Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective treatment for morbid obesity and its
associated metabolic complications. To ensure long-term postoperative success, patients must be
prepared to adopt comprehensive lifestyle changes. Giving you current evidence and expert
opinions with regard to nutritional care in the perioperative and long-term postoperative periods.
Nutritional recommendations are divided into 3 main sections:
1 ) pre-surgery nutritional evaluation and pre-surgery diet and supplementation;
2 ) post-surgery diet progression, eating-related behaviors, and nutritional therapy
for common gastrointestinal symptoms; and
3 ) recommendations for lifelong supplementation and advice for nutritional
follow-up. We recognize the need for uniform, evidence-based nutritional
guidelines for bariatric patients and summarize recommendations with the aim of
optimizing long-term success and preventing complications.
Providing medical records and/or a referral that includes obesity diagnosis is required prior to your visit at Pro Nutrition Counseling PLLC., to guide in nutrition interventions. Please fax required documents to FAX: (516) 960-0047.
Assessing the food/nutrition-related history of a patient who is pursuing bariatric surgery or who has undergone bariatric surgery is no different than assessing any other patient; however, some assessment parameters are of greater clinical significance than others in the bariatric surgery population.
A registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) will gather data about energy, food and beverage, alcohol, and micronutrient intake along with meal/snack patterns and physical activity both before and after bariatric surgery. The follow up with a registered dietitian is very important after bariatric surgery due to both decreased intake and potential malabsorption of certain nutrients that may occur after the surgery. Patients are at higher risk for deficiencies of folate, vitamin B12, iron, thiamine, and calcium.
Indications for bariatric surgery include a body mass index (BMI) ≥40 kg/m2, indicative of morbid obesity or patients with a BMI ≥30kg/m2 with the presence of one obesity related comorbidity, such as diabetes, hypertension, or sleep apnea. Patients must also demonstrate previous attempts at weight loss in the past without significant success along with a commitment to the surgical process, including follow-up care.
