With the gastric balloon, there is a modified diet plan that the patient should follow to aid in weight loss. Diet adjustments at least a week before placement is highly recommended, this includes switching to healthy eating habits, portioning meals and restocking on healthy foods in preparation for the balloon.
Because of the expected symptoms associated with the balloon(which are a result of the body’s reaction to the balloon), there is a specific diet that should be followed at least a few hours before placement.
12 hours before placement the patient is supposed to be on a clear liquid diet. This includes fluids with water-like consistency; clear soups, isotonic drinks to aid in electrolyte balance, clear soups, apple juice etc. Two hours before placement the patient is supposed to stop all intake of the clear liquids, this is because of the swallowing reflex and expected discomfort that he or she may experience such as gagging or vomiting whilst swallowing the balloon.
After the placement, the patient is expected to maintain clear liquids for at least two to three days. This is because the balloon is a foreign object in the body, hence there are expected symptoms that the body experiences trying to adapt to the balloon, the most common are nausea and vomiting, abdominal cramps and acid reflux. With these symptoms, maintaining clear liquids for the first few days is highly recommended.
After taking the clear liquids for three days the patient can now introduce full liquids for another two to three days, this includes milk, tea, yoghurt, or liquids with a yoghurt-like consistency. The following three days the patient can introduce a puréed diet or blended foods with thicker consistency such as butter squash and blended foods. After this, the patient is ready to introduce soft foods such as mashed potatoes, on the condition that the nausea and vomiting symptoms have completely stopped.
Thereafter, the nutritionist sends a diet plan that is well modified to cater for daily dietary requirements with the balloon, which the patient follows throughout the 6 months. Diet with the Gastric Balloon today.
