'''Food comes back in stages, and your care team decides when you move.''' Loopa shows you the stage you are in, what belongs in it, and why. Where your care team has sent us their protocol, theirs is the one you see.
'''The windows below are a published reference, not your schedule.''' The guideline describes the progression as protocol-derived and dietitian-guided (Mechanick JI et al., ''Obesity'', 2013 · [https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20461 doi:10.1002/oby.20461]), which is another way of saying it belongs to your team. Ours is what the screen shows until theirs arrives.
== Stage 1: Clear liquids ==
'''Day 0 to 1, usually in hospital.''' Room-temperature water, about an ounce an hour. No ice, no straws, no carbonation. A low-sugar clear liquid program can usually begin within 24 hours of surgery (Mechanick JI et al., ''Obesity'', 2013 · [https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20461 doi:10.1002/oby.20461]).
== Stage 2: Protein liquids ==
'''Reference window: from discharge to about two weeks.''' High-protein liquids only. Nothing of any texture until your team advances you.
Loopa turns this stage into a '''sip timer''' (a running tally of protein and fluid, gentle cues, and a "why" behind each rule). A common reference cadence is 2 oz of protein fluid an hour, with an ounce of clear fluid every 15 minutes in between, relaxed once the goals are comfortable.
Targets: '''at least 60 g of protein a day''' (Mechanick JI et al., ''Obesity'', 2013 · [https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20461 doi:10.1002/oby.20461]) and '''64 fl oz or more of fluid'''. The guideline puts adequate hydration at more than 1.5 liters a day (Mechanick JI et al., ''Obesity'', 2013 · [https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20461 doi:10.1002/oby.20461]).
Nothing carbonated, nothing with caffeine, no straws.
== Stage 3: Pureed foods ==
'''Reference window: about weeks two to four.''' Smooth, protein-first foods. Introduce one new food at a time and log how it went. That list becomes useful faster than you expect. Keep drinks about 30 minutes away from meals (Scarpellini E et al., ''Nature Reviews Endocrinology'', 2020 · [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5 doi:10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5]). Stop at the first sign of fullness.
== Stage 4: Soft solids ==
'''Reference window: about weeks four to eight.''' Foods you can mash with a fork. Protein first, then vegetables, then anything else. Chew thoroughly and eat slowly.
== Stage 5: Regular textures ==
'''Reference window: about week eight onward, and this one stays.'''
- Protein first at every meal
- Three small meals with planned protein snacks, rather than grazing
- Drinks about 30 minutes away from meals (Scarpellini E et al., ''Nature Reviews Endocrinology'', 2020 · [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5 doi:10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5])
- Simple sugars are the thing most likely to bring on cramping or flushing after a meal (Scarpellini E et al., ''Nature Reviews Endocrinology'', 2020 · [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5 doi:10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5])
- Still no carbonation, and still chew thoroughly
== What your care team's protocol changes ==
If they send us theirs through a single-use link and you accept it, their stages replace these entirely (their windows, their targets, their rules) and the screen is labeled '''Your care team's protocol'''. You can see exactly what it changes before you accept it, and withdraw it whenever you like.
== Related ==
- [[protein-and-fluid-after-surgery|Protein and fluid after surgery]]
- [[dumping-syndrome|Dumping syndrome]]
- [[clinician-protocols-and-coach-support|How clinician protocols and coach support work]]
== Where this comes from ==
Everything on this page is drawn from published clinical guidelines and peer-reviewed research, cited above. '''Loopa does not give medical advice.''' It does not decide whether a procedure is right for you, does not recommend one over another, and never sets a dose. Your care team does all three, and where they give you an instruction, theirs is the one to follow.
'''Food comes back in stages, and your care team decides when you move.''' Loopa shows you the stage you are in, what belongs in it, and why. Where your care team has sent us their protocol, theirs is the one you see. '''The windows below are a published reference, not your schedule.''' The guideline describes the progression as protocol-derived and dietitian-guided (Mechanick JI et al., ''Obesity'', 2013 · [https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20461 doi:10.1002/oby.20461]), which is another way of saying it belongs to your team. Ours is what the screen shows until theirs arrives. == Stage 1: Clear liquids == '''Day 0 to 1, usually in hospital.''' Room-temperature water, about an ounce an hour. No ice, no straws, no carbonation. A low-sugar clear liquid program can usually begin within 24 hours of surgery (Mechanick JI et al., ''Obesity'', 2013 · [https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20461 doi:10.1002/oby.20461]). == Stage 2: Protein liquids == '''Reference window: from discharge to about two weeks.''' High-protein liquids only. Nothing of any texture until your team advances you. Loopa turns this stage into a '''sip timer''' (a running tally of protein and fluid, gentle cues, and a "why" behind each rule). A common reference cadence is 2 oz of protein fluid an hour, with an ounce of clear fluid every 15 minutes in between, relaxed once the goals are comfortable. Targets: '''at least 60 g of protein a day''' (Mechanick JI et al., ''Obesity'', 2013 · [https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20461 doi:10.1002/oby.20461]) and '''64 fl oz or more of fluid'''. The guideline puts adequate hydration at more than 1.5 liters a day (Mechanick JI et al., ''Obesity'', 2013 · [https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20461 doi:10.1002/oby.20461]). Nothing carbonated, nothing with caffeine, no straws. == Stage 3: Pureed foods == '''Reference window: about weeks two to four.''' Smooth, protein-first foods. Introduce one new food at a time and log how it went. That list becomes useful faster than you expect. Keep drinks about 30 minutes away from meals (Scarpellini E et al., ''Nature Reviews Endocrinology'', 2020 · [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5 doi:10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5]). Stop at the first sign of fullness. == Stage 4: Soft solids == '''Reference window: about weeks four to eight.''' Foods you can mash with a fork. Protein first, then vegetables, then anything else. Chew thoroughly and eat slowly. == Stage 5: Regular textures == '''Reference window: about week eight onward, and this one stays.''' * Protein first at every meal * Three small meals with planned protein snacks, rather than grazing * Drinks about 30 minutes away from meals (Scarpellini E et al., ''Nature Reviews Endocrinology'', 2020 · [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5 doi:10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5]) * Simple sugars are the thing most likely to bring on cramping or flushing after a meal (Scarpellini E et al., ''Nature Reviews Endocrinology'', 2020 · [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5 doi:10.1038/s41574-020-0357-5]) * Still no carbonation, and still chew thoroughly == What your care team's protocol changes == If they send us theirs through a single-use link and you accept it, their stages replace these entirely (their windows, their targets, their rules) and the screen is labeled '''Your care team's protocol'''. You can see exactly what it changes before you accept it, and withdraw it whenever you like. == Related == * [[protein-and-fluid-after-surgery|Protein and fluid after surgery]] * [[dumping-syndrome|Dumping syndrome]] * [[clinician-protocols-and-coach-support|How clinician protocols and coach support work]] == Where this comes from == Everything on this page is drawn from published clinical guidelines and peer-reviewed research, cited above. '''Loopa does not give medical advice.''' It does not decide whether a procedure is right for you, does not recommend one over another, and never sets a dose. Your care team does all three, and where they give you an instruction, theirs is the one to follow.
