Diet Information After Weight
Loss Surgery
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Long Term Diet Plan and Eating Guidelines After BypassDiet 4 - Low Fat Solids Eating PlanYour long-term regular diet starts about 8 weeks or later after gastric bypass surgery. In general, a long term post-bypass diet-plan includes foods that are high in protein, and low in fat, fiber, calories, and sugar. Important vitamins and minerals are provided as supplements. Pay careful attention to the individual eating plan or diet instructions which you receive from your bariatric surgeon or dietitian. The following food guidelines are a general indication of how to plan your cooking, meal recipes and general eating after gastric bypass surgery. General Dietary Rules
Protein in Gastric Bypass DietProtein is the nutrient that the body uses to build new tissue. Protein is important, especially to heal after surgery and to help prevent hair loss. Many patients experience some hair loss two to four months after stomach bypass surgery as a result of poor protein, iron, and zinc intake as well as some medications, rapid weight loss within the first few months, experiencing shock, and having a long surgery. To maintain nutrition eat more protein foods like: - Skim or 1% milk Fat in Gastric Bypass DietFatty food may be difficult to digest after stomach bypass surgery. Excessive fat delays emptying of the stomach and may cause gastric reflux, a back-up of stomach acid and food into the esophagus causing heartburn. Fat may also cause diarrhea, nausea, or stomach discomfort. High-fat, fried foods and fatty meats are common offenders. To help with weight loss and then to maintain your weight loss, limit your fat intake to no more than about 35 grams of fat/day and avoid the following high fat foods and beverages except in small amounts:
Sugary Foods and Refined Carbohydrates in Gastric Bypass DietBy sugary foods, we mean food like: candy, cookies, ice cream, milkshakes or slushes, soda pop, sweetened juices or gelatin, and most desserts. The gastric bypass diet is low in these sweet and sugary foods for a number of reasons. First, these foods are high in calories and fat. Even in small amounts, they can make weight loss difficult. Second, eating sweet or sugary foods promotes "dumping syndrome," a gastric reaction which can occur after the stomach bypass operation and which causes unpleasant side-effects with symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, and feeling faint. Finally, most sweet and sugary food options are "empty-calorie" foods - meaning, they provide calories but no nutrition. And since calories are so restricted on a long term stomach bypass diet, it is important that nutrient-dense foods become an eating priority. Fiber in Gastric Bypass DietDietary fiber, found in foods like bran, popcorn, raw vegetables, and dried beans, is also restricted on the gastric bypass diet. There is less space in the stomach to hold these bulky foods, and less gastric acid available to digest them. Some kinds of fiber can block the stomach pouch, or block the narrow opening into the small intestine. Note: Gastrointestinal weight loss surgery, whether bypass or stomach banding, to reduce severe clinical obesity is a serious undertaking requiring detailed consultation with your doctor and bariatric physician. In particular, it necessitates significant lifelong changes to patients dietary and eating habits. Return to Diet Information and Weight Loss Diets |