The purpose of gastric bypass surgery is to help you lose weight and keep it off. The result of a gastric bypass operation, notes MedlinePlus, is that you will not be able to eat as much as you could before the surgery and your body will not absorb all the calories from the food you eat. After your surgery, your doctor will prescribe an exercise program and a diet that will dictate what you can eat and how much you can eat.
Types of Operation
Gastric bypass surgery is done either using open surgery through a large incision in the abdomen or by laparoscopy, using a camera and instruments inserted through four to six small incisions in the abdominal area. Laparoscopy promotes shorter recovery time and reduced pain. The surgery changes the structure of your digestive system in a way that promotes weight loss.
Bypass Methods
A method called "Roux-en-Y" is the preferred method of gastric bypass surgery, according to MayoClinic.com. In this method, your stomach is stapled to create a small pouch and a passage is created so food can go around a portion of your small intestine. The result is that food no longer enters into certain parts of the stomach and small intestine, where food was broken down. Consequently, the body will not absorb as many calories from food.
Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch is another method of gastric bypass where the doctor removes approximately 80 percent of the stomach and bypasses the majority of the intestine. This method carries a greater risk of malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies, notes MayoClinic.com.
Post-Surgery Diet
Following surgery, you will need to follow a special diet to allow the staple line in the stomach to heal properly, notes MayoClinic.com. It is important to follow the diet guidelines because they are designed to be gentle on your "new" stomach and to help you to eat less, notes the University of Virginia Health System. Your stomach before surgery could hold about 6 cups of fluid, and after surgery your stomach pouch will only hold about 1/2 a cup at a time. The diet will help you adjust to these changes.
Ongoing Diets
The diet is divided into four stages. Phase one includes clear liquids and sugar-free gelatin. Phase two begins after you tolerate liquids well and lasts from two to four weeks, notes MayoClinic.com, and allows only food pureed into a smooth paste, like applesauce. The third phase starts when your doctor thinks you are ready, and includes soft foods and usually lasts for eight weeks. The rule of thumb for which foods you can eat on phase three, according to UVHS, is whether you can mash it with a fork. The final phase includes solid foods, which you should introduce slowly, so your body can get use to digesting them again.
Considerations
Gastric bypass surgery does not replace the necessity of regular exercise and a healthy diet, notes MayoClinic.com. Furthermore, the success of the surgery, and subsequent weight loss, depends on how closely you adhere to the diet and exercise guidelines your doctor gives you.
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