Pain after Bariatric surgery is very minimal, something that will be very well managed by medications. Most of our patients are able to get out of bed and walk around on their own in 3-4 hours after surgery. Certainly, we give all our patients pain-relieving medications in their veins on the day of surgery. But almost all of our patients are very comfortable with mild pain-relieving medications taken as tablets from the next day of surgery. And we are able to stop those oral tablets in about 3-4 days after surgery. Regarding walking, as I mentioned before, we allow and help our patients to start walking in 3-4 hours of surgery. On the next day, we make sure they are able to walk around in the hospital under supervision. So that when they are discharged, they can comfortably move around at home, taking care of themselves. And if they are comfortable, we allow them to take small walks even outside their home. View this informative video on: Pain and recovery after bariatric surgery.

Most patients are admitted to the hospital on the morning of surgery and remain in the hospital for two or three days, depending on their other medical problems. By the time they go home, they are all able to take care of themselves without any help. There will be no restriction on walking, climbing stairs. They have almost no pain at the time of discharge, on mild oral painkillers. Usually, within a week to 10 days, all of them are able to resume regular walks and office-based work. Many of our patients have even resumed office in just 4-5 days after surgery, but there are always individual variations. At Adroit, we always advise patients to listen to their bodies and increase activity at a pace that feels comfortable. Read our detailed blog on: Things you should know before weight loss surgery.

After a bariatric surgery, initially a liquid diet will start from the next day of surgery and will gradually progress to a normal diet over a period of 6-8 weeks. Liquid diet for the initial 2 weeks, followed by 2 weeks of pureed food, followed by 2 weeks of soft foods and then getting back to your normal diet. You must understand that we are talking about consistency. You can have a variety of normal healthy food items, converted to these consistencies, can eat or drink them. The quantity of liquids and food is small initially and gradually increases over a period of 6 months. At Adroit, we advise all our patients to eat or drink slowly, chew properly and stop when you feel full. And eat again when you feel hungry. At the end of 2 months, you would be eating normal food, but in very small quantities at one time. At the end of 6 months, you would be eating all normal food, in a decent amount at a time. Most of our patients are happy with the quantity they are able to eat at the end of 3-4 months after surgery. To understand this better, watch our video on: What to eat after bariatric surgery.

There are two types of changes that occur after a Bariatric surgery, one is mechanical and the other is hormonal or metabolic. Physically, your stomach will be smaller after surgery, whether you get a Gastric Sleeve surgery or a Gastric Bypass. Hence, you would feel full with a small amount of food. Initially, you have discomfort or vomiting if you try to overeat. Your stomach wall senses the pressure in your stomach and sends that information to your brain. This is the mechanism to feel hungry or feel full. So after surgery, you will be satisfied with smaller food and won’t be craving more food. If you feel hungry after a few hours, you are free to eat something healthy again. Metabolically, there are a lot of GUT hormonal changes occurring after the surgery, after both Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass. These changes make you less hungry, you feel satiated with smaller quantities of food. You do not have the usual craving that some people used to have. With these hormonal changes, you will also not feel weakness, lethargy or laziness, even when you are eating very little, even when you are losing weight very fast. And lastly, the adjustment to these dietary changes after surgery also changes your behaviour towards food and hunger. Together, all these mechanical, hormonal, and behavioural changes will make your eating habits more healthy, still making you feel comfortable, healthy and active.

Yes you can eat in a restaurant and enjoy social meals after a Bariatric surgery. Surely, there will be an initial phase of adjustment to the newer way of eating. Especially the initial weeks after a gastric sleeve or Gastric Bypass surgery, when your diet will be progressing in a gradual manner. Even during this initial period, you can go out and eat with friends, but you will need to be careful about what you can eat and what you cannot. After 3 months, you can eat like a normal person. The only difference would be that you would be eating in smaller quantities. And we at Adroit, advise and guide our patients to make healthy choices in selecting what to eat, without compromising on enjoying food and friends. For more details, watch our video on: Guidelines for eating out after bariatric surgery.

Yes, much happier. Most patients say they feel their decision to get the surgery done was perfectly right and would suggest the same to others who are struggling with Obesity. At Adroit, we believe that this kind of patient satisfaction is a true test of the surgery. Watch our video on: How bariatric surgery improves medical, social, and mental well-being.

The weight that you will lose depends on a few factors,

• Your pre-surgery weight, BMI and excess weight (Extra weight above your ideal body weight)
• Which surgery you undergo and certain technical specifications of the surgery (pouch or sleeve size bypass length, etc)
• Your age
• Post-surgery compliance in diet, lifestyle and behaviour modification

As a general rule, you would be able to achieve about 70-90 % of your excess weight. So, most likely you would not reach your Ideal body weight, but just above that. But believe me, at the end, you would not want more weight loss than that. Most of our patients are happy with the amount of weight loss they achieve. The good part is that it is easy to maintain the lost weight.View our video on: Expected weight loss after bariatric surgery.

You will need to lead a healthy life. Eating nutritious and healthy food, in the quantity that your stomach demands. Be physically active, at least walk for half an hour daily, and if possible, do some stretching or Yoga. You should try to remain calm and stress-free; if needed, do some meditation or breathing exercises. And most importantly, have a good sleep Regular long-term follow-up is needed to monitor weight loss, provide dietary counselling and monitor for the occurrence of nutritional deficiencies or complications. Follow-up also helps in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, as that is what is discussed during the follow-ups. At Adroit, we have a very good follow-up system. We consider follow-up as the opportunity to guide and motivate our patients for healthier lifestyle changes. And we are very happy that we see a drastic change in our patients' lifestyle and dietary choices during our follow-ups.

After a bariatric surgery, vitamins and calcium supplements are needed. For patients who have undergone a Gastric Bypass, even Iron supplements are needed (for the Gastric sleeve, iron supplements are given if pre-surgery levels are low). For the initial 18 months, you will have to compulsorily take the vitamins and calcium supplements. After 18 months, the need for supplements is determined by the blood levels of vitamins. But, you should be aware that you will need to get the vitamin, haemoglobin and Iron levels checked every 6 months, to check if you need supplements or not.