Following a gastric bypass surgery, you will have to eat a special diet that gradually introduces solid foods into your stomach. There are four stages in the diet: liquid diet, pureed diet, soft food diet and solid food diet. By following this diet progression, you will learn how to eat to lose weight, learn how much food your stomach can hold and give your stomach a chance to heal from the surgery.
Time Frame
For most gastric bypass patients, stage 3 will be started between three to six weeks following surgery. Stage 3 lasts approximately eight weeks, after which you will move on to stage 4 and start eating solid foods. During this phase, you should eat four meals per day, notes the University of Virginia Health Systems.
Components
During stage 3, all foods you eat must be very soft. MayoClinic.com notes that foods that can be mashed with a fork are suitable for this stage. Some patients make their own food and some decide to eat baby food. Unsweetened canned fruits, salt-free canned vegetables, mashed lean chicken and beef, pudding and hot cereals are suitable for stage 3 of the gastric bypass diet.
Size
Each meal that you eat during the stage 3 diet should be four to six ounces. This means that you will have to eat only a few bites of foods from each of the food groups. You will also need to drink 48 to 64 oz of low-calorie liquids and water each day; however, you should drink only a few ounces at a time.
Warning
Since you are now eating soft foods and drinking liquids, you will have to be careful that you don't experience nausea, vomiting, constipation or dumping syndrome. Dumping syndrome occurs when food is flushed through the stomach pouch too quickly. To prevent these situations from occurring, avoid high-fat and high-sugar foods, eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. Also, avoid drinking anything for 60 minutes before or after you eat, notes Medline Plus.
Considerations
Because of the limited amount of food you eat during this stage of the gastric bypass diet and the fact that a portion of your intestine is bypassed as part of the surgery, you will have to take vitamins to provide all of the nutrients you need. Your doctor may also instruct you to take mineral supplements and you may be instructed to drink special shakes to help you get all the nutrition you need.
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