Gastric Bypass Diet
January 26, 2008 by admin
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If you are considering gastric bypass surgery, learning about a gastric bypass diet should be part of your preparation. Gastric bypass surgery will drastically change how you eat, at least for the first 6 months. If a gastric bypass diet is not followed, you could experience severe discomfort.
A bariatric diet consists of 4 stages. Each stage allows a larger variety of food with more texture. You should be through all 4 stages in about 60 days. The better you can adhere to this plan, the better you chances of having a successful weight loss and reaching your goals.
Phase 1-This is what you will be having in the hospital. The first day or two following surgery, you may not feel like eating at all, especially if you had a roux-en-y. You will be served clear broth, diluted fruit juices and sugar-free jello. I was also served small amounts of a liquid protein drink. Protein is extremely important in a gastric bypass diet.
Phase 2-This will be the diet you will be following the first two weeks following your surgery. Simply put you can eat 3 types of foods. They are liquid protein drinks (less than 10 grams of sugar), pureed foods that are high in protein and baby food. You should try to get 50 grams of protein into your diet each day as well as 32 ounces of water (I found it difficult to drink that much water at first). It is important that you not drink 30 minutes before having a meal and 30 minutes following your meal. This is a good practice to follow from this time forward. You should eat very slowly and listen to your stomach. Do not overeat. It will come back up if you overeat.
Phase 3-This phase will be used for the 2-8 weeks following your surgery. This is where you will be introducing soft foods back into your diet. Meats are still going to be difficult to digest. You may still want to grind them and serve them with fat-free gravy of broth. It is important that you have protein with every meal and snack. This helps you feel full. It will be necessary to chew your food thoroughly.
Phase 4-This is where you will resume eating as normal. Slowly introduce small amounts of different foods back into your diet. I can meet everything I ate before my surgery. I just eat it in smaller portions. Your best friend is going to be foods high in protein and things that you may have problems with are sugar and fat.
You will also want to take a multivitamin everyday. This will ensure that you are getting all the necessary nutrients. Early on, your doctor may prescribe prenatal vitamins.
The first 3-6 months on a gastric bypass diet was not easy, but I consider my surgery worth it. It has changed my life and it can change yours.
Tags: gastric bypass diet, diet for gastric bypass, bariatric surgery diet, bariatric diet, gastric bypass eating
Zach Hunt on Thu, 6th Mar 2008 11:49 am
It is expensive and time consuming it can take over a year jumping thru the hoops and you can still gain weight if you don`t change to healthy foods.
Eleanor on Thu, 15th May 2008 10:42 am
one important thing to consider is to seek an experienced team of professionals. gastric bypass is becoming a popular option to loose weight… so a lot of inexperienced surgeons and professionals are popping up like mushrooms…a lot of research and preparation (just like what you said) should be done before one even considers undergoing surgery…
globalakif on Thu, 18th Dec 2008 12:06 am
Most of them won’t help because they are based on helping with what you’re eating, which will be less if you have no stomach. Gastric Bypass should really only be reserved as a last resort, too.
http://www.weight-lossdiet.net
Gayle on Sun, 11th Jan 2009 1:49 pm
I am 4 days post op gastric bypass. Nothing is easy. But with all the health problems I have from morbid obesity this is worth it. I have had comfirmation of this program from many, many people who have been through it successfully. I did my 6 months required counseling and my surgery at Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA. The Gastric Bypass program there is a certified Program of Excellence and so far, I know that they deserve the certification. This is not a miracle fix…this is a tool to help me on my road to a healthier me. I am drinking my protein drinks and following a liquid diet for another two days and then I get some pureed food….Hallelujah! I am excited about the future and can tell you that the surgery is not bad. I have experienced very little pain and discomfort. And yes…you still have to eat healthy!