Preparing for Bariatric Surgery: A Shopping List and Helpful Tips

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Planning and Preparing for Bariatric Surgery

When you're preparing for bariatric surgery, it's important to know what to get ready in advance, what to expect, how much time you may need to recover, and much more.

I will share with you a shopping list of items that I needed for the first couple of weeks after surgery. The planning ahead was a real blessing, as I sure didn't want to go anywhere other than doing my dutiful walking!

If you are preparing for surgery too, I hope that you find this helpful.

Please check this list with your doctor to ensure these products are ok for you and get even more specific suggestions.

Why Am I Sharing This With You?

It's Not Easy

I would prefer not to tell people that I have had bariatric surgery. I would have preferred never to have a weight problem to begin with. There are a lot of people out there struggling with weight, and many who have conquered it with a white knuckle approach using traditional diets. And there are people who have successfully changed their lifestyles, lost the weight, and have habits and discipline that will sustain that loss.

Start a "Future Life" Folder

As Soon as You're Approved for Surgery

Get a folder with two pockets. If you're not already a magazine freak like me, stop by a thrift or used book store and pick up some fashion, hairstyle, household, and any other magazines you're interested in.

Whenever you have an opportunity, pick up a magazine and flip through the pages, just looking at the images - especially the ads. When you see a picture that you identify with, tear out the page and put it in your folder. You can do this in a very laid back and casual fashion like I did or go all out and make a scrapbook. Create a visual resource for the type of look you want to have and things that inspire you to think about the way you want to and will feel, like:

  • Hair color(s) you want to try
  • A makeover or manscaping
  • A great new hairdo
  • Clothing that is not blue, black or brown - how about some white jeans!
  • Shoes you like
  • Silk shirts!
  • Buying off the rack
  • A whole new wardrobe!
The list is endless!

Another set of images you can include are those that represent what you cannot do now but will be able to do some time after your surgery. Here are some things that will dramatically change your ability to navigate through the world as you like:

  • Fitting comfortably in an airplane seat with no seatbelt extension
  • Sitting comfortably in movie and theatre seats
  • Driving a sporty car like a Mini or a Miata
  • Canoeing
  • Swimming
  • Riding amusement park rides like roller coasters
  • Roller blading
  • Bicycling
  • Hiking and rock climbing
  • Shopping without a motorized car
  • Admiring glances from others
  • Walking through a restaurant or down an aisle without bumping into people, knocking things over, hitting sharp corners, and so on
  • A promotion or new job (statistical evidence indicates that an American has a much higher opportunity for promotion after weight loss)
  • Buying clothing in any store
  • Fitting comfortably in a school desk
  • Wearing any shoes you like
  • Freedom from back, knee, or other pains
Well, the list goes on! Use that little folder to put every dream you have into. If your experience is similar to mine, your world is about to change for the better!

Here's My Post-Op Grocery List

Make a list of your own and check it with your doctor!

My CutiePieHusband and I picked up everything on this list a couple of days prior to surgery. I gravitated toward the soups and puddings, then cottage cheese. And LOTS of Gatorade. The Micellar Milk is a little hard to find (try your local fitness club), so look for Low Cal Muscle Milk (Target usually has it - pharmacy section) or stop by a Smoothie King or GNC for some ideas. I really like Smoothie King's vanilla protein powder. I asked them to give me the exact same protein powder they put in their (YUMMY but high calorie) Muscle Punch Smoothie, and it is good stuff!

  • Sugar Free Jello
  • Sugar Free Pudding (Jello caramel is awesome)
  • Plain yogurt
  • Gatorade (get LOTS OF IT)
  • 2% cottage cheese singles
  • Fat Free Milk (organic tastes much better - it tastes more like 1%)
  • Sugar Free Popsicles
  • Protein Drinks (If you like Nestle's Quick Strawberry, Micellar Milk Strawberry is very good
  • Low Fat Soups (Get LOTS of these and watch out for sugar in the ingredients!)
    I used what are now called the Campbell's V8 Soups. They're in a box and a bit pricey, but hey, you won't be able to eat a lot now so make sure you indulge by getting the very best quality food you can. Campbell's Selects are good too and can be pureed with a stick blender
  • Sugar Free Applesauce
  • Sugar Free Carnation Instant Breakfast
  • Smart Balance or MaraNatha Peanut Butter
  • Smucker's or Polaner's Sugar Free Jelly
  • Crystal Light

Share Your Grocery List Recommendations Here

Please add to the grocery list above or share your post-op culinary tips. Focus on things a person will need within the first couple of weeks after surgery, and thanks for the advice!

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Handy Kitchen Supplies and Gadgets

Get a Stick Blender!

I cannot tell you how many times we've used the KitchenAid stick blender. You can puree a store bought or homemade soup, mix the lumps out of your protein powder beverage, make your own refried beans, etc.

The demitasse or baby spoons were handy for the first few months, especially for yogurt, cottage cheese, soups, and so on. You can't eat much and with a tiny spoon you can really savor each little bite. The best part about getting demitasse instead of baby spoons is you have something useful for another purpose - coffee (yum, coffee).

Pick up some half cup Gladware and some Press-n-Seal. In the beginning, you won't be able to finish even a little cup of yogurt or cottage cheese, soup, etc. and you'll need small storage.

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Pyrex Prepware 2-Cup Measuring Cup, Clear with Red Measurements

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Ginkgo Panda Babies Set of Three Demitass Spoons, Spring Green

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Oxo Good Grips 3-Inch Mini Strainer

Oxo Good Grips 3-Inch Mini Strainer

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MIU Stainless-Steel 7-Piece Measuring Cup Set

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Oxo Good Grips 3-Piece Funnel and Strainer Set

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MIU 4-Piece Polished Stainless-Steel Measuring Spoon Set

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Clothing Supplies to Consider

When packing for the hospital, include two sets of loose pants, oversized, button-down tops, and a pair shoes you can easily slip into without bending over. You are not going to want to bend over, pull a shirt over your head, or have anything putting any kind of pressure anywhere around your midsection especially!

When you get home, you'll want to have plenty of these types of clothes available. My surgeon left what's called a G-Tube in his patients for a solid month after surgery to ensure our protection against pressure build, malnutrition, dehydration and other risks. It was hellishly uncomfortable for me, and I was very glad for loose clothes! I had oversized white cotton oxfords and light, loose sweats and capri pants. If you're going back to work within a week, be sure to have some business-appropriate loose pants and blouses!

Medical and Nutritional Supplies to Have Around the House

Be sure to check with your doctor!

Please be sure to get Bariatric quality vitamins that are recommended by your doctor. I prefer Bariatric Advantage products.
  1. Multivitiamin with B-Complex and Essential Minerals
  2. Iron
  3. B-12
  4. Calcium
  5. Tums with Calcium (if your doctor allows that as your source of Calcium
  6. Milk of Magnesia
  7. Pepto Bismol
  8. Tylenol
  9. Medical tape
  10. Bandages
  11. Neosporin
  12. Calmoseptine
    I also recommend Calmoseptine, which you can ask Walgreen's to order for you (it's one of their stock items but some stores don't shelve it).

Extra Household Considerations

Ask for help!

  • Ensure you have someone to drive you home from the hospital
  • Line up a maid (or train your spouse/significant other real quick!)
  • Have all laundry done
  • Move boxes/obstacles out of the way; you're not going to be able to move anything for weeks
  • Change bedding
  • Have a plan for keeping dogs/cats from jumping, on you, getting on your lap, etc for 4-6 weeks
  • Have a plan for helping kids not jump on you or ask to be picked up

Resources for High Protein, Pre-Surgical Information, and Post-Surgical Support

Preparation and commitment are critical

Of the following, I have personally read (or watched in the case of 60 Minutes) the following. These are listed in order of those I received the highest benefit from:

  1. 60 Minutes: The Bypass Effect
  2. Better
  3. Before and After
  4. Exodus from Obesity
  5. The Success Habits...
  6. Eating Well After...
  7. Recipes for Life...
Surprisingly, I got the least benefit from the recipe books - and I love recipe books! Before and After has some great recipes in it and I have tried them with success, so if you're looking for a success story along with recipes and resources, Before and After is an excellent choice.

A Complete Guide to Obesity Surgery: Everything You Need to Know About Weight Loss Surgery and How to Succeed by MPH, LCEP Bryan G. Woodward

A Complete Guide to Obesity Surgery: Everything You Need to Know About Weight Loss Surgery and How to Succeed by MPH, LCEP Bryan G. Woodward

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Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande

Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande

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Before & After, Revised Edition: Living and Eating Well After Weight-Loss Surgery by Susan Maria Leach

Before & After, Revised Edition: Living and Eating Well After Weight-Loss Surgery by Susan Maria Leach

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Exodus from Obesity: The Guide to Long-Term Success After Weight Loss Surgery by Paula F. Peck

Exodus from Obesity: The Guide to Long-Term Success After Weight Loss Surgery by Paula F. Peck

In Exodus From Obesity, Paula F. Peck provides the more...0 points

The Success Habits of Weight-Loss Surgery Patients by Colleen M. Cook

The Success Habits of Weight-Loss Surgery Patients by Colleen M. Cook

These time and people tested principles are the re more...0 points

Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery by Patt Levine, Michele Bontmpo-Saray, Meredith Urban-Skuros

Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery by Patt Levine, Michele Bontmpo-Saray, Meredith Urban-Skuros

A Whole New and Completely Delicious Way to Eat after more...0 points

Weight Loss Surgery For Dummies by Marina S. Kurian, Barbara Thompson, Brian K. Davidson

Weight Loss Surgery For Dummies by Marina S. Kurian, Barbara Thompson, Brian K. Davidson

Get the scoop on weight loss surgery Your authoritative more...0 points

Salter 9009ef Lithium Electronic Scale (400 lb. Capacity with Extra Large LCD Readout)

Salter 9009ef Lithium Electronic Scale (400 lb. Capacity with Extra Large LCD Readout)

Salter, a premier name in Europe, has been designi more...0 points

60 Minutes - The Bypass Effect (April 20, 2008)

60 Minutes - The Bypass Effect (April 20, 2008)

Airdate: 04/20/08 Gastric bypass surgery is perfor more...0 points

Recipes for Life After Weight-Loss Surgery: Delicious Dishes for Nourishing the New You (Healthy Living Cookbooks) by Margaret Furtado, Lynette Schultz

Recipes for Life After Weight-Loss Surgery: Delicious Dishes for Nourishing the New You (Healthy Living Cookbooks) by Margaret Furtado, Lynette Schultz

Learn how to eat right after weight loss surgery.In more...0 points

The High-Protein Cookbook: More than 150 healthy and irresistibly good low-carb dishes that can be on the table in thirty minutes or less. by Linda West Eckhardt, Katherine West Defoyd

The High-Protein Cookbook: More than 150 healthy and irresistibly good low-carb dishes that can be on the table in thirty minutes or less. by Linda West Eckhardt, Katherine West Defoyd

End food boredom and diet burnout with more than 400 more...0 points

Bariatric Plastic Surgery: A Guide to Cosmetic Surgery After Weight Loss by Thomas B. McNemar MD, John LoMonaco MD, Mitchel D. Krieger MD

Bariatric Plastic Surgery: A Guide to Cosmetic Surgery After Weight Loss by Thomas B. McNemar MD, John LoMonaco MD, Mitchel D. Krieger MD

A practical guidebook to cosmetic surgery after dr more...0 points

My "Before" Photos

Ergh. This is painful! But at least it's a happy ending! Here are the BEFORE shots

My "After" Photos

These are a lot more fun!

Get Out of That Bed!

Prepare yourself in advance that you WILL GET UP AND WALK as soon as possible after surgery. You're not going to want to and it's going to hurt, but start psyching yourself up now - you have no option here! Failure to get up and walk can mean a life threatening blood clot. Talk with your surgeon about what he or she recommends!

With Your New Life Comes New Responsibilities - to Yourself

Here are some recommendations

Buy the very finest food you can afford.
In many cases, organic food carries more nutrients and also tastes better. Test out organic milk, carrots, yogurt, and other products to determine what you like. Because you cannot intake a lot of food, it is necessary to eat the most protein and nutrient-rich foods available.

Visit Clinique, Lancome, Merle Norman, Chanel, or your favorite cosmetics counter and have your makeup done
I visited Mac, Clinique, Lancome, and Merle Norman. Merle Norman was my favorite, and when I changed my haircolor I went in and had my makeup put on for me again to ensure I got the right shades and knew how to apply them.

Find a premium hairdresser. Keep looking until you find the right one for you
To find a great hairdresser, it helps to talk to people. When you see someone with a haircut you love, ask them who does it and get the salon and person's name. Call local bridal shops and wedding consultants and ask for the name of the best hairdresser they know of in the area. See if you can find out whom your local newscasters go to.

Did You Find This Page Helpful?

Anything to add or suggest? Anything you especially liked?

Thanks for sharing!

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    great resource of knowledge on Bariatric Surgery

    you have shared such an nice lens on this surgery

    Surgical Hospital
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    Thanks for commenting, you are so right!

Final Thoughts: Some Things to Look Forward To

Anticipate and embrace your new life!

Things like:
  • The first time you can cross your legs
  • The first time you realize you've entered an elevator without thinking about its weight limit
  • The first time you notice you've sat in a chair without estimating whether or not it would collapse, whether you would fit between the arms, or both
  • The first time you run because it's faster, not because you're exercising
  • The first time your overtight pants are truly baggy

by

informaticsexecutive


Before & After, Revised Edition:
Living and Eating Well After Weight-Loss...
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