Diet Plan After Gastric Balloon

A gastric balloon program will require you to follow a post-operative diet to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Surgery will only be effective in weight loss if you adhere to certain dietary choices. For the most part, this procedure will serve to train you to adopt healthier food choices.

Immediately after operation, you have to follow a purely liquid diet. This will run for three days, at which point, you will begin eating soft food for the next ten days. After that, you will be able to go back to normal eating, albeit with reduced portions as a result of the gastric balloon surgery.

Recommended diet

0 to 3 days: Pure fluids

After surgery, you will be advised to start taking multivitamins and mineral supplements. Centrum Chewable and Calcichew are two recommended brands. You want to adopt this habit for the next six months that you have the balloon in your stomach. During the first three days following surgery, you are to take only liquids. Go for at least eight cups of fluids a day. You want to sip slowly to give your body time to grow accustomed to the balloon.

Suggested drinks:

• Semi-skimmed milk – one pint daily

• Reduced-sugar or low-calorie squash

• Herbal teas

• Diluted fruit juice – one part juice to one part water

• Coffee

3 to 10 days

At this point, you can reintroduce soft food or well-blended food in your diet. Regular meals are in small portions. You want to use a tea plate in lieu of your dinner plate to control the amount. It’s also important that you start enforcing the healthy diet advice that the dietitian or nutritionist assigned to you.

You want to eat four to five small meals throughout the day and avoid hard fruits and vegetables for the moment. It’s also a good idea to stay away from heavily seasoned food and continue drinking semi-skimmed milk. At least half a pint of milk will do.

Suggested meals:

• Everything in 1 to 2 tbsp portions unless otherwise specified
• Breakfast: 3 tbsp porridge and 150 ml semi-skimmed milk
• Lunch and dinner: lean meat, blended egg with gravy, mashed potato, and blended vegetables
• In between meals: blended fruit or low-fat yoghurt
• Before bedtime: blended fruit
• In between meals, you can drink tea, diluted fruit juice, or coffee

After 10 days

You can now start going back to a normal diet but you’ll have to avoid pasta as it tends to "stick" to the balloon. It’s also advisable that you drink water right after meals so as to rinse the gastric balloon. Your dietitian will also advice you to continue your intake of multivitamins and mineral supplements.

Avoid lying down right after eating, and in case you vomit right after taking your meal, you want to go back to a soft diet for at least three meals.

Suggested meals:

• Breakfast: ¼ pint of fruit juice (unsweetened), whole wheat cereal, a slice of toast and low-fat spread, or 3 tbsp porridge in ¼ pint semi-skimmed milk
• Lunch and dinner:
  • 60 g lean meat, baked beans, a slice of bread
  • 1 to 2 tbsp pasta or cooked rice
  • 1 to 2 tbsp mashed potato
  • 2 boiled eggs the size of a potato and without fat
  • A serving of low-fat yoghurt or fruit

Keeping a food diary

It’s also a good idea to record your liquid and food intake in a food diary to monitor your progress. You can also include your exercise regimen and any other comments pertinent to your weight loss program.