Diet After Gastric Bypass: What to Eat After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery decreases the size of the stomach and reroutes food to avoid certain parts of the small intestine. The smaller stomach makes a person feel full sooner, and the bypassing ensures that lesser calories are absorbed by the stomach and small intestine. Gastric bypass surgery is but the first step of weight loss. A person who undergoes this treatment option must completely commit to a healthy diet after gastric bypass surgery, or it would be in vain. The following are some instructions on how and what to eat after gastric bypass surgery.

Post Gastric Bypass Surgery Diet

Immediately after the surgery, you may not be allowed to consume food for a day or two, or you may be on a liquid diet of soups and broths. The objective at this time is to assist and hasten the healing process. This is likely to be followed by a pureed food diet for the next three to four weeks, which progresses to soft foods (overcooked) for another eight weeks or so. The pace of progression from pureed food to normal food depends on an individual's ability to digest. Most people start eating regular food about three months after surgery, but it can occur sooner. Post surgery, one starts out eating several small meals and sipping liquids (not simultaneously) through the day. Some people start with six small meals a day, which is gradually tapered down to the regular three. At this time, one must adopt high protein gastric bypass meal plans, which include lean meats, low-fat dairy products (yogurt, cheese) or eggs. Protein is essential to the healing and rebuilding process.

Permanent Diet Changes after Gastric Bypass Surgery

It is important to grasp not just what to eat after gastric bypass surgery, but also how to eat. These are permanent dietary changes that you will have to adopt. Immediately after surgery, your stomach's reduced capacity allows it to hold only about 1 ounce of food. This capacity will increase over time, but initially you will have to be very careful not to eat too much, as well as to stop eating before you feel full. Too much food eaten at a time will cause pain, nausea and vomiting.

The other thing to remember is to consume all foods and liquids slowly. On an average, spend about 30 minutes on a meal, and you can sip one cup of liquid over a period of 30 to 60 minutes. Ensure that you chew your food very well, as it now needs to pass through a much smaller opening to get from your stomach to your small intestine. Chew for long enough to break down the food and turn it into a paste before you swallow. Avoid drinking fluids along with your meal, as it is likely to cause discomfort.

After gastric bypass surgery, try out new foods with caution, to see how your stomach accepts them. Foods that may cause trouble include meat, bread, pasta, rice, raw vegetables, milk and carbonated beverages. Dry, sticky or stringy foods are usually not tolerated well. Gastric bypass meals exclude foods high in fat and sugar, such as regular soda, candy and candy bars and ice cream, for obvious reasons.

After surgery, your body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients is compromised, and thus it is a good idea to supplement your diet with gastric bypass supplements regularly. These generally include multi-vitamin, multi-mineral, calcium, iron, vitamin B-12 and vitamin D.

It is important to have realistic expectations from gastric bypass surgery. Though risks and complications of gastric bypass surgery are present, the surgery is usually effective, with most people losing 50 percent to 60 percent of their excess weight within one and sometimes two years. Following an appropriate diet after gastric bypass, and exercising regularly, can help a person keep the excess weight at bay.