Why cant you drink while eating after gastric sleeve

Excess alcohol is sometimes one of the contributing factors leading to obesity. It can also cause damage to the liver, heart and brain as well as increasing reflux and inflammation in the body.

Following bariatric surgery, alcohol intake is usually significantly reduced, as patients try to establish a healthier diet and lifestyle. Alcohol is energy dense and provides no useful nutrients, in fact alcohol strips the body of important B vitamins.

Effects of Bariatric Surgery & Alcohol

Alcohol has a much greater effect on the brain and central nervous system following bariatric surgery. This is due to several reasons:

• Firstly, there is a reduction in the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down alcohol in the stomach.
• Secondly, because the stomach capacity is greatly reduced, alcohol is emptied from the stomach and absorbed into the small intestine much more rapidly.
• Lastly, bariatric patients tend not to be able to eat and drink at the same time, and when there is no food in the stomach, alcohol is absorbed at an even faster rate.

After Bariatric Surgery

After bariatric surgery, alcohol is not cleared by the liver as quickly as normal – this causes blood glucose levels to drop which can lead to light headedness, loss of balance, slurred speech, poor vision and confusion.

Patients who have had bariatric surgery need to be aware that they could easily be over the legal limit for driving (0.05) after just one standard drink! It is therefore wise to avoid all alcohol if you are intending to drive, especially in the first 6 months following surgery when food intake is very restricted and weight is reducing rapidly.

Gaseous drinks such as beer, cider, champagne may not be tolerated following bariatric surgery as the bubbles can exacerbate reflux and cause pain. For the same reason, fizzy drinks are strongly discouraged.

Alcohol is high in calories and excess intake can lead to weight regain or inability to reach goal weight. A bottle of wine has over 500 calories – this is equivalent to eating five slices of bread and butter!

Be sensible with your alcohol intake and be aware of the increased absorption rate when you are having a night out with friends!

Mercy Bariatrics Perth

For more information or to arrange an appointment, please call 9272 0420 or send an email.

Watch our series of videos covering all aspects of weight loss surgery.

Ramsay Weight Loss | 3/08/2016

The success of your gastric sleeve surgery will be down to you. By making good healthy dietary choices and increasing your physical activity you’ll achieve your weight loss goals.

After gastric sleeve surgery you’ll pass through four stages of eating before resuming a normal nourishing diet. These stages will help you get all the nutrients you need for the wounds in your digestive system to heal and to recover from surgery. You’ll spend a minimum of two weeks in each stage. Don’t skip stages. Be led by your body and how you’re feeling.

Stage 1 –fluids
Weeks 1 to 3

Start with sips and gradually increase the amount you take in one go; aiming for around 200ml an hour within the first week. All drinks should be smooth without bits or lumps. Immediately after surgery you’ll need to drink clear fluids only such as water, dilute squash,tea (including herbal, fruit, green), clear broth and apple juice.

You’ll then begin to introduce nutritional liquids such as skimmed milk, smooth soups, Marmite and Bovril drinks, homemade smoothies, unsweetened fruit juices, meal replacement drinks such as Slimfast and protein drinks or protein water. Aim to have a minimum of 60g protein a day.

Aim to have a minimum of 2 to 2.5 litres of total fluid each day to avoid becoming dehydrated.

Stage 2 –pureed foods
Weeks 3 to 4

Once you tolerate liquids, you can start on pureed foods. Blend your food well so that it’s lump free and of a yoghurt like texture.

You could try soggy Weetabix or Ready Brek, blended tinned fruit, blended fish in sauce, mashed potato, humous, liquidised meat or fish stew with liquidised vegetables and liquidise pasta and thick creamy soups.

Try to have four to six meals a day of one to two tablespoons per meal and gradually increase this up to a maximum of four tablespoons. Make sure you include protein in each meal. Have one to two pints of milk a day which can be used to blend foods. Do drink at mealtimes (leave a 30 minute gap between drinks and meals).

Stage 3 - soft & then crispy foods
Weeks 5 to 6

Start adding soft foods and lumps to your diet. Ideas include minced or wafer thin meats, fish, cauliflower cheese, cottage cheese, canned or soft fruit, scrambled eggs, cooked vegetables, rice and pasta.

Reduce your meals down to three to four per day and avoid eating in between.

If you can tolerate a soft diet, you can introduce crispy foods such as melba toast with low fat cream cheese or hummus. Remember to chew each mouthful of food at least 20 times before swallowing.

Stage 4 – normal diet
Weeks 7 to 8

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.

Your calorie intake should be between 1000 and 1200kcal per-day.

Foods to avoid
Food may taste and be tolerated differently to before surgery. You may find that dairy is harder to digest. Chewy meats, white bread, fibrous fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and rice can cause some people problems. Avoid these foods initially and introduce them slowly, one at a time, once a normal diet has been established so that you can observe your reaction.

Avoid or minimise food high in fat and sugar such as crisps, biscuits, cakes, ice cream, sweets and other confectionary foods to help you reach your weight loss targets.

Key points

 · Eat three small healthy meals a day with no more then five hours between meals, even if you don’t feel hungry.

· If you feel hungry between meals, take a drink first to make sure you’re not confusing hunger with thirst. If you’re still hungry have a small snack such as a piece of fruit or yoghurt.

· Eat slowly by putting a small amount of food in your mouth at a time and chewing at least 20 times.

· Don’t eat until you are ‘full’. Overeating will stretch your stomach pouch and may make you vomit.

· Don’t eat and drink at the same time. Wait at least 30 minutes after a meal before you have a drink.

· Make sure you have at least 1.5 - 2 litres of fluid a day.

· Avoid all fizzy drinks.

For further information visit our gastric sleeve page.

About Ramsay Health Care
Ramsay Health Care is a leading provider of weight loss surgery in the UK. Ramsay offers weight loss procedures performed by experienced bariatric surgeons who are highly qualified and have undergone intensive specialist training.

At Ramsay Health Care your weight loss surgeon will work in a multidisciplinary team who liaise with each other to provide the best plan of action for you. They include a dietitian who will meet with you and produce a bespoke eating plan, and specialist trained nurses who will be by your side during your journey to offer support and guidance to ensure that you achieve your goals.

Contact us for more details.

Alcohol has always held a stigma, but this is especially true when it comes to bariatric surgery. The misconceptions surrounding alcohol consumption after weight loss procedures are rampant, but there is not always truth to the myths. Below, we debunk 3 of the most common misunderstandings about how bariatric patients are affected by alcohol.

Myth #1: Alcoholism is a side effect of bariatric and weight loss surgeries

It is true that after bariatric surgery in NJ, you will be more sensitive to the effects of alcohol. Your body is swiftly losing weight, so it will naturally process alcohol differently than it did before. It is typically advised during this period of rapid weight loss to avoid alcohol until your weight stabilizes.

Only a “small percentage” of bariatric surgery patients have issues with alcohol consumption after surgery, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Most of the individuals who abuse alcohol after their surgery have had issues with alcohol abuse at some point before the procedure.

If you have pre-existing problems with alcoholism and feel that alcohol may be an issue for you after your surgery, be sure to discuss any concerns with your bariatric surgeon prior to the procedure. They will be able to help navigate resources available to help address and monitor the issue.

Myth #2: You can’t have alcohol after having bariatric surgery

Have you ever enjoyed a few too many glasses of wine and accidentally skipped dinner, only to feel the negative effects the next morning? Lower body weight, or even just drinking on an empty stomach, makes you more sensitive to alcohol. Bariatric surgery limits the amount of food intake – with less food in your stomach to process through, alcohol will hit you harder.

Though it is recommended to avoid alcohol early on and limit your intake, you can continue to drink alcohol after undergoing a weight loss procedure – you just need to be mindful, which leads us to our next myth.

Myth #3: You can drink the same amount you did prior to the surgery

Patients who have had weight loss surgery often experience the effects of alcohol much more intensely, causing them to become more inebriated by their “normal” amount of consumption before the procedure. With part of your stomach bypassed or removed entirely, your body is unable to metabolize the alcohol as well as it was able to prior to a bariatric procedure.

Most absorption of alcohol occurs in the small intestine. If your stomach can’t break as much of the alcohol down, more of it will be absorbed by your system. Basically, alcohol will affect you a lot more quickly and intensely than before.

The best way to monitor this is to increase self-awareness regarding your alcohol consumption – note how you feel after small amounts and regularly check in with yourself. Make sure to take breaks often and monitor how your body is reacting. This is a good practice for anyone having a few drinks, but especially important for those who have had weight loss surgery!

If you’re looking to change your life with weight loss surgery, don’t let myths like these hold you back. For more information about bariatric center or weight loss procedures, contact us at Advanced Surgical and Bariatrics today!