Weight Loss

Weight Loss After Hiatal Hernia Surgery

Weight Loss After Hiatal Hernia Surgery

What is a hiatal hernia? Well, it is what happens when the upper part of your stomach pushes through an opening in your diaphragm and into the chest. These are rather painful and will often make it hard to keep acid in your stomach, where it belongs. 

If you have surgery to remove one of these, then you might be wondering if the surgery will impact your ability to lose weight and if there is anything surrounding this hernia with weight loss and weight gain. 

You might wonder can a hiatal hernia cause weight loss, as it can make you feel sick and create a burning feeling in your chest, which will obviously lower your appetite. 

What we will look into today is if there is any possibility that you can lose weight after surgery to correct a hiatal hernia and the effects of a hiatal hernia on your weight. 

Does Hernia Surgery Cause Weight Gain?

Hernia surgery does cause weight gain, but not in the way you might think, it is not the repercussions of eating too much of an accumulation of fatty mass, however, instead, it is due to the build-up of fluids as part of your body’s healing process. 

So, while you will build up some weight, this will only happen during the initial period of recovery and is not due to fat, so it will dissipate eventually. 

Can You Lose Weight With A Hernia 

Weight Loss After Hiatal Hernia Surgery

You can and should lose weight when you have a hernia. Weight loss is actually important in healing from a hernia. As you lose weight it will release any excess pressure that there is on the abdomen, this can prevent hernias from developing in the first place. 

However, it will also improve and ease other hernia symptoms as well, it will avoid complications too. 

In fact, losing weight can actually be the ticket to reducing hernia size and relieving yourself of the associated pains. 

How Long Does It Take To Heal After Hiatal Hernia Surgery?

Weight Loss After Hiatal Hernia Surgery

I know we all wonder when we have surgery, we want to know how long we will have to heal. No one likes to have to sit back and twiddle their thumbs for too long. However, hiatal hernia surgery will take a full 10-12 weeks to recover from.

This is only because it is major surgery, however, you may be able to resume your normal lifestyle before this. How can you actually use this? 

Well, once you are off narcotic pain medications you should be able to start driving again, which is good news for many! 

How Can I Flatten My Stomach After Hernia Surgery?

How Can I Flatten My Stomach After Hernia Surgery?

If you want to do some exercises after hernia surgery, the best thing to do is some pelvic floor exercises, forward lunges and knee extensions while seated. Start off slowly and do not push yourself too hard. 

Be aware of your body and listen to it. You can build up your abdominal muscle in order to flatten your stomach after surgery, but do not be expecting to go hardcore, sometimes, less really is more. 

Will I Lose Weight After Hiatal Hernia Surgery?

You may expect to lose some weight after having a hiatal hernia operation, however, you can usually expect to regain this at around 3-6 months. Mind you, this is generally if you want to regain it. 

If you want to lose weight, keep up with a healthy diet and exercise, and your weight should continue to decrease over time. 

Can You Lose Weight After A Hernia Repair?

Can You Lose Weight After A Hernia Repair?

You can easily lose weight after hernia surgery, typically you will lose weight anyway if you seek to lose more though this can help with your recovery. 

Losing weight after surgery will help to reduce the strain you feel when you sit or stand, and will prevent the chances of another hernia occurring. So, in many cases you will benefit from it. 

Do not forget that many people will also ask does your stomach get smaller after hiatal hernia surgery, which it does. The surgery actually makes your stomach smaller slightly, so you may get full faster, which will aid in weight loss. 

After a time, you will be back to normal, though. 

Can I Lose Weight While Recovering From Surgery?

Weight Loss After Hiatal Hernia Surgery

As you recover from surgery, your body will want more protein and energy to aid in your healing. This means that post-op, you are not in the best situation to be dieting. 

You should focus on weight maintenance, however, if you are overweight, then you may want to lose weight as you recover, as being overweight (especially in cases of obesity) the excess weight can lead to complications. 

However, do not go overboard, and just do what your surgeon or doctor has recommended for you. 

Average Weight Loss After Hiatal Hernia Surgery

What’s the real story about how much weight you can expect to lose? Well, it will differ from person to person as we are all made differently, however, the average is around 10-15 lbs during the first month to month and a half after their operation. 

Do keep in mind that it is totally possible that you may lose more weight or even less than this, we are not all built the same. If you are overweight, you may lose more than someone who is not. 

Diet After Hiatal Hernia Surgery

Diet After Hiatal Hernia Surgery

Once you have had your surgery, you should start on a soft and sloppy diet, you should drink in minimal amounts. Little and often, you can drink water, juice, squash, tea, and soup. You may even be able to indulge in ice cream

Avoid any fizzy drink products, citrus, and caffeine. 

Any sloppy foods are ones that can easily be broken into pieces with a fork and require minimal chewing. This diet should be maintained up to 3 weeks post-operation. 

In the 4th and 5th weeks, you can have a soft diet, including pasta, minced meats, and such, so you can enjoy a good spaghetti bolognese. 

Once you hit the 6th week, you should be able to continue as normal. 

What Can Cause A Hiatal Hernia After Weight Loss Surgery

Here’s the deal, weight loss surgery such as a gastric bypass can result in complications such as a hiatal hernia. It can be very dangerous and painful. Annoyingly, there is no clear reason as to why these complications come about post-bariatric surgery. 

However, as obesity is closely tied to Hiatal hernias, there is a connection. In some cases, a gastric bypass patent may already have a pre-existing hernia which is only discovered during surgery! 

Mad right? The good news is, that they can be dealt with easily enough.

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