My Best Bariatric Liquid Diet Ideas You’ll Want to Try

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When many patients learn they’ll be on a liquid diet for several weeks before and after bariatric surgery, all kinds of worry and anxiety arise. You wonder how you’ll feel satisfied or have a variety of safe liquids to consume. Generally, most of the liquids are on the sweeter side, but there are some savory ones you can enjoy as well. You’ll need to drink 48 to 64 ounces of liquids every day. I’ve created a 5-day sample menu with bariatric liquid diet ideas for you to use! With some creativity, you can easily plan for your liquid diet. While the bariatric liquid diet may worry you, with some planning, you can enjoy a variety of liquids and feel satisfied.

Worried About a Liquid Diet? Read This First

Before we delve into some bariatric liquid diet ideas, I first want to address the idea of a liquid diet. I know when I was going through the bariatric surgery process, the thought of an all-liquid diet was completely overwhelming. During this time, I drank mostly liquids for 31 days. Let me explain. For 11 days before surgery, I was on my pre-op liver reducing diet. I drank four protein shakes a day and had some vegetables. On the day of surgery, I had no liquids, except for some ice cubes afterward. For the first five days after surgery, I was on clear liquids only. I then progressed to the full liquid diet for 14 days.

To be honest, I was completely scared and intimidated by this length of time with consuming mostly liquids. I was worried I would constantly feel hungry, which would make me irritable, which would lead to emotional eating. I was intimidated by what I was going to eat, if I was choosing the right liquids, and how in the world I was going to consume enough liquids to prevent dehydration. Having gone through it and being on the other side, let me tell you about my experience.

My Liquid Diet Experience

First, the pre-op liver reducing diet was tough. The second and third days were the hardest, as my body as detoxifying and withdrawing from the caffeine, sugar and processed foods. Eventually, it got better. I didn’t feel hungry, and I stuck with my plan. I knew my reward for this work would be the surgery, and I didn’t want to mess it up. After surgery, during my clear liquid and full liquid days, I never once felt hungry. I didn’t feel hungry at all for the first six months after surgery. Your stomach takes a while to heal, and your hunger hormones are displaced during this time. While I did get tired of the same liquids after those days, I followed my doctor’s guidelines as outlined for me. I survived. Thousands of bariatric patients have survived the liquid diet phases. You will too. I believe in you!

General Guidelines

Before I tell you about my bariatric liquid diet ideas, I want to outline some general guidelines for these phases. First and foremost, always follow the advice of your doctor. Anything he or she tells you to do during these supersedes anything I write here. You should use my ideas as a general guideline, but the final word comes from your physician. Second, the liquids during this phase should be thin enough that you can drink them through a straw, but don’t use a straw. Using a straw introduces extra air into your stomach, which can cause complications. Always take sips from a cup.

Third, you need to make sure you are consuming 48 to 64 ounces of liquids every day. This amount includes water between meals, broth, protein shakes and any other liquid you consume. Don’t feel like you have to drink 48 ounces of just water each day, because that will be difficult after surgery. Remember to count sugar-free ice pops and sugar-free gelatin too.

Fourth, all liquids should be sugar-free, caffeine-free, strained through a sieve and non-carbonated. Sugar after bariatric surgery can lead to dumping syndrome, which is unpleasant. You may feel light-headed, sick in your stomach, and get hot flashes. Caffeine can cause stomach ulcers, and as your stomach is healing after surgery, you are more prone to getting stomach ulcers. Straining the liquids removes any possible chunks or lumps that could cause perforation or damage to your healing stomach. You should avoid caffeine for the first six months after surgery. Carbonation, like straws, introduce unnecessary air into your new pouch which can cause pain and perforations.

Bariatric Liquid Diet Ideas: Protein Shakes

During your liquid diet phases, protein shakes are going to be your primary source of protein. You should try to consume 60 to 80 grams of protein per day, which usually equates to two protein shakes a day. You can use any protein shakes you’d like, as long as the fat and sugar contents are under five grams each. Try to go for whey protein isolate as the source of protein in your protein shakes, as it gives you more protein with fewer carbohydrates, sugar and lactose. Some of my favorite protein shakes are Bariatric Advantage Iced Latte Flavor and RedCon1’s Isotope Cake Batter Flavor.

RELATED CONTENT: Want to learn the 10 changes you need to make in your life to be successful with bariatric surgery? Get our free download here!

For recipes using Bariatric Advantage protein powders, check out this sponsored post I wrote. In it, I have five different protein shake recipes that I use regularly. I still use Bariatric Advantage protein powder, but now I alternate between that and RedCon1’s flavors for more variety. After more than a year and a half post-op, I still drink at least one protein shake per day.

Bariatric Liquid Diet Ideas: Water Enhancement

Between your meal times, you’ll be responsible for consuming extra liquids. Generally, you’ll be consuming water. If you get tired of plain water and need some extra variety, here are some approved bariatric liquid diet ideas to enhance your water intake:

• Water flavored with sugar-free, non-carbonated flavorings, like Mio
• Use a caffeine-free tea bag to make hot tea. Sweeten with an artificial sweetener if you’d like
• Decaffeinated coffee flavored with skim milk or sugar-free syrups, like Torani
• Gatorade Zero
• Water flavored with fresh fruit like lemons, limes, oranges or cucumber

If you’re having trouble consuming liquids between meals, set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, drink one to two ounces of a liquid from the approved list above. This way, you’ll stay hydrated and won’t forget to consume your liquids.

Bariatric Liquid Diet Ideas: Savory Liquids

You may have noticed that most of the liquids I mentioned already are primarily sweet. I have to agree that most of the bariatric liquid diet ideas for this stage lean towards the sweet side. However, there are some savory liquids that you can try to break up the monotony of sweet liquids. Some savory liquids that you can try are:

• Fat-free soups. For creamy soups, like tomato or cream of potato, add a can of skim milk to the pot when you are heating it. Strain through a sieve before consuming. For broth-based soups, like chicken noodle, strain through a sieve before serving.
• Reduced-sodium chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
• Poached eggs, blended with warm milk and strained through a sieve

These are probably the liquids you’ll want to consume at your meal times after surgery. You’ll want to eat about two tablespoons to a quarter of a cup of liquids per mealtime.

Bariatric Liquid Diet Ideas: Sweet Liquids

In addition to protein shakes, there are other sweet liquids you can consume. I have listed some of my favorite sweet bariatric liquid diet ideas below. Remember that you can thin-down a lot of these foods with equal parts milk, water, or all-natural fruit juice. Just be wary of the fruit juice if you use that, as it can contain a lot of sugar, which can lead to dumping syndrome.

• Low-sugar Greek yogurt, like Oikos Triple Zero, thinned down with milk
• Smoothies thinned down with milk and strained through a sieve
• Banana Nice Cream thinned down with milk and strained through a sieve
• Sugar-free pudding thinned down with milk and strained through a sieve
• Sugar-free ice pops
• No-sugar-added applesauce thinned down with apple juice
• Sugar-free gelatin

You can also eat any of these foods between meals or as a dessert for the day. As long as you’re consuming at least 64 to 48 ounces of liquids per day, you’ll be in good shape.

RELATED CONTENT: Want to learn the 10 changes you need to make in your life to be successful with bariatric surgery? Get our free download here!

Sample Menus

Now that you have some bariatric liquid diet ideas, you may be wondering how the heck you figure out what to eat and when. I have designed a five-day sample menu, designed for the full-liquid diet days. See below for some ideas:

Day One

• 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM–Eight ounces of decaffeinated coffee
• 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM–Breakfast: Poached egg, blended with two tablespoons skim milk and strained through a sieve–two ounces total
• 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM–Eight ounces of water and eight ounces of protein shake
• 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM–Lunch: Blended and strained tomato soup, two total ounces
• 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM–Eight ounces of water and Eight ounces of protein shake
• 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM–Dinner: Reduced sodium chicken broth, two ounces
• 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM–Six ounces of water (plain or flavored)
• 8:00 PM–Dessert: Two ounces of sugar-free gelatin
• 8:30 PM to 10:00 PM–12 ounces of water (plain or flavored)

Day Two

• 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM–Eight ounces of decaffeinated tea
• 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM–Breakfast: Two ounces thinned-down Greek yogurt
• 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM–Eight ounces of water and Eight ounces of protein shake
• 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM–Lunch: Blended and strained potato soup, two total ounces
• 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM–Eight ounces of water and Eight ounces of protein shake
• 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM–Dinner: Thinned down Cream of Wheat, two total ounces
• 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM–Six ounces of water (plain or flavored)
• 8:00 PM–Dessert: Two ounces of sugar-free pudding
• 8:30 PM to 10:00 PM–12 ounces of water (plain or flavored)

Day Three

• 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM–Eight ounces of decaffeinated coffee
• 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM–Breakfast: Thinned-down grits, two ounces total
• 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM–Eight ounces of water and Eight ounces of protein shake
• 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM–Lunch: Two ounces of beef broth
• 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM–Eight ounces of water and Eight ounces of protein shake
• 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM–Dinner: Thinned-down and strained tomato soup, two total ounces
• 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM–Six ounces of water (plain or flavored)
• 8:00 PM–Dessert: Sugar-free ice pop
• 8:30 PM to 10:00 PM–12 ounces of water (plain or flavored)

Day Four

• 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM–Eight ounces of decaffeinated tea
• 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM–Breakfast: Poached egg, blended with two tablespoons skim milk and strained through a sieve–two ounces total
• 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM–Eight ounces of water and Eight ounces of protein shake
• 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM–Lunch: Two ounces of chicken broth
• 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM–Eight ounces of water and Eight ounces of protein shake
• 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM–Dinner: Thinned down and strained cream of mushroom soup, two total ounces
• 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM–Six ounces of Gatorade Zero
• 8:00 PM–Dessert: Two ounces of sugar-free pudding
• 8:30 PM to 10:00 PM–12 ounces of water (plain or flavored)

Day Five

• 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM–Eight ounces of decaffeinated tea
• 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM–Breakfast: Poached egg, blended with two tablespoons skim milk and strained through a sieve–two ounces total
• 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM–Eight ounces of water and Eight ounces of protein shake
• 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM–Lunch: Two ounces of chicken broth
• 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM–Eight ounces of water and Eight ounces of protein shake
• 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM–Dinner: Thinned down and strained cream of mushroom soup, two total ounces
• 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM–Six ounces of Gatorade Zero
• 8:00 PM–Dessert: Two ounces of sugar-free pudding
• 8:30 PM to 10:00 PM–12 ounces of water (plain or flavored)

You Can Do This!

Now you have some sample menus and bariatric liquid diet ideas. You can make soup, broth or poached eggs to blend and strain for meals. Protein shakes are a great source of protein and variety in your diet. Try adding different sugar-free syrups or extracts to allow for different flavors during this time. Drink plenty of liquids between your meals, like water, flavored water or Gatorade Zero. You want to make sure you are drinking 48 to 64 ounces of liquids per day to prevent dehydration. You also want to make sure you’re drinking enough protein shakes to meet your protein goals for the day. While the bariatric liquid diet may worry you, with some planning, you can enjoy a variety of liquids and feel satisfied. You can do this phase of the diet. It will be over before you even know it!

If this article gave you some great ideas to incorporate into your life, just imagine what other amazing strategies I have for you! Share this post on social media by clicking one of the sharing buttons, and don’t forget to join my email list! You’ll be the first to get updates, access to my new products and lots of tips, inspiration and motivation to help in your bariatric surgery journey. Just for joining, I’ll send you a free eBook with the 10 Habits to Change Before Bariatric Surgery, as well as some other pretty awesome goodies to keep you motivated. Join today!

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