It is an awful experience to be clinically obese. But when it is so bad that there is no optiion but to have an operation, you are then on different ground.

You can read many different guides to help you recover after your operation. It is important that you use the experience and learn to build new routines into your daily lifestyle. I have listed what I believe are the top 5 key areas to consider after gastric banding surgery.

1. Avoid foods that are not nutritious. The worst route to take is to continue eating food with lots of calories and fat. These include soda, milk shakes, alcohol, and sugar-rich desserts. There is no decent nutrient content here, instead they will induce sickness and hunger pangs. Try to avoid eating any of them, so that you do not ruin all of your hard work losing weight. Try to ensure that your diet is rich in proteins and also includes plenty of fruit and vegetables.

2. Avoid foods that cause discomfort. Dry and fibrous foods like pasta, pizzas, rice, bread and meats are not recommended after a bypass procedure. Don’t drink gasey stuff as this will cause bloating and pain, and pressure within your stomach.

3. Snacking between meals is to be avoided. It will ruin any chance of keeping your weight to the correct level.

4. Avoid drinking liquids immediately before, during, or after meals. Filling your stomach with liquids instead of foods will deprive you of your much-needed nutrients for healing and recovery. Be sure to drink fluids at least 30 minutes before and after your meals. Avoid the intake of any liquids during the meal and wait till an appropriate time later.

5. Don’t drink caffeinated or alcoholic liquids in your daily intake. Alcohol does more harm than good for people who have gone through weight loss surgery. If there are no calories in the stomach, alcohol can produce nasty ulcers. Caffeine can be just as harmful, and also removes hydration from the body.

For further information and advice contact the Weight loss surgery information centre at Abbey Private Hospitals.