If you're considering having gastric bypass surgery, you're probably looking forward to the weight loss that should come afterward. But your physician likely will prescribe a very stringent postoperative diet plan that you'll need to follow, or you'll risk complications from your surgery or nutritional problems resulting from your newly rearranged digestive tract.
Diet Basics
Gastric bypass surgery allows you to lose weight by shrinking the size of your stomach, literally forcing you to eat less, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders. Several different types of surgical procedures will achieve the same types of results. Once you've had the surgery, you'll be able to eat only small amounts of food, and you'll absorb less of the nutrients from the food you do eat, so good nutrition will become very important.
Initial Diet
In the first phase of your postoperative gastric bypass diet, which will last between a week and 10 days, you'll be able to consume only liquids, according to the University of Minnesota. These liquids can include water, tea, clear broth or pure, clear fruit juices such as cranberry or apple juice. You can also eat sugar-free Jell-O. Liquids make some people sick in this phase, and you should contact your health care provider if this happens to you.
Next Steps
Once your doctor has told you it's OK to consume pureed foods, you'll be able to eat a few tablespoons of baby foods or soft foods such as cream-based soups, according to the University of Minnesota. This stage will last for about three weeks, after which you'll move on to the semi-soft foods stage. Then, you can enjoy more protein, such as ground turkey or chicken. You should eat many low-fat, lower-calorie starches and fruits in this stage.
Final Stage
Once you've gotten the green light from your doctor, you can go back to eating a regular diet, according to the University of Minnesota. This will take place several months after your gastric bypass surgery. Now, you'll be able to eat more raw fruits and vegetables, and to enjoy crunchy foods. However, you shouldn't return to your old eating habits, or you'll risk derailing your weight loss efforts.
Considerations
Gastric bypass surgery will alter the way you eat for the rest of your life, according to Rush University Medical Center. You'll need to eat small, frequent meals, because your reduced stomach capacity won't be able to handle large meals. And you'll need to take vitamin supplements to guard against malnutrition. In addition, you should allow more time for each meal, and eat slowly.
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