It’s no secret that patients undergoing a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy will have to face many lifestyle changes following their surgery. Your diet will experience a dramatic transformation. Before and after your surgery, we’ll discuss with you the various foods and serving sizes that are safe and advisable to eat, as well as foods, drinks, and substances that you should avoid.

The First Week

In the few days leading up to your procedure, you will be asked to switch to a liquid diet consisting of sugarless protein shakes, broth, water, gelatin products, popsicles, and sugarless, decaffeinated drinks. In the week following your procedure, you’ll be asked to continue this liquid diet to avoid complications and prevent obstructions, leakage, or other digestive upsets. At this time, avoid sugary foods and drinks, caffeine, and sodas. Make sure to stay as hydrated as possible with water or low-calorie electrolyte drinks.

Week 2

While it’s still not advisable to consume solids at this point, you can slowly transition into thicker liquids, such as protein shakes, sugar-free frozen yogurt, oatmeal, pudding, broth, and instant breakfast drinks. At this point, your appetite will slowly come back; however, we strongly advise you to avoid solid foods, as there is still a risk of complications. It will take up to a month before you can start eating small amounts of solid, unprocessed foods.

Week 3

Three weeks after your surgery, you may start to eat food that’s the same softness and consistency as baby food or purée. This includes puréed or mashed avocado, bananas, scrambled eggs, soft tofu, plain yogurt, cottage cheese, and hummus. It is still not advisable to drink caffeine at this point. Try your best to avoid heavy spices or seasoning.

Weeks 4 and 5

At this time, it is safe to start introducing solid food into your diet. Be sure to stick with healthy, unprocessed or minimally processed foods. As a rule of thumb, food that is located on the outer perimeter of the grocery store is usually the healthiest: artisanal bread, fruits, vegetables, fresh meat and fish, and low-fat dairy.

We will be with you every step of the way to ensure you’re adhering to your post-procedure eating plan to maximize the benefits of your sleeve gastrectomy. Contact Clinique Michel-Gagner for any questions you have about your bariatric procedure.