A diet of clear liquids after lap-band surgery may seem like cruel and unusual punishment, but there are sound medical reasons for not eating solid foods right away. First and foremost, you just had stomach surgery, and even if it was a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure, it still was surgery. You need to heal and recover from the operation.
Reasons Behind Liquid Diet
The thinking behind a liquid diet post-op involves giving the stomach a rest after surgery. Ingesting liquids only during this phase keeps the stomach quiet and avoids the normal function of peristalsis, which are stomach muscle contractions that move solid food through the digestive tract. With liquids, the stomach does not have to work hard, and this decreases heavy pressure on your newly placed lap band. A light diet of clear liquids enables you to avoid vomiting. Excessive regurgitation over a period of time can result in band slippage, according to St. John's Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery.
What Is Permitted
For the first day or two after surgery, sip -- don't guzzle -- plenty of water. Keeping adequately hydrated will promote healing. Other acceptable liquids for a week or so following surgery include tea and coffee, as well as diluted fruit juices, but try to keep them to the low-sugar or diet variety. You can also drink clear beef, chicken and vegetable broths. As for cold beverages, reach for skim milk, sugar-free drink mixes and sports drinks, and clear protein drinks. Your new best friends, and sanity savers, will be sugar-free or no sugar added popsicles -- they taste good and help with cravings to chew something. Diet gelatin also makes you feel like you are actually eating something with a little heft to it.
Liquids to Avoid
Unless your surgeon or bariatric practice gives you the go-ahead, avoid creamy or thick soups, fruit smoothies, and liquid yogurt. Drinks fortified with protein powder may be permitted after the first few days, but again, this depends on the surgeon's individual instructions. You should not drink carbonated beverages after surgery -- not just in the weeks immediately following the lap band procedure, but forever. Carbonated beverages -- soda, beer, sparkling water, champagne -- can cause bloating and stomach distension, which often leads to stretching of the lap band pouch. Many lap band patients find downing bubbly drinks an uncomfortable and gas-causing experience beyond the potential for pouch-stretching. Because you are taking in so few calories and no solid food, you should not drink alcohol in the weeks following surgery and you should do so moderately after the post-op period.
Warnings
A liquid diet can have one of two effects -- feast or famine. You may experience diarrhea or constipation, especially if your drinks contain high amounts of liquid protein. Tell your surgeon or bariatric practice staff if either of these conditions occur and they can recommend over-the-counter or prescription remedies.
Considerations
The liquid phase is not necessarily about weight loss, but about healing. You need to keep your stomach as still as possible so the lap band can become properly seated in place in your body. An all-liquid diet, especially if you consume a lot of broth or bouillon, tends to be loaded with sodium, so water retention can happen. Don't get discouraged if you are taking in nothing but fluids but you haven't lost a ton of weight. Between the IVs you were given during the operation and the post-op liquid diet, the scale may not budge right at the beginning. Give your body time to process this influx of liquids.
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