According to MayoClinic.com, bariatric surgery is typically done for people whose body mass index, or BMI, is greater than 40 or for people whose BMI is greater than 35 and who have an obesity related condition, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. A common procedure called gastric bypass re-routes the intestinal tract and turns the stomach into a very small pouch in order to restrict the amount of food that can be eaten and to decrease the absorption of calories. The bariatric weight loss diet is very restrictive and requires discipline and commitment.
Immediately After Surgery
After weight-loss surgery, patients are discharged from the hospital on a liquid diet according to DukeHealth.org. Eating only liquids during this time insures that the new connections in your intestinal tract have time to heal and are not stretched. You will drink a 1/4 cup of high protein supplement every hour while awake. In addition, you will be expected to drink two ounces of non-carbonated, non-caffeinated, low- or no-calorie liquid every 15 minutes.
Three Weeks After Surgery
After your follow-up visit with your surgeon, you will likely be allowed to start eating soft foods. Again, this will be a very restrictive diet, but will allow you some different food choices. It is important to get enough protein in the body to insure proper healing according to DukeHealth.org. Eggs, light or low-fat yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, soft fish, small or baby shrimp, scallops, crab and tuna are the recommended sources of protein that can be added to the diet. DukeHealth.org recommends eating 5 to 6 very small meals daily as you will be unable to tolerate large portions.
Fluids With Meals
An important feature of a bariatric weight loss diet involves avoiding liquids at meals. Ordinarily, the stomach has a valve that prevents food from moving into the intestine until it is completely digested by the stomach. During gastric bypass surgery, this valve is removed, and there is nothing to stop the food from going directly into the intestine. This allows fluids to wash the food into the intestine immediately. Avoiding fluids with meals allows the stomach to do its job and send signals to the brain that you are full.
10 to 12 Weeks After Surgery
At around 10 to 12 weeks after surgery, you will likely be able to eat anything you enjoy, but the amount of food that you can comfortably take in at a meal will continue to be severely restricted. It will be imperative that the new way of eating that you have learned over the last three months be continued in order to have successful results.
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