The gastric bypass diet is designed to:
This is the time to allow your stomach to heal without being stretched by the food you eat.
In this time, it will get you used to eating smaller amounts of food. Allowing your new smaller stomach the ability to comfortably and safely digest food. doing this will help you lose weight and avoid gaining weight. Also, avoid side effects and complications from the surgery
Diet recommendations after gastric bypass surgery vary depending on your individual situation.
A gastric bypass diet typically follows an increasing approach to help you ease back into eating solid foods. How quickly you move from one step to the next depends on how fast your body heals and adjusts to the change in eating patterns. You can usually start eating regular foods about three months after surgery.
At each stage of the gastric bypass diet, you must be careful!
Avoid dehydration, Drink up to 64 ounces of fluid a day
Sip liquids between meals, not with meals.
Wait about 30 minutes after a meal to drink anything
Avoid drinking 30 minutes before a meal.
Eat and drink slowly, to avoid dumping syndrome — This occurs when foods and liquids enter your small intestine rapidly and in larger amounts. This causes nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating, and diarrhea.
Important health Teaching:
Eat lean, protein-rich foods daily.
Choose foods and drinks that are low in fats and sugar.
Avoid alcohol.
Limit caffeine, which can cause dehydration.
Take vitamin and mineral supplements daily, as directed by your health provider.
Chew foods thoroughly to a pureed consistency before swallowing, once you progress beyond liquids only.
Liquids
For the first day or so after surgery, you'll only be allowed to drink clear liquids. Once you can handle clear liquids, you can start having other liquids, such as:
Liquids you can have during stage 1:
Broth
Unsweetened juice
Decaffeinated tea or coffee
Milk (skim or 1 percent)
Sugar-free gelatin or popsicles
Pureed foods
After about a week of tolerating liquids, you can begin to eat strained and pureed (mashed up) foods. The foods should have the consistency of a smooth paste or a thick liquid, without any solid pieces of food in the mixture.
You can eat three to six small meals a day. Each meal should consist of 4 to 6 tablespoons of food. Eat slowly — about 30 minutes for each meal.
Choose foods that will puree well
Lean ground meat, poultry or fish
Cottage cheese
Soft scrambled eggs
Cooked cereal
Soft fruits and cooked vegetables
Strained cream soups
Blend solid foods with a liquid:
Water
Skim milk
Juice with no sugar added
Broth
Soft foods
After a few weeks of pureed foods, and with your doctor's OK, you can add soft foods to your diet. They should be small, tender and easily chewed pieces of food.
You can eat three to five small meals a day.
Each meal should consist of one-third to one-half cup of food.
Chew each bite until the food is pureed consistency before swallowing.
Soft foods include:
Ground lean meat or poultry
Flaked fish
Eggs
Cottage cheese
Cooked or dried cereal
Rice
Canned or soft fresh fruit, without seeds or skin
Cooked vegetables "without the skin"
Solid foods
After about eight weeks on the gastric bypass diet, you can gradually return to eating firmer foods. Start with eating three meals a day, with each meal consisting of 1 to 1-1/2 cups of food.
It's important to stop eating before you feel completely full.