Bariatric Surgery Post-Op Care

Post-op recovery steps at OCC: 5 years of support for every patient.

• Stage one: The six-week recovery process has four different diet stages. This stage consists of preventing complications, helping meet nutrient needs, diet progression, and adequate recovery. ^{42, 43} 
• Stage two: Starting with recovery and continuing into the first nine months, it is critical to meet fluid and nutritional needs through nutrient-dense and minimally processed foods. Nutrients provide energy, prevent muscle breakdown, repair aggravated organs, facilitate the elimination of stored toxins, and modulate metabolism. The result is fat loss. Thus, at this stage, we emphasize the need to provide essential nutrients through food and supplements to restore health. ^{42, 43} 
• Stage three: At nine months from surgery, for continuing weight loss (fat loss) and weight stabilization, we will make an emphasis on food and supplement choices, physical activity, and mindful eating. During the first year after weight loss or metabolic surgery, many obesity-related comorbid conditions may resolve or improve, and most of the weight will come off. This stage’s objective is to use the operation as a tool to make lasting dietary changes that will improve the quality of life. ^{42, 43} 

Replenishing vitamins and minerals

The preoperative nutritional plan replenishes vitamin and mineral deficits that contribute to helping a compromised nutritional status and modulates the inflammatory response to surgery. In the immediate post-operative stage, the use of specific nutrients for wound healing has demonstrated a decrease in wound complication risks. In the long-term, the nutritional plan is critical to successful post-operative weight loss, reduced obesity-related health risks, and for weight maintenance. ^44-47