Eating After Gastric Bypass Surgery

A lot of people tend to think that gastric bypass surgery is an easy way to lose weight and you can eat whatever you want following the surgery. I think gastric bypass surgery was the best thing that ever happened to me but it is a life changing event that you should be fully prepared for.

First of all, you will not be able to have your full diet back until a full year after your surgery and there is always at least one food you love that will make you sick every time you eat it….I still can not eat pork chops and creamy soups! Immediately after gastric bypass surgery, you will be on a liquid diet of water, broth and juice for two days. You then progress to pureed foods (like apple sauce, yogurt, pudding, liquid meal replacements and eggs) for about a month while your stomach heals. Then you progress onto easy-to-chew foods, cooked vegetables, soft fruits, and ground chicken and fish.

Red meat is very difficult to digest, even when ground, and should be avoided until at least a year after weight loss surgery. Other foods to temporarily avoid following surgery are spicy foods (six weeks), fruit and vegetable skins (six months), carbonated beverages (six months), and bread (one year).

After gastric bypass surgery your body will have difficulty absorbing certain nutrients so you will need blood tests to determine what vitamin and mineral supplements you need. Through this whole process you need protein-rich foods to help your body recover from the surgery, so many protein shakes and bars are consumed.

After a year you can incorporate your whole diet back into your life but that still does not mean you can eat what ever! You have to watch your combinations of foods, make sure you are getting enough protein and eat healthy foods.