Meal Prep Ideas to Make the Most of Your Gastric Sleeve

Knowing how to plan your meals after bariatric surgery is vital to successful weight loss.

At Advanced Surgical Associates of Northern Minnesota, Dr. John Bollins provides guidance to support your weight loss journey. We help meal planning make sense for you so you can make lifelong changes to keep the weight off for good.

We’ve included some meal prep ideas that we recommend following weight loss surgery to maximize your results.

Initial liquid diet

After gastric sleeve surgery, you will follow an all-liquid diet for several weeks. The goals of the liquid diet are to keep your body hydrated and support your body as it adjusts to the changes that surgery causes.

A gastric sleeve surgery reduces the size of your stomach to a small sleeve-like pouch. This means you can eat less food to lose weight. This is a lot of change for your body initially.

You need some time to adapt to your smaller stomach size, and the liquid diet will help you readjust to nutrients gradually and with greater comfort.

A liquid diet can include:

• Clear broth
• Pureed soups
• Protein shakes
• Smoothies

Focus on foods that are nutritious and sugar-free and follow our surgeons’ instructions for eating on a schedule.

Soft food diet

After finishing your liquid diet phase, you can start eating pureed foods to gently introduce solid foods back into your meals.

There are a number of foods that puree nicely and contain the essential nutrients you need to stay healthy. Opt for high-protein foods that help you build muscle mass and make it easier to burn more calories.

These foods can include:

• Refried beans
• Greek yogurt
• Seafood
• Chicken
• Tofu

Puree your ingredients in a blender until they have a smooth consistency. You should stay away from red meats and starchy foods like oatmeal, pasta, and bread.

Solid food diet

It may take about seven weeks after your surgery before it’s safe to start following a regular diet. Some healthy choices to include in your meals include:

• Whole milk
• Whole grains
• Yogurt
• Cottage cheese
• Fruits
• Vegetables

High-protein foods like eggs, lean meats, seafood, and lentils are encouraged, as are healthy fats like olive oil and avocados.

Practice portion control

With a smaller stomach size, you need to learn how to use portion control when eating. It’s good to have measuring spoons and other tools that help you control your portion sizes properly. The number of calories you should be taking in each day is based on your health.

When preparing meals ahead of time, use small containers to make it easy to reheat and eat the right amount of food. You can also stock up on smaller-sized plates that fool your brain into believing you’re not depriving yourself of anything.

If you’re dining out, select restaurants that offer a healthy menu. Choose whole foods that are high in protein and ask for a to-go container to portion your food out. Also consider sharing a full meal with someone else.

The team at Advanced Surgical Associates of Northern Minnesota can also provide additional meal prep resources to keep you on track with your post-surgical diet if you find yourself craving junk or bored with your current meal plans.

If you’re interested in learning more about weight loss surgery, schedule a consultation today. Call our office in Hibbing, Duluth, or Ely, Minnesota, or book your appointment online.

We proudly accept Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield, Cigna, HealthPartners, Humana, UCare, Medica, and SecurityHealthPlan.