After-gastric sleeve-surgery diet: clear liquid diet vs. full liquid diet.

After-gastric sleeve-surgery diet: clear liquid diet vs. full liquid diet.

Patients who decide to go under bariatric surgery with Long Term WLS/VSG have to start getting ready for their procedure weeks ahead. One key element for this preparation is the stages of diets they have to follow. We have already talked about our pre-op diet, now we want to provide some information regarding post operation.

Once the procedure is done, patients must do a two-step liquid diet and a third and last step with mushy food or blended solids. The first phase consists on a clear liquid diet followed by a regular or full liquid diet. This difference can be confusing sometimes, so let’s explain it a little.

Clear liquid diet after gastric sleeve surgery

A clear liquid diet is prescribed right after surgery, with the purpose of providing the body with the necessary nutrients, without making it hard for the stomach to digest them. As the surgery has just occurred, the tissue is still delicate and digestion of hard, solid food could turn into a lot of pain, sometimes even vomit. Medication pills should also be crushed before intake. The duration of this first phase is ten days.

These are some examples included in a clear liquid diet:

·         Plain water.

·         Fruit juices without pulp, such as grape juice, filtered apple juice, and cranberry juice.

·         Soup broth (bouillon or consommé).

·         Light or sugarless gelatin.

·         Caffeine-free tea with no cream or milk added.

·         Sugar free sports or protein drinks that are transparent.

These foods and liquids are not included in our clear liquid diet, as they will cause unpleasant side effects and possibly complications:

·         Juice with nectar or pulp, such as prune juice.

·         Milk and yogurt.

·         Caffeine drinks and sodas.

Full liquid diet after gastric sleeve surgery

Once the healing has progressed, what follows is the regular of full liquid diet, which is a middle step between a clear liquid diet and eating solid foods. This includes thicker, liquid foods as listed below. It is still easy to digest, meeting the calorie and protein needs of your body.

These are some examples of our liquid diet:

·         Skim milk and skim soy beverages

·         Thicker low fat soups (liquefied cooked vegetables)

·         Protein shakes

·         Liquefied oat meal

The same rule as above applies: no sugar, caffeine or carbonated beverages. This diet should also be taken for ten days.

Mushy food diet after gastric sleeve surgery

The last and final step of the after surgery diet consists on blended solids o baby food for ten days also.

Foods should have the consistency of a thick liquid (no chunks or solid material). Soft foods examples are soft boiled or scrambled eggs, tofu, low-fat cottage cheese, and sugar-free low-fat yogurt. Again no caffeine or carbonated beverages. After this step is done, you may continue to solid food as indicated by our surgeon.

Once you are finished with all your diets, we recommend you maintain an active, healthy lifestyle, along with high protein nutrition. If you consider it necessary, you can always be under the care of a nutritionist.

At Long Term WLS/VSG, we always look after your well being. This advice and your proper care will help you achieve positive and long lasting changes in your life.

Carbonated Drinks & why you shouldn’t drink them!

Carbonated Drinks after weight loss surgery - Long Term VSG

What are carbonated drinks?

A carbonated drink is a drink that bubbles and fizzes with carbon dioxide gas. There is a natural process (Mineral Water) and also the man-made process (canned mineral water, soft drink or soda).

...But, are they bad? The overconsumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, dental caries, and low nutrient levels. Experimental studies tend to support a causal role for sugar-sweetened soft drinks in these ailments, though this is challenged by other researchers. "Sugar-sweetened" includes drinks that use high-fructose corn syrup, as well as those using sucrose.

Many soft drinks contain ingredients that are themselves sources of concern: caffeine is linked to anxiety and sleep disruption when consumed in excess, and some critics question the health effects of added sugars and artificial sweeteners. Sodium benzoate has been investigated by researchers at University of Sheffield as a possible cause of DNA damage and hyperactivity. Other substances have negative health effects, but are present in such small quantities that they are unlikely to pose any substantial health risk provided that the beverages are consumed only in moderation.

The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with weight and obesity, and changes in consumption can help predict changes in weight.

The consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks can also be associated with many weight-related diseases, including diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors, and elevated blood pressure.

Now that you know how Soda or soft drinks affect your health let’s talk about how it also is a bad choice after Weight Loss Surgery... Due to the gas that this types of drinks have in them they can hurt your stomach also they create a sensation of fullness (or bloating symptom) which can prevent you from eating your meal at your planned schedule and makes you feel uncomfortable, also due to the fact that they have sugar added (even if they are Light) they can stop the weight loss process and get you into a stall. So avoid them if you want a better achievement on your weight loss journey.

Contact us for more information! 

1 888 349 4769

Plastic surgery after weight loss - Long Term WLS/VSG

Once you are out of bariatric surgery and start losing weight you’ll be healthier, you’ll feel better and you’ll look better, for many patients that’s all they could want or hope for... But the extra skin that many patients have after wls, leads them to consider reconstructive plastic surgery. In addition to improving your appearance, patients often take this route for medical reasons including rashes and problems maintaining hygiene between the skin folds.

The most used plastic surgeries that are made are:

• Abdomen (Also known as a tummy tuck)

• Breast (Such as breast lift or breast augmentation)

• Neck or face (Neck lift or facelift)

• Thighs (Thigh lift plastic surgery)

• Upper Arms (Upper arm lift)

• Entire body (Total body lift) But before rushing to get your cosmetic surgery it is really important that you wait about a year or two. 

But before rushing to get your cosmetic surgery it is really important that you wait about a year or two...

You might be wondering why? Because after a year or two you’ve already lost as much weight as the surgery let you, so after all that time you already know how to eat healthy and also how to take care of your body which is really important after a cosmetic surgery.

Remember that the recovery after a weight loss surgery does involve careful attention so sticking to what the doctor instructs is the best option and this will allow you to heal better and also your stomach will heal better.

In your recovery process you can experience:

• Nausea or vomiting is especially common within the first few months following weight loss surgery. After your stomach is fully healed, you’ll quickly learn what your stomach can and can’t handle. How you eat is as important as what you eat when it comes to preventing nausea and vomiting, avoid eating and drinking too quickly or too much, take small bites and chew your food thoroughly

• Body aches – should pass with time. If they become too uncomfortable, talk with your doctor about which pain relievers are safe. You should typically avoid NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen or Aleve.

• Weak or tired feeling – should also pass with time, especially once your new bariatric diet is in place and, as soon as you are feeling up to it, begin your exercise program.

• Feeling cold – this is caused by metabolism and weight loss and the fact that you have less fat insulating your body.

• Constipation – drinking more fluids, eating fibrous foods or taking fiber supplements and moving around regularly should help.

• Diarrhea or loose stools – usually diet related and requires the avoidance of “trigger” foods that disagree with your stomach.

• Gas – also diet related.

• Dumping syndrome, especially after gastric bypass, is caused by rapid emptying of your stomach after a meal. Symptoms include weakness, dizziness, flushing and warmth, nausea and palpitation immediately or shortly after eating.  If you don’t adopt the right habits, this problem can continue over the long-term.  

• Gurgling noises – not necessarily uncomfortable, but it’s worth noting. Gurgling noises are completely normal and are due to the different way your new digestive system pushes air through. The best way to prevent gurgling noises is to avoid swallowing air (i.e. avoid carbonated beverages, sipping through a straw, eating or drinking too quickly and chewing gum).

• Thrush (yeast infection) – this can be a side effect of the antibiotics you are on to prevent infection. Symptoms include changes to your tongue such as a white coating, redness or inflammation. Thrush is easily cured with medicine, so let your doctor know if it starts to develop.

Your emotional state may also be a little shaky immediately following surgery. It’s common for patients to feel scared, uncertain or moody due to hormonal changes and to the emotional effects of adjusting to a new life after weight loss surgery.

Other things you may experience include:

• Skin changes such as acne or dry skin occur with some patients. The right bariatric diet and bariatric vitamins are your best defense. There are also many over the counter creams and lotions that can help. Worst case, partner with your dermatologist to find a treatment that works.

• Hair loss this can be an alarming side effect of rapid weight loss, but it is only temporary. It happens in about half of all patients in the year following surgery. Proper nutrition is the best defense, including protein and the right bariatric vitamins. Several other treatments can also help, including the application of special shampoos and oils (Nioxin shampoo, flax seed oil, biotin tablets or powder).

It typically takes patients anywhere from two to six weeks to start feeling balanced and back to normal again. After getting through the bariatric surgery recovery phase, following are the ways that your life after weight loss surgery will be permanently changed.

Post Op Bariatric Surgery Diet! - General guidelines

The Long Term WLS / VSG Post-Op Diet is designed to bring about significant weight loss, and learning new eating habits helping to maintain this weight loss over time...

In general, the diet includes foods that are high in protein, and low in fat, fiber, calories, and sugar. Important vitamins and minerals are provided as supplements. It is also crucial to get enough protein right after surgery, to make sure that wounds heal properly and over the long term, to preserve muscle tissue. Too much fat delays emptying of the stomach and may cause reflux, nausea, stomach discomfort, or diarrhea. Sugary foods like candies, cookies, ice cream, milkshakes or soft drinks, sweetened juices, and most desserts are foods high in calories and fat, and they can promotes dumping syndrome in some patients with by-passed stomach.

The Long Term WLS / VSG Post-Op diet (basically, in gastric bypass or restrictive procedures) unfolds in 4 Phases:

•  The first phase of the restricted diet, after the operation, consists in clear liquids for 2-3 days.

•  And then followed by phase two a low-fat full liquid with high protein content (At least 60 g/day) for 2 to 4 weeks. Liquid yogurt based-diet, preferable with added protein or commercial products of enteral nutrition vs. formula-diet (as usual in the very low calorie-diet) are some of the alternatives at this period.

• Soft/blended diets are indicated 4-6 weeks after discharge (some patients may need to wait longer).

• The puree diet includes very soft, high-protein foods like egg, low-fat cheese, or blenderized lean meats like chicken, veal or pork and fish (red meats are usually less tolerated).

The regular diet starts about 12 weeks or later after bariatric surgery... It is important to start with high-protein foods, like white eggs, lean meats, cheese or milk, at every meal. Each meal should take between 20-30 min, in much smaller amounts (50-100 g), and chewing carefully. Fluids should be consumed on a near-constant basis; sip slowing but only in between meals. It will be necessary to contact to a dietician for advice on planning an individualized regular diet pattern, and management of lifestyle changes.

Remember to follow the meal to make sure that you lose more weight and also to create a better eating habit, once you learn to eat better and healthier you will feel better and prevent future digestive problems.

Crave Smart! Post bariatric surgery tips...

Even if you're haven't gone through bariatric surgery, Food cravings is something that most of us if not everybody has pass through and as for why they happened there is no single explanation; explanations range from low serotonin levels affecting the brain centers for appetite to production of endorphins as a result of consuming fats and carbohydrates.

Foods with high levels of sugar glucose, such as chocolate, are more frequently craved than foods with lower sugar glucose, such as broccoli, because when glucose interacts with the opioid system in the brain an addictive triggering effect occurs.

The consumer of the glucose feels the urge to consume more glucose, much like an alcoholic, because the brain has become conditioned to release "happy hormones" every time glucose is present. There is evidence that addiction and food craving activate some of the same brain areas.

There are also certain types of cravings that range from:

• Sweet

•  Salty

• Creamy

• Crunchy

And when these cravings occur it’s normally our body telling us what it needs, Chocolate one of the top contenders in the craving area is contains the neurotransmitter phenylethylamine, which is important for the regulation of the body’s release of endorphin's. Endorphin's are released following a stressor and result in a sense of relaxation. Exercise and sleep are two alternative ways to help facilitate the release of endorphins. 

Craving salt may be partly due to being dehydrated. When dehydrated the body loses water, electrolytes, and salt, and by ingesting salt, water retention can be increased.

Those who don't have food cravings might say that such cravings are "all in your head," and new research suggests they are right. It is all in our heads: several specific areas of our brains, actually. Areas of the brain responsible for memory and sensing pleasure are partially to blame for keeping those food cravings coming.

Beyond the physiological reasons for food cravings, they often have something to do with emotion and desire. For many of us, cravings kick into high gear when we're stressed or anxious. Carbohydrates boost our levels of the hormone serotonin, which has a calming effect. And recent research suggests that the combination of fat and sugar may also have a calming effect.

But there are ways to prevent these cravings:

•  Don’t skip meals: If you eat at your correct time and eat your complete meals you shouldn’t have any problems here.

•  Exercise and take care of yourself: By exercising you release stress and by doing this you feel more relieved and happy and can endure until the next meal.

• Control the craving monster: If you feel that the craving is to powerful and it’s taking over you, know what type of craving it is and provide that specific crave.

There is always the healthy option to give into those cravings and have a better option for snacking also  so for more info on what types of healthy snacks and for having a better meal plan contact us at longtermvsg@gmail.com

Genetics and Obesity are related!

Today we are going to talk about how your genetics are sometimes against you and your weight, but why?... Well Obesity and genetics a directly related and combines with some environmental influences they are 70% responsible for your body’s weight.

And here at Long Term WLS / VSG we understand that bariatric surgery may be the only way to effectively alter these genetically predetermined body processes.

But why my genes are causing me obesity?

Evolution yeah that’s it evolution is one of the main reasons. We are designed to survive and that’s how our bodies has been adapting itself going through survival requirements have coincided with environmental factors over the course of human history.

Let’s stop the history lesson for a moment and go back to what happens internally and let’s talk about hunger. Your genetics determine the amount of hunger-causing hormones that are secreted by your body into your bloodstream and how your brain interacts with those hormones.

Three types of internal body secretions have been found to regulate hunger:

• Hormones from the digestive system, including ghrelin, peptide YY and GLP-1, let your brain know when more nutrients are “needed” based on your body’s requirements.
• Hormones from fat cells (“adipocytes”) such as leptin keep your brain informed about your body’s level of energy deposits (fat cells).
• Neuropeptides in the brain regulate food intake by responding to signals from hormones secreted by the body.

Ghrelin is the first of three hormones sited most frequently in conjunction with obesity. When your stomach is empty, ghrelin is secreted into your blood stream by your stomach. After you eat, the amount of secreted ghrelin drops, then slowly rises until your next meal. Lower ghrelin means less hunger.

Neuropeptide Y neurons in the brain are activated by ghrelin. When your blood carries more ghrelin to the brain, your neuropeptides create “hunger signals” leading you to feel hungry and eat.

The third most commonly-referenced hormone associated with obesity is leptin, which is secreted by fat cells!

If dieting has not worked for you, ghrelin, peptide YY and leptin are likely to be a few of the main culprits because as you diet…

• The amount of ghrelin your stomach secretes increases, causing your brain to receive more hunger signals.
• The amount of peptide YY your digestive system secretes decreases, causing you to feel hungrier.
• As your leptin-secreting fat deposits dissolve, less leptin is released into your blood causing your brain to want to eat more in order to restore its fat deposits.

Now to complete the cycle you have to know that your weight also has an important role here. Each of our bodies has a set weight that it “wants” to maintain. If your body weight goes above your set point, your metabolism will speed up in an attempt to burn off the excess weight. If your weight falls below your set point, your metabolism will slow down to allow more fat accumulation.

Now we that we know how genetics affect let’s talk about how weight loss surgery helps. Let’s keep it in two ways:

1.       Hormones and weight loss: surgery impacts the hormones that affect hunger

2.       Metabolism and weight loss: surgery increases the body’s fat-burning metabolism

Surgeries that bypass or remove part of the stomach, including gastric bypass surgery, gastric sleeve surgery and duodenal switch surgery may reduce feelings of hunger by…

• Reducing the level of ghrelin secreted into the blood stream by the stomach
• Increasing the level of peptide YY secreted into the blood stream by the lower digestive system

Ghrelin and peptide YY plasma (blood) levels are unchanged after lap band surgery (gastric banding) and vertical banded Gastroplasty surgery.

Therefore, it could be suggested that the procedures that remove or bypass part of the stomach (i.e. gastric bypass, gastric sleeve and duodenal switch) could aid in long-term weight loss by causing patients to feel less hungry. At a minimum, sustained weight loss should feel easier to achieve after these procedures due to fewer hunger signals reaching the brain.

Also bariatric surgery has been shown to increase glucose metabolism causing the body to burn energy (fat) more quickly. Increased metabolism is the result of and directly proportionate to the amount of fat lost after weight loss surgery...

For the meat lovers ♥

Red meat contains large amounts of iron, creatine, minerals such as zinc and phosphorus, and B-vitamins: (niacin, vitamin B12, thiamin and riboflavin). Red meat is the richest source of lipoic acid, a powerful antioxidant.

Red meat also contains small amounts of vitamin D. The liver contains much higher quantities than other parts of the animal. And it’s also well known for being a great source of protein.

Now we have to make choices on witch type of cut are more beneficial for a healthier meal. The tastiest cuts of beef are often the ones with more fat. But when you're concerned about your health or you're trying to watch your weight, you want the leanest cuts of beef. 

But which ones are the leanest cuts?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates whether cuts of beef can be labeled as "lean" or "extra lean" based on their fat and cholesterol content. So the best way to get the leanest cut is to check labels...

To make sure you are having a lean cut a 3.5-ounce serving (about 100 grams) that contains less than:

·         10 grams total fat

·         4.5 grams saturated fat

·         95 milligrams cholesterol

Now in order to get an extra lean cut make sure that in a 3.5-ounce serving (about 100 grams) that contains less than:

·         5 grams total fat

·         2 grams saturated fat

·         95 milligrams cholesterol

The following ones are considered a great choice for extra lean cuts:

·         Eye of round roast or steak

·         Sirloin tip side steak

·         Top round roast and steak

·         Bottom round roast and steak

·         Top sirloin steak

If you still have questions about which cuts of beef are lean or extra lean, ask your butcher or grocer. If you're dining out, ask the restaurant server or chef for recommendations for lower fat options. But keep in mind that the same cuts of beef can have different names. For example, a boneless top loin steak may also be called a strip steak, club sirloin steak or N.Y. strip steak.

Other tips when choosing cuts of beef:

·         Choose cuts that are graded "Choice" or "Select" instead of "Prime," which usually has more fat.

·         Choose cuts with the least amount of visible fat (marbling).

·         When selecting ground beef, opt for the lowest percentage of fat.

·         Limit consumption of beef organs, such as liver, to about 3 ounces (85 grams) a month since organ meat is high in cholesterol.

Even the leanest cuts of beef can become high-fat diet busters if you prepare them in unhealthy ways. Here are a few simple methods to control the fat:

• ·         Trim it. Cut off any visible, solid fat from meat before preparing, and then remove any remaining visible fat before eating.
• ·         Drain it. After cooking ground meat, put it into a strainer or colander and drain the fat. Then rinse the meat with hot water. Blot the meat with a paper towel to remove the water.
• ·         Chill it. After cooking, chill beef juices so that you can skim off and discard the hardened fat. Then add the juice to stews, soups and gravy.
• 
  

Now that you know how to choose your meat, eat healthy and stay healthy!

www.longtermvsg.com

Long Term VSG - Weight loss surgery promotional price:

• Gastric Sleeve surgery staring at $2999 USD
• Revision surgery starting at $4499 USD