Eating After Gastric Bypass Surgery

A gastric bypass surgery is a major trauma for your stomach, but following a special diet can greatly improve your chances of a successful recovery. Learn what to eat both before and after going through a gastric bypass procedure!

Having a gastric bypass surgery is a major trauma for your body in general, and your stomach in particular. But eating from a specially designed diet both before and after surgery can drastically improve your chances of a succesful recovery, and that's why it's so important to follow a so-called gastric bypass diet.

The gastric bypass diet is divided into two parts. A pre op diet, and a post op diet.

The gastric bypass pre op diet should be followed for 1-2 weeks immediately before surgery. It normally contains around 1000 calories, and some surgeons require the patient to do an all-liquid diet (like stage 1 of the post op diet). It will shrink fatty liver, make you lose weight and help prepare your stomach for the surgical procedure. If you succesfully follow the pre op diet, the surgeon will see that you are serious and mentally capable of following the very important post op diet.

The gastric bypass post op diet is divided into four stages that will minimize complications, help with the healing process, and make you lose weight. It will also gradually let your stomach get used to normal foods again. These are the four stages:

Stage 1: This stage lasts for approximately two weeks and consists of only clear liquids, such as sugar-free juice and clear broth (and normal water of course).

Stage 2: Stage 2 normally lasts for 2-3 weeks and is comprised of full liquids. For example fat free cream soup and sugar-free yogurt.

Stage 3: The third stage has no exact time frame, but following it for a month is quite common. The surgeon will ultimately make a decision based on your health status and overall progress. You are now allowed to eat soft foods, such as cottage cheese, egg whites and tofu. An important part of stage 3 is that you consume at least 60 grams of proteins per day.

Stage 4: It's finally time for regular foods! But not any regular food you want. You should eat lean red meat, vegetables, chicken and tuna. It's important to stop eating when your stomach is full, and to only eat small pieces and to chew them carefully. This will prevent you from eating too fast, and thereby from eating too much. Junk food should be avoided at all times!

Once you have reached the last stage, there's only one more important thing you must be aware of. That thing is called exercise. Regular exercise will greatly help you reach and maintain your goal weight. It will also give you a much better health overall. Remember to start off slowly. Once you feel comfortable, increase intensity and number of work outs per week. Rinse and repeat.