What Is the Bariatric Surgery Diet? | St. Mary's Health Care System (2024)

The bariatric surgery diet has several stages, each designed to support where you are in your healing.

07/10/2023

by Julie Richardson, MS, RD, LD, CNSC

Nutrition & Diet, Weight Loss

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Typical Diet Advancement Plan

Stage 1: Bariatric Clear Liquid Diet

While you are in the hospital, for the first 24-48 hours after surgery, you will be on a bariatric clear liquid diet. This diet is designed to keep you hydrated without stressing out your stomach. At this time, you may be nauseous and fill up quickly. You will need to sip slowly on sugar-free, non-carbonated, caffeine-free clear liquids.

Stage 2: Bariatric Full Liquid Diet

Once you are discharged from the hospital or on day 2-3 after surgery, your diet should be advanced to a bariatric full liquid diet. You will usually remain on this diet until day 15 (week 3) after surgery. This diet is designed to keep you hydrated and start to provide more nutrition (protein) for healing. This diet stage focuses heavily on protein shakes and supplements.

Stage 3: Bariatric Pureed Diet

At this point, you can tolerate slightly larger portions and are ready to start eating a bariatric pureed diet. The food will need to be blended/pureed to the consistency of baby food. This will allow you to build up tolerance to solid food. You will need to continue to focus on protein and will probably need to continue with the protein supplements to help meet your protein needs. You will typically remain on this stage for weeks 3-4 after surgery.

Stage 4: Bariatric Soft Diet

Now that you can tolerate food, you can continue to advance textures to a bariatric soft diet. The food will need to be chopped, ground, mashed, flaked, or pureed. These foods will require less chewing, passing more easily through your gastric pouch. You will still need to focus on protein but can start relying more on food sources of protein than protein supplements. You will typically remain on this stage for weeks 5-6 after surgery.

Stage 5: Regular Bariatric Diet

At week 7, you are now ready to advance to regular textures and reintroduce a greater variety of food into your diet. This is the diet that you should follow for the rest of your life. You should continue to focus on protein and avoid high-fat or sugar-sweetened foods. Make sure that you eat slowly, listen to your body, and stop eating when you are full. Congratulations – you have made it through all the stages of the bariatric surgery diet!

Recommended Foods, Goals, and Tips for Each Stage of the Bariatric Surgery Diet

Each stage has its recommended foods, goals, and tips to help you avoid complications and reach your personal health and weight loss goals. They are summarized in the table below:

Bariatric Diet Stages Food, Goals, & Tips

Bariatric Diet Stage	Recommended Foods	Goals	Tips
Stage 1: Bariatric Clear Liquid diet	Ice chips Water Broth Sugar-free gelatin & popsicles Sugar-free, non-carbonated, & caffeine-free beverages Sugar-free sports drinks	Sip 1 ounce (30 ml) every 15 minutes	Avoid straws, carbonated beverages, and chewing gum Record your fluid intake to make sure that you are drinking enough Monitor your urine frequency & color
Stage 2: Bariatric Full Liquid diet	Bariatric clear liquids Protein drinks Fat-free or low-fat milk/unflavored milk alternatives Reduced-fat cream soups (no tomato) Low-fat & low-carbohydrate yogurt (smooth) Sugar-free pudding Pureed or blended bean soups	At least 48-64 oz fluid/day Sip slowly and increase as tolerated At least 60-80 grams of protein	Avoid straws, carbonated beverages, & chewing gum Record your fluid intake/monitor urine frequency & color Add protein to full liquids
Stage 3: Bariatric Pureed diet	Stage 1-2 foods Small, curd-free, low-fat cottage cheese Pureed beef, chicken, turkey, & pork Canned fish (tuna or salmon) Scrambled eggs Tofu Pureed lentils & beans (hummus) Ricotta cheese Smooth nut butters (preferably natural) Mashed potatoes Pureed unsweetened fruit and vegetables	At least 48-64 oz fluid/day No liquids for 20-30 minutes before/after food At least 60-80 grams of protein	Aim for 3-4 meals per day Start with 1/8-1/4 cup portions 30-45 minutes to complete a meal Stop eating when full Avoid straws, carbonated beverages, & chewing gum
Stage 4: Bariatric Soft Diet	Stage 1-3 foods Finely chopped, moist, & soft foods (no larger than an eraser head) Lean ground meat Beans & lentils Low-fat cheese Boiled, poached, or scrambled eggs Hot cereal Well cooked vegetables Boiled potatoes without skin Canned fruit in light-syrup or its own juices Soft fruit without skin Pasta & rice	At least 48-64 oz fluid/day No liquids for 20-30 minutes before/after food At least 60-80 grams of protein	Aim for 3-4 meals per day Start with 1/4-1/2 cup portions 30-45 minutes to complete a meal Stop eating when full Chew food well (at least 20 times) Avoid straws, carbonated beverages, & chewing gum
Stage 5: Regular Bariatric diet	Stage 1-4 foods Lean, cooked meat (cooked in low-fat sauces or gravy for better tolerance) Cheese (limit to 1 ounce per day) Fruits (introduce crisp, fresh fruit last) Vegetables (introduce raw veggies last) Hot or cold cereal (avoid sugar-sweetened cereals) Whole grain carbohydrates Healthy low-fats	At least 48-64 oz fluid/day No liquids for 20-30 minutes before/after food At least 60-80 grams of protein	Aim for 3 meals & 2 snacks per day Avoid high-fat or sugar-sweetened foods Stop eating when full Avoid straws, carbonated beverages, & chewing gum

St. Mary’s Hospital Can Help You Lose Weight

If you are interested in continuing your weight loss journey with the help of bariatric surgery, Athens General and Colorectal Surgeons and St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens can help. Please contact the AGCS office for more information at (706) 548-5488. We are here to help you every step of the way and wish you the best of luck on your journey!

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What Is the Bariatric Surgery Diet? | St. Mary's Health Care System (2024)

FAQs

What does a bariatric diet consist of? ›

Recommended Meal Plan for Two to Six Months Post-Surgery

Consume 900 to 1,000 calories and at least 65 to 75 grams of protein a day. For balanced nutrient intake, your daily servings should include: 3 servings milk and dairy products (nonfat and low-fat) 3 servings meat or meat alternative (lean and low-fat)

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What is the bariatric diet in the hospital? ›

Bariatric diet progression

When to start	Phase of diet
Day 1 (in the hospital)	Clear liquid diet
Days 2 to 14 (2 weeks)	Full liquid diet
Days 15 to 30 (until 1 month visit)	Pureed diet (very smooth)
Days 31 to 60 (after 1 month visit)	Soft diet

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Jan 17, 2024

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What is the level 1 bariatric diet? ›

Stage 1: Bariatric Clear Liquid Diet

This diet is designed to keep you hydrated without stressing out your stomach. At this time, you may be nauseous and fill up quickly. You will need to sip slowly on sugar-free, non-carbonated, caffeine-free clear liquids.

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Is there anything you can never eat again after bariatric surgery? ›

Since your stomach is about the size of an egg after bariatric surgery, it will need to get enough daily nutrition by you making wise diet choices. A bariatric surgery diet means avoiding foods that provide little or no nutritional value. This includes pastries, sweets, chips, pretzels, rice cakes, and popcorn.

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What foods can a bariatric patient eat? ›

Choose foods that will puree well, such as:

Lean ground meat, poultry or fish.
Cottage cheese.
Soft scrambled eggs.
Cooked cereal.
Soft fruits and cooked vegetables.
Strained cream soups.

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What is the 2 week diet before bariatric surgery? ›

Approximately two weeks before surgery, your doctor will start you on a full-liquid, low-carbohydrate diet.

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What is the weight for a bariatric patient? ›

Have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher, or have a BMI between 30 and 35 and an obesity-related condition, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or severe sleep apnea. Weigh less than 450 pounds, the maximum weight that hospital radiology equipment can accommodate.

What is the 30 rule for bariatric surgery? ›

Bariatric Surgery | OSF HealthCare. The “30-minute rule”: After surgery, you have a smaller stomach, so you should not drink any liquids for 30 minutes before a meal, during the meal, and for 30 minutes after a meal. Not drinking prevents you from feeling full too quickly before you've finished eating your protein.

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How many pounds do I need to lose before bariatric surgery? ›

Some patients are required to lose 10 percent of their weight before weight-loss surgery is performed. For other patients, losing just 15 to 20 pounds right before surgery is enough to reduce the risk of complications. It's important to follow your surgeon's pre-surgery diet and nutrition guidelines.

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Can you ever eat pizza again after bariatric surgery? ›

If you frequently enjoy a slice of pizza, you may wonder, 'When can I have pizza after gastric bypass surgery? ' Fortunately, you do not have to eliminate pizza from your diet forever after a bypass surgery, but you should wait for at least 6 weeks before you can comfortably enjoy your delicacy.

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Can you ever eat a full meal again after gastric bypass? ›

After around 7 to 8 weeks you should be able to resume a normal solid food diet. Your gastric sleeve will allow you to eat almost any type or texture of food. You should aim for three well balanced meals each day.

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Can I ever eat pasta again after gastric bypass? ›

Similar to dry foods, many types of bread, rice, and pasta may be difficult to swallow in the first few weeks and months after surgery. If adding these foods back into your diet, be sure to eat them in small amounts to test to see how you tolerate them.

What is the weight requirement for bariatric? ›

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What is the 20 20 20 rule for bariatric patients? ›

The 20:20:20:20 rule

Chew every mouthful of food 20 times. Put cutlery down for 20 seconds between mouthfuls. Take about 20 minutes to eat a meal. Don't take more than 20 pence piece sized mouthfuls.

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