If you are extremely obese or are very overweight and have weight-related health problems, such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes, gastric bypass surgery can help you lose weight. After receiving this surgery you will need to change your diet both to avoid side effects and to ensure you get proper nutrition.
Gastric Bypass Procedure
With gastric bypass surgery, your stomach is divided into two sections: a small pouch in the upper portion of the stomach and a larger lower portion which does not receive food. Instead, the smaller pouch is connected directly to your small intestine. This not only forces you to eat less due to the small size of the food-holding pouch, but it also impairs digestion, which means that you will absorb fewer calories from the foods you do eat.
After Surgery Diet
At first you will be extremely restricted in the kinds of food you can eat after surgery, the Mayo Clinic explains. For the first one to two days you will be able to consume only liquids, such as broth, milk, strained cream soups and sugar-free gelatin. After this you will be limited to pureed foods for two to four weeks. Once you can easily tolerate pureed foods, you may add some soft solid foods to your diet. Eight weeks after the surgery you will begin to be able to eat firmer foods without having to puree them.
Dumping Syndrome
After gastric bypass surgery you will need to change your diet to avoid dumping syndrome. Dumping syndrome occurs when food and gastric juices are moved to your small intestine too quickly, resulting in pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea and heart palpitations. Eating meals that are too large can cause dumping, the Mayo Clinic notes, as can drinking fluids with your meals. Foods that are high in fat or carbohydrates can also trigger dumping syndrome.
Malnutrition
Another consideration for eating after a gastric bypass is avoiding malnutrition. As Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology in Pennsylvania notes, patients who have had this procedure are at risk of developing vitamin deficiencies due to their restrictive diet. Many need to take vitamin supplements. Of particular risk is a vitamin B-12 deficiency because the lower part of the stomach produces a protein, known as intrinsic factor, which helps the intestines absorb this vitamin. After a gastric bypass, intrinsic factor production is greatly reduced.
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