Roux-en-Y, the most common form of gastric bypass surgery, reduces the usable size of your stomach so it can hold little more than 1 oz. of food or liquid. The operation sections off most of your stomach with staples, leaving a small pouch at the top to accept food. Then, your small intestine is relocated to connect with the pouch. Changing your diet to accommodate this new digestive routinely normally falls into four stages. Phase one is a liquid diet and is the most restrictive.
Purpose of Phase One
In the first days after your surgery, your stomach will need time to heal. If you begin eating too soon, the stapled area won't be able to do this. It's also vulnerable to stretching before it heals completely. Solid food could potentially make the pouch larger than your surgeon intended and could sabotage the success of your procedure.
Permissible Foods
To allow healing, you won't be able to eat for about two days after gastric bypass surgery, but you can have ice chips. After that, you will graduate to liquids, such as unsweetened juice, broth and milk. After a few more days, you can begin adding in more liquids, such as cream soups. However, you will have to strain the soup first to make sure it is pure liquid, and let it cool before eating. Other permissible beverages include water at room temperature, or decaffeinated coffee or tea, provided it's not hot. You can also eat sugar-free ice pops. At the end of phase one, you can move on to sugar-free gelatin. Some surgeons might allow their patients to begin with liquids less than two days after surgery.
What You Can Expect
How long you remain in phase one depends how well you heal and how well your body adapts after the gastric bypass surgery. You will not be able to consume portion sizes of more than 1/2 cup, so eat more frequently, about five times per day. MayoClinic.com suggests you should take at least 30 minutes for each meal. If you drink a cup of tea, it should take you about an hour to finish it in small sips. Eating too much or too fast can cause both pain and vomiting. You may become constipated, so ask your surgeon about a stool softener, if necessary.
Tips
If you choose cream soups, make them with skim milk. Fat can be hard for your stomach to deal with after a gastric bypass. Sugar might have the same effect. Both have the potential of moving into your intestines too quickly and causing "dumping syndrome," which can bring on cramps, diarrhea and other complications. You should also avoid any beverage with carbonation or drinking through a straw, which can create air pockets and painful bubbles in your stomach pouch.
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