Bariatric surgery is a procedure for weight loss that limits the amount of food you can eat. Gastric bypass surgery is the most common weight loss surgery. You will eat nothing the first few days after surgery and then only liquids for two weeks after surgery and a pureed diet for two weeks. A soft diet will start at five weeks after surgery and continue for two weeks.
Food
Eat soft foods such as fish, turkey, no sugar-added canned fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes, squash, beets and mushrooms. Cooked carrots and green beans are also permitted. Ground chicken and thinly sliced turkey lunch meat may be eaten. You may eat foods from the previous weeks including pureed chicken soup or fish, soft or scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, mashed banana and canned tuna or chicken. Rice, noodles and macaroni may also be eaten. Protein is an important part of the bariatric diet and should be eaten first in meals. You should strive for 60 to 100 grams of protein a day in your diet. Limit foods high in fat and sugar as they contain empty calories with no nutritional benefit.
Eat
Small meals are eaten five or six times a day as the stomach can no longer contain large amounts of food. Eat slowly and chew foods adequately. Your small stomach needs well-chewed foods that can pass through without coming stuck. Avoid drinking fluids with your meals. Fluid rushes food through the stomach quickly, causing you to be hungry a short time later. Fluids with meals may cause digestive upset such as vomiting and nausea. Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day such as water, decaffeinated coffee or tea and diluted fruit drinks. Avoid carbonated beverages as they can stretch the stomach from the gases they produce. Do not use a straw. Stop eating as soon as you feel full. Take a vitamin and mineral supplement every day to reduce the chance of deficiency. Your doctor can recommend a dietitian who will develop an eating plan that takes you through all the stages of a bariatric diet.
