Gastric Bypass Diet

One of the frequently asked questions about Gastric Bypass Surgery is “Will I have to eat differently after the gastric bypass surgery?” In order to lose as much weight as possible, patients need to know about the Gastric Bypass diet.

The postoperative Gastric Bypass Diet progresses in phases:

During phase one (several days after the surgery), the patient will be on a liquid diet. Examples of a liquid diet are: juice, broth, cooked cereal, and milk.

In the next phase, the patient may add pureed foods to his diet. Normally, patients are on the pureed diet for several weeks or as indicated by the surgeon or the dietitian.

With the surgeon or dietitian’s approval, the patient may move on to the soft diet phase. Soft foods are easy to chew and swallow. They include ground beef, cooked vegetables, soft fresh or canned fruits, etc. Patients normally eat a soft diet for about 8 weeks or as long as the surgeon and dietitian recommend it.

After Gastric Bypass surgery, patients should be eating about 6 small meals daily. As the diet progresses, patients will go down to 4 meals daily, and lastly, as the body gets accustomed to the changes, patients will eat the usual 3 meals daily.

Because the stomach is so much smaller after a Gastric Bypass, patients have to eat small meals. Immediately after surgery, the pouch holds only 15-30 milliliters (read Gastric Bypass Surgery Before and After ). With time, the pouch will stretch and the patient may be able to eat 1-1 ½ cups of food. However, it is important that patients will stop eating before they are feeling full. Overeating not only causes pain, nausea, and vomiting, but also absorption of extra calories which the body does not need. All solid foods must be chewed thoroughly. Since the opening from the pouch to the intestine is really small, big food particles could block the opening and cause pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Some foods may irritate the patient’s stomach; therefore, he/she should not eat too many new foods at one time. Trying one new food at a time will help the patient to realize which foods he/she is tolerating well and which foods are irritating the stomach. It is very likely that with time patients will tolerate foods that at first irritated their stomach.

Because a Gastric Bypass causes a certain extent of malabsorption, the surgeon or dietitian should be consulted about which supplements to take. Normally, supplements that have to be taken on a regular basis include Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, multivitamins/minerals, iron, and calcium.

Dumping Syndrome, a problem caused by improper diet after a Gastric Bypass surgery:

Dumping Syndrome is a common, painless complication (see Gastric Bypass complications ) which may occur during the first 6 to 12 months after a Gastric Bypass. It occurs when food enters the distal portion of the small intestine too quickly without first being mixed and processed in the proximal portion of the small intestine. Signs of Dumping Syndrome include dizziness, increased heart rate, nausea, diarrhea, and sweating. The patient’s heart rate and blood pressure may be either increased or decreased. Gastric symptoms include feeling of fullness, cramping, nausea, and rumbling sounds.

To prevent Dumping Syndrome, food must be eaten slowly. It should take a patient about half an hour to eat a meal, and half an hour to one hour to drink 8 ounces of liquid. No liquids should be taken with meals. Patients should also avoid drinking thirty minutes before and thirty minutes after meals. Because drinking a lot of liquids with meals causes a patient to feel full sooner, he/she will be likely to eat less nutrient-rich foods. Foods that contribute to Dumping Syndrome are high in fats and carbohydrates, and should be avoided.

High-protein foods: meat, milk, cheese, yoghurt, eggs…

High-carbohydrate foods: pies, cakes, candy bars, milkshakes, juice (Patients should buy 100% juice. Otherwise, it will have a lot of sugar added to it), and basically anything that has flour and sugar in it.

High-fat foods: fried foods, fast foods…

Gastric Bypass FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)