Meal Planning Tips for Post-Bariatric Surgery Patients

You’ve already undergone bariatric surgery. That’s incredible! You’re well on your way to a slimmer, happier, healthier you; and to living the beautiful and engaging life that you absolutely deserve.

But bariatric surgery isn’t a miracle cure. After surgery you’ll need to stick to a strict dietary plan in order to maximize your chances of losing weight and keeping it off, as well as to maximally improve your health.

Your bariatric dietitian will walk you through what that new dietary plan will look like. In this post, we’ll talk about how to plan meals in accordance with that plan.

What Are the Best Foods to Include In A Meal Plan After Bariatric Surgery?

After bariatric surgery, your diet will need to change substantially compared to what it was before surgery. You’ll need to eat a lot of protein and vegetables. You’ll also want to eat some fruit, but eat fruit in moderation because it does have sugar. You’ll want to avoid processed carbs, and especially processed sugars and “drinking your calories” by imbibing beverages like soda, coffee, and sweetened tea. You’ll also want to drink plenty of water: at least 64 oz per day.

(If you would like some post-surgery meal ideas to help with bariatric meal planning, check out our Recipes page.)

What Is the Best Protein to Eat After Bariatric Surgery?

Now that you’ve had bariatric surgery, you’ll probably need to eat a lot more protein than you did before surgery. We recommend that women get 60-80 grams of protein per day, and that men consume 75-100 grams or more per day. If you had loop duodenal switch surgery, you’ll need more protein than if you had gastric sleeve or gastric bypass surgery.

After surgery, you should aim to get most of your protein from lean moist meats, beans and legumes, low-fat cheese, and occasionally nuts. If you do eat meat, then it’s very important that the meat be lean; lunch meat is a much better choice than bacon, even though both meats have protein. Meat and fish can be excellent sources of protein. Poultry usually has about 8 grams of protein per ounce, and fish usually has around 6 grams per ounce.

However, it is important not to consume too much meat or fish. One reason is that animal sources of protein can include environmental toxins and breaktown toxins called TMAOs, which studies show are linked to higher risk for various diseases, including: cardiovascular disease, cardiorenal disorders, and even stomach and colon cancer. Instead of getting all of your protein from animal sources, you should supplement with plant-based sources of protein. Beans, lentils, and even quinoa can all be great sources of healthy protein.

How Can I Manage Portion Sizes Effectively Post-Bariatric Surgery?

Now that you’ve had weight loss surgery, your stomach is a lot smaller than it was before surgery. As a result, your meal portions will need to change.

We recommend that after surgery, you aim for 900-1000 calories per day. You should get these calories in the form of 3 daily meals, which should each be only 4-6 ounces.

After surgery, you’ll get full a lot faster than you did before surgery. If you’re still adjusting to this fact when it comes to making meals, then consider eating strategically. If you make a meal that’s too big by accident, then you don’t have to eat everything that’s on your plate. Instead, start by eating your protein, because it’s very important that you get enough protein in your diet. Next, eat your vegetables, which are often rich in micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Eating leafy greens and brightly-colored vegetables is a great way to get vitamins like iron, magnesium, and potassium. After the vegetables are gone, consider eating any fruit on your plate. Fruit can be a great source of vitamins and nutrients too, but you should eat fruit in moderation because it is also a source of sugar. If you have any carbs in your diet (and it’s very important that these consist of unrefined carbs, such as quinoa; and not processed carbs like white bread), eat those carbs last.

Here’s one meal planning tip: as you eat, make sure to eat slowly. Chew each bite thoroughly, and put down your food between bites. This will help you to feel when your body is full so that you can stop eating before you start to overstretch your stomach by eating too much. It should take you a full 30 minutes to consume your small portions.

If you follow these portion control strategies, then bariatric meal planning can be simple and easy.

What Bariatric Meal Planning Strategies Can Help You Maintain Energy Levels After Surgery?

After surgery, we want you to have plenty of energy so that you can exercise and get back to physical health, but also so that you can do all the things that you lost weight in order to do. Bariatric surgery isn’t just about losing weight; it’s about transforming how you live, and getting back to the energetic and joyful and radiant life that you were born for.

A key part of keeping your energy levels up is to stick to your dietary plan. You worked to develop it with our bariatric dietitian, and it’s designed to help you to feel great in your new body. As part of this, getting enough protein, as well as enough minerals and vitamins after bariatric surgery, is essential. If you do that, you’ll be surprised how amazing and full of energy you can feel.

Taking the Next Step On Your Journey Back to Health

Bariatric surgery is a powerful solution, but it’s not a magical cure. Now that you’ve had surgery, it’s very important that you stick to the new dietary plan that our bariatric dietitian helped you to create. If you stick to this plan, you’re likely to find that you can get down to your goal weight and feel better in your body than you’ve felt in years.

“I love to work out and go for walks and ride bikes. I went on a 10 mile backpacking trip and felt great, we have run several 5k races and currently looking to run the Bolder Boulder race this Memorial day.”—Karl Romriell, gastric sleeve patient.

If you have any other questions, feel free to browse around our site or check out our Patient Resources page. Please also don’t hesitate to reach out to our friendly staff today.