What Is the Bariatric Surgery Diet?

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

You may have recently had your bariatric surgery or are just starting to think whether bariatric surgery is right for you, and you are wondering what you can eat after surgery. This is a common question and a concern for many patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Food is such an important part of who we are and how we socialize that making drastic changes to your diet can be scary. Don’t be afraid. Once you have progressed through to stage 5 of the bariatric surgery diet, there are a lot of things that you can eat.

The bariatric surgery diet has several stages, each designed to support where you are in your healing. The diet stages for each program may be slightly different, but should look something like this:

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!