If you just had the vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) procedure done – you may be wondering “now what?” It is easy to focus on recovery when you are still in the hospital and staff is helping you along the way.
After a couple of days, you were likely given your instructions about the post-op 4-Phase Diet and sent on your way. Having to take responsibility for your own care after surgery can be overwhelming.
It is common for patients to forget some of the details of their post-op instructions.
When you get to start phase 1 of your diet can vary among patients but your surgeon will let you know when you can begin. Phase 1 typically starts with sugar-free clear liquids while in the hospital with full liquids added a few days later.
This can continue for up to 4 weeks. Your surgeon and Registered Dietitian will let you know when you are ready to move to the next phase – don’t move to the next phase until you are instructed to do so.
Gastric sleeve procedure
Before we get into the diet, let’s review your new anatomy. With the VSG procedure, about 75-80% of your stomach has been removed. A long sleeve-shaped tube was created along the lesser curvature of the stomach.
