BASIC COMMANDMENTS AFTER GASTRIC SLEEVE SURGERY
Weight loss surgery in Tijuana Mexico
- Follow your Post Op Diet
You must stick to the nutritional guidelines provided by your surgeon, this is one of the main factors that will impact your recovery progress and weight loss results. There’s a reason why each phase of the diet must be followed for a certain period of days; if you try to eat solid foods too soon or eat food high in sugars and fats, you could have side effects such nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps.
- Stay active and start exercising
Your recovery time will vary, but you must stay active and include daily walks the first day post-surgery. It will take some time before you can exercise with no restrictions or fully, you must gradually increase the time and impact of your exercise routine as you continue to recover, it’s important to strengthen your muscles.
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- Take medication as prescribed
Follow your medical prescription as your surgeon requested. Stick to the instructions (Amounts, period of days, brands, etc.) marked on your prescription, this is very important so you can continue with a safe and healthy healing process. Do not try and wean yourself off medication early.
Important: You must consult your surgeon or main physician every time you are thinking about stopping or adding a new medication.
- Check-ups
You must provide your main physician with the information related about your surgery. Send an e-mail or call your surgeon every 10 days (First month post-surgery) providing him/her the details of your progress and symptoms. Schedule a blood work at least every 6 months, your surgeon and doctor must ensure you are recovering well.
- Daily Vitamins
After bariatric surgery, patients take in significantly less food so it’s necessary to make sure to take daily vitamins and mineral supplements to prevent any nutritional deficiencies. Since you won’t be able to take all the nutrition you need from a single meal or food by itself, your doctor and surgeon will provide you the recommended amounts, brands and which particular vitamin you need.
- Track your calories
Make sure to keep your total calories at roughly 600 to 800 per day, this will ensure an outstanding weight loss progress. Choose food rich in protein and fiber; avoid carbs, sugar or fat. Tracking your daily intake of foods and liquids will help you to improve your daily choices; learning about what you are doing “right or wrong”. This way, you and your nutritionist can stablish the right strategy that works for your weight loss journey and lifestyle. You can also download a mobile app to “track your calories” easier.
- Continue to educate yourself!
Be part of a support group, keep doing research about new food recipes, vitamins, protein shakes, exercises routines, etc. Staying informed will keep you motivated to stay on the right track, remember there’s thousands of patients that are on the same boat as you, so sharing tips and experiences with each other will definitely make this journey a more pleasant experience.
- Light duties at work
You must go back to work until you are ready, recovery time will vary on each individual. For most desk jobs it takes from 1-2 weeks before people are ready to return to work after weight loss surgery. You should take only light duties the first weeks when you first return to work, avoid standing too long of performing physical activities that “hurt”, do not perform any heavy lifting (over 25 lbs.) the first 3 months’ post-surgery.
You must contact your surgeon to talk about your recovery progress and check if you need to take more or less time absent from work.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help
During the initial phase of recovery it’s normal to have questions and doubts, make sure you address them to professionals (Surgeon, main physician, nutritionist…). As patient, it’s important to understand and learn about the indications or guidelines provided by your surgeon so you can adjust easily into your new lifestyle.
Your will gradually incorporate into your “normal” life, meanwhile it can be difficult to move or get things done, make sure you have a good support group to help you do so.
- Patience is a virtue
Your efforts will have a reward, don’t get desperate if you feel like you are not losing weight in a certain period of days; you may be losing inches instead of pounds. Remember that each body is different, so don’t compare your progress with other patients’, it takes time to see yourself differently. We recommend you to take a full body picture every 2 weeks so you can really see the progress and changes in your body. Stick to your guidelines and you will gradually achieve your weight loss goal!
