After you undergo gastric bypass surgery, your doctor gives you a post-operative diet to follow. This diet has four main objectives: give your stomach time to heal, to prevent side effects and complications, to give you time to adjust to eating smaller quantities of food your body can digest and to allow you to lose weight while preventing excess weight gain. Strictly adhering to this diet is imperative to your success.
Liquids
For the first day or two after your surgery, while you're still in the hospital, you won't be given anything; this is to give your stomach time to heal. You will then be allowed liquids such as broth, water, unsweetened juices, sugar-free gelatin and flat diet soda. Once you tolerate these without nausea or vomiting, you progress to the next phase of your diet.
Semiliquids
This aspect of your diet consists of pureed or semiliquid food. You can have egg whites, soft fruits and vegetables without the skin, beans, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, sugar-free applesauce, sugar-free yogurt and lean meat with the exception of red meat. Blend these with fluids such as nonfat milk, broth, water, sugar-free juice or nonfat gravy. It is important to drink at least 6 to 8 cups of low-calorie beverages per day to prevent dehydration. These include water, sugar-free juice, diet soda and decaffeinated tea or coffee. Sip them slowly in small amounts -- 2 to 4 oz. at a time. Do not drink with your meals; the beverages flush the food from your pouch, preventing satiety from taking place.
Soft Foods
The next phase is the semi-solid stage, when you can eat foods you can mash with a fork. These include diced lean meat except red meat, canned chicken, eggs cooked any style except fried, canned fruit in its own juice or water and cooked veggies without the skin, as the skin can irritate your stomach. Add one new food at a time and see how your body reacts; if you become sick, eliminate it. Eat four to six 6-oz. meals per day, taking a 1/2 hour to finish a meal. Chew your food slowly and completely -- eating too fast or too much or swallowing food you haven't chewed enough can cause you pain and discomfort.
Solid Food
After about eight weeks, you reach the point of eating solid foods again. Red meat is now allowed, along with raw fruits and vegetables with the skin on. Continue adding new foods slowly, making bread your last addition. Bead tends to form a ball and not travel through your pouch easily. Limit your fat intake to prevent weight gain. Foods such as nuts, seeds, popcorn and carbonated beverages may irritate your stomach, along with spicy foods; some you may need to add gradually, while others you may eliminate permanently.
Dumping Syndrome
Dumping syndrome occurs when food moves too quickly through the small intestine, resulting in nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea and sweating. This is one reason you must follow the gastric bypass diet exactly as your doctor explains it to you.
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