Weight loss surgery helps obese patients lose significant amounts of weight by either reducing the size of their stomachs or rerouting the digestive system to block some calorie absorption. Some procedures such as gastric bypass combine restriction and malabsorption to speed weight loss. To lose weight and keep it off, weight loss surgery patients must make long-term dietary changes including limiting or eliminating caffeine from the diet, so follow your surgeon's instructions carefully.
Dietary Changes
Postoperative diet instructions depend in part on the type of procedure. Purely restrictive procedures such as the Lap-Band do not change the digestive process, so patients can tolerate more types of food but must focus on portion control. Malabsorptive procedures such as gastric bypass and biliopancreatic diversion cause faster weight loss because some calories are blocked but patients have difficulty digesting sugary and fatty foods.
Caffeine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls caffeine a drug as well as a food additive. Caffeine naturally occurs in more than 60 plants, including those used to produce coffee, tea, cola drinks and chocolate. Common symptoms after consuming the substance include shakiness, jitteriness, difficulty sleeping, rapid or irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, headaches, increased urination, nervousness or dizziness, according to the FDA.
Dehydration
Weight loss surgery patients can hold only small amounts of fluids in their stomach pouches, so they must sip water frequently throughout the day to prevent dehydration. Since caffeine has a diuretic effect, meaning that it causes water loss through excess urination, weight loss surgery patients must avoid it for at least the first few months after surgery, according to the University of Michigan. Dehydration increases the risk of developing kidney stones after weight loss surgery.
Expert Viewpoint
In a study of 68 dietitians working in weight loss surgery practices, all instructed their patients to delay consuming caffeine for several months or to eliminate it altogether, states Linda Aills, R.D., lead researcher, in a report published in the September 2008 issue of "Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases." Aills cautions, however, that little research supports concerns about the possible effects of caffeine on stomach irritation, sensitivity, obstruction, wound healing or rate of weight loss.
References
- FDA: Caffeine and Your Body
- "Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases 4"; ASMBS Allied Health Nutritional Guidelines for the Surgical Weight Loss Patients; Linda Aills, R.D.; Jeanne Blankenship, M.S., R.D.; Cynthia Buffington, Ph.D.; et al; September 2008
- University of Michigan: Pre-Operative Phase for LAP-BAND Surgery
- "Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases 6": American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, The Obesity Society and American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery Medical Guidelines for Clinical Practice for the Perioperative Nutritional, Metabolic, and Nonsurgical Support of the Bariatric Surgery Patient; Jeffrey Mechanick, M.D.; Robert Kushner, M.D.; Harvey Sugerman, M.D.; et al; 2008
- "Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook for Dummies;" Brian K. Davidson; David Fouts; Karen Meyers, M.S., R.D. ; 2010
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