If you’re planning a liposuction procedure, you’re not alone. It’s one of the top surgical procedures performed in the U.S. each year, with over 250,000 procedures performed in 2019, and many more in the years following 2020. Liposuction is a safe and effective solution for reshaping your thighs, abdomen, chin, or buttocks when you’re close to attaining your goal weight, but can’t get rid of stubborn fat with diet and exercise. Lipo can take the weight off and enhance your contour, but it’s up to you to keep the weight off to maintain it.
The Skinny on Lipo
Liposuction does a wonderful job of restoring the desirable contours of your body in a simple and quick way, with minimal recovery time. You’ll wear a compression garment for several weeks, and by two weeks after the surgery, you’ll be able to resume your typical schedule. After one to two months, your swelling will be noticeably reduced and you can take up more strenuous activity.
But in order to enjoy lasting effects, you can’t return to any eating or exercise habits that caused the weight gain in the first place. Like any lifestyle change, if you want to maintain the shape you achieved with liposuction, you’ll need to make sure that your lifestyle is aligned with these changes. That means getting enough rest, staying properly hydrated, following a recommended exercise routine, and, most importantly, eating the right foods.
What to Eat After a Liposuction
The best foods to eat after liposuction are the same as the best foods to eat before the procedure—foods that represent a nutritionally dense, balanced diet, and contribute to your overall health. Here are some specific foods that also help aid in healing too:
Vitamin D and Magnesium
You can ensure post-surgical success by upping your intake of foods rich in vitamin D and magnesium. Vitamin D boosts the creation of cathelicidin, which is an immune system peptide that fights off infections. Magnesium is a mineral that fights inflammation. You can find these important nutrients in:
- Spinach
- Avocados
- Potatoes (with skin)
- Bananas
- Fortified cereals
- Dark chocolate
- Salmon
- Black and/or kidney beans
- Pumpkin seeds, cashews, and peanuts
- Egg yolks
- Sardines
- Soy milk
- Swiss cheese
Lean Protein
It’s important to integrate foods containing lean protein in order to accelerate cell growth and build back tissues in your recuperating skin and muscles. Want to know what to eat after lipo with lean protein? Good sources are:
- Fish
- Whole Grains
- Dark Leafy Greens
- Nuts
- Legumes
Probiotics
Your surgeon may prescribe antibiotics to protect against infection after your surgery, so make sure to eat probiotics (or take the supplements) to counteract the effects of antibiotics in your gut bacteria. Some foods that contain probiotics are:
- Kefir
- Miso
- Kimchi
- Yogurt
- Tempeh
- Pickles
- Kombucha
Easily Digestible Foods
To help your digestive system process food after your surgery and expend more energy on the healing process than on the digestion, it also helps to eat bland foods like:
- Roasted skinless chicken
- Brown rice
- Pureed fruits and veggies
- Hot cereals like oatmeal
What Not To Eat
While you’re filling up on all of these wholesome foods, you’ll naturally want to avoid some of the more unhealthy options that contribute to inflammation and make healing hard. Cut back on simple carbs, sugar, and saturated fats (but keep the good fats from salmon, avocado, nuts, and others). Try to steer clear of:
- Sodas
- Fast food
- Fried foods
- Baked goods
- Sugary cereals
- Processed meats like hot dogs, salami, or bacon
- Refined grains like white bread, pasta, rice, and crackers
Spicy foods can sometimes bother your stomach, so it’s best to stay away from those in the beginning. We also recommend waiting two weeks after your surgery to consume alcohol, so that your immune system and liver can focus on healing—and you don’t suffer ill effects from mixing the alcohol with antibiotics.
Don’t Forget These Other Important Actions
In addition to this post lipo meal plan, you’ll want to practice some other healthy habits. Drinking plenty of water is key to the healing process after your surgery since it decreases swelling and inflammation. It also helps you feel full and stay hydrated, which aids digestion and maintains metabolism at a healthy rate, among other benefits. Another good habit is to take smaller meals throughout the day to maintain blood sugar and energy and help you feel satisfied between meals.
Turn Your Habits into Good Health
If you follow these choices and incorporate exercise and good sleep schedules, you can maintain your new contours indefinitely, and any weight you might gain after surgery would be distributed more naturally throughout your body, not in those annoying “pockets” like the hips and thighs. Your body will also look more proportional and your clothes will look great and fit better.
Liposuction is an effective procedure, but it’s not a permanent solution to maintaining weight loss. Once you achieve your desired shape and weight, you can keep it by turning these healthy choices into habits. The more you eat well and stay away from sweets and bad fats, the more your body will crave the good, and you can stay in the shape you love.
Dr. Beverly Fischer and her team have been performing liposuction procedures for decades, and have perfected the process. We use state-of-the-art tools and technology to ensure the safest and most effective results. We often have specials so please check our site regularly. We look forward to helping you attain your best shape—and health.
