Suitable liquids to take for first two weeks:
*Milk and milkshake made with skimmed milk
*Fruit juice
Water
Sugar free squash or cordial
Bovril, Oxo
Clear soup - consomme
Diet fizzy drinks (leave to go flat before drinking)
Tea, Coffee,
Hot chocolate & Malted drinks - low calorie versions
Jelly, Ice-cream or Yoghurt - low fat versions with no bits
Complan or Build Up made with skimmed milk, if necessary

*Try to have milk and fruit juice each day to ensure you have protein and vitamin C.

Each day you should aim to take 2 litres (2000mls) of liquids to prevent dehydration and constipation. This could be 10 x 200mls when you first get home progressing to 8 x 250mls as tolerated. Keep a record of your fluid intake for the first few days to ensure you are drinking enough.
When you are able to tolerate liquids without problems, you can progress onto a pureed or liquidised diet. This will probably be after approximately 2 weeks. Pureed food is necessary to avoid blocking the opening from the stomach.

NEXT 4 WEEKS:
Pureed or liquidised food has the consistency of apple sauce or baby food. It should be smooth with no bits. Initially it is essential that you only have 1-2 teaspoons, in total, of pureed food at each meal. If you try to eat a portion that is too large or too thick it may cause discomfort or even vomiting. As you progress through the pureed stage, you will be able to tolerate a greater range of foods and eat larger quantities.

The following points should be kept in mind:

Since you are unable to eat a large amount of food at one time, it is necessary to eat 4-6 meals a day.

Try to eat a wide variety of pureed foods to ensure you have an adequate supply of nutrients including protein, fluid, vitamins and minerals.
Foods high in protein such as milk and meat are very important to aid the healing process after surgery and should be taken in the recommended amounts each day. If you find it difficult to eat pureed meat or fish, have more of the protein as milk or dairy products.
Do not drink fluid with the food, as it will fill up your stomach too much. Take fluids between meals only and sip these slowly. Keep up with your current fluid intake of 2 litres a day.
Eat slowly and stop eating as soon as you feel full; that extra spoonful might be too much.
If you have problems with a particular food stop eating it for a few days and then try again. Many people find fish and eggs difficult to start with; so don't worry if you cannot get on with these foods initially.
You may find that your tastes change after the operation and you no longer enjoy food that you used to like. Experiment with other foods as you may now like them.
Pureed food can be very bland. After the first week use herbs and spices to make it more interesting.
You can freeze small portions of pureed meat, fish, or soup in little pots for convenience. Try using ice cube trays for freezing small portions of vegetables and fruit.
Keep in some baby food as useful standbys.
Do not eat too many sweet foods at one go as they can cause dumping syndrome. This results in diarrhoea, sweating and feelings of being unwell.
Do not add butter or cream to your pureed foods as this can cause diarrhoea and slow down the rate of weight loss.
When introducing any new food, always chew it well and eat slowly, giving each mouthful a chance to go down before trying the next one.
Each meal should take at least 15 minutes to eat.
If the food does not agree with you, continue with pureed foods for a few days.
Continue to take your vitamins and minerals each day
Drink plenty of fluids but continue to take fluid in between meals only and sip slowly. Allow fizzy drinks to go flat before drinking.
Avoid sugar and do not eat sweets or chocolates
Continue to have 3 small meals per day with small snacks inbetween if necessary.
Continue to have 6 portions of protein, including some of the new foods, as well as 2 vegetable servings, 2 fruit group servings and 2 carbohydrate group servings from the pureed stage.

SOLID STAGE:

When introducing any new food, always chew it well and eat slowly, giving each mouthful a chance to go down before trying the next one.
Each meal should take at least 15 minutes to eat.
If the food does not agree with you, continue with pureed foods for a few days.
Continue to take your vitamins and minerals each day
Drink plenty of fluids but continue to take fluid in between meals only and sip slowly. Allow fizzy drinks to go flat before drinking.
Avoid sugar and do not eat sweets or chocolates
Continue to have 3 small meals per day with small snacks inbetween if necessary.
Continue to have 6 portions of protein, including some of the new foods, as well as 2 vegetable servings, 2 fruit group servings and 2 carbohydrate group servings from the pureed stage.

The progression from pureed food to a normal diet moves through 3 levels, gradually introducing solid foods starting with the easiest to digest. As you tolerate each level you progress until you can eat most normal foods.

Level 1 foods

These are very soft foods that you should find the easiest to start with.

Soft cooked egg: poached or scrambled
Cottage cheese: 2 oz/50g
Tender fish: 1 oz/25g
Finely minced meat: 1 oz/25g
The meat and fish may be easier to eat if in a sauce or gravy

If these foods cause no vomiting, heartburn or indigestion, move on to level 2 foods, and then gradually to level 3 foods.

Level 2 foods

Casserole: 2 oz/50g
2 slices tinned meat
Eggs: omelette
Cooked vegetables
250 ml soup (not liquidized)
2 tablespoons rice/tapioca/sage pudding
1 tablespoon tinned fruit in natural juice or soft fruit
(not pureed)

Level 3 foods

Tender chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb: 1 oz/25g
Cheese
Bread toasted only, 1 slice
Leave un-toasted bread until the very end
Raw fruit, e.g. 1 small peeled apple
Small cup of breakfast cereal, e.g. bran flakes
3 tablespoons cooked rice or pasta
2 rich tea biscuits
1 digestive biscuit
Raw vegetables
Salads

Some foods particularly soft doughy bread and red meats such as steak may take longer to tolerate, and you may never be able to eat very much of them. Persevere and you should be able to eat most foods after 3-4 months.
When you are able to eat all solid food you should be aiming to follow a healthy eating pattern with 3 meals a day, avoiding high fat and high sugar foods and drinks.
You will find you own tolerance level for food. There may be some foods that you cannot eat to start with. Keep trying them at intervals as you may eventually manage them.
Sometimes a food is tolerated one day and not the next day. This is quite normal.
Remember to include a variety in your diet and keep trying different things.
You may still need to take fluids between meals rather than with meals, but try drinking with food and see how you get on. If this causes any sickness or indigestion go back to drinking between meals. Remember to drink plenty.
Continue to take your vitamins, minerals and FasTab each day.
Take care with alcohol - it is high in calories, rapidly absorbed which causes you to become intoxicated more easily.
Things to avoid:
Foods high in sugar, e.g. sweets and chocolates
Foods high in fat, e.g. fried food, snack food like peanuts and crisps
Drinks high in calories, e.g. milk shakes, full fat milk, ordinary fizzy drinks and squashes

These foods may cause discomfort and diarrhoea and will make it more difficult to reach your target weight. Most patients note that the desire for such foods is very much less after the surgery.