helps.

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My NUT explained that the stages were all about the texture. Our stomach's are healing from major surgery so we have to be careful about texture and while we heal, we need nutrition to heal so we need maximum nutrition.

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I think there's more than one reason for some of the stages. Mostly it's about making sure you don't give your stomach something it can't handle early on, since it is fragile and healing. But the reason not to eat more solid foods too early is the risk of pieces getting caught in the staple line. Until the tissue around the staple line heals up, there are hundreds of tiny little nooks and crannies where solid foods could get caught and cause abscesses, ulcers, or leaks.

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My surgeon's plan allows for soft Proteins starting on day three (cottage cheese, ground meat, Beans, etc- very small portions, of course). He said he stays up to date with all of the latest recommendations in the bariatric community, and has been doing it this way for years with no problems. I never had a miserable week of clears or liquids, and no eating mush for weeks on end. I've tolerated everything I've eaten, and am now 7 weeks out, and basically eating like a normal person (only real restriction is that I'm eating low carb), just smaller portions.

It has made this processes so much easier than I ever expected, and I'm down 45 pounds in 9 weeks (that includes 2 week pre-op diet). I am a big proponent for following YOUR surgeons recommendations, but just wanted to throw this out there to show how much the post-op diets can vary between surgeons.

~*~ Find me on YouTube: Trisha's Sleeve Story ~*~

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My Dr said 2 reasons. First all the reasons people listed above about healing.

Then the 2nd reason is food are reintroduced in stages so you relearn how to eat. I didn't think it was possible this late in my life to relearn how to eat, but I have found it to be very effective.

Also I think it gives you time to learn your stomach and how it works.

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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