Gastric Bypass Meal Plan

Your Diet Before and After a Gastric Bypass Procedure

Bariatric operations are tools to lose weight, as they can reduce the size of the stomach. Gastric bypass, in particular, alters the small intestine to reduce the absorption of calories, allowing you to shed more pounds and improve your health. However, a detailed long-term diet after gastric bypass surgery is also a vital component in a successful outcome for your weight loss journey.

To successfully shed pounds and keep them off, you must commit to a new way of eating for the rest of your life, which is why a comprehensive gastric bypass surgery diet is so essential. You not only must eat less but should also make wiser choices when selecting what to eat.

Preparing for Gastric Bypass Surgery – Your Pre-Op Diet

Your new way of eating begins long before your operation. Following a gastric bypass pre-surgery diet has two purposes. The first is to help you become used to smaller portions, and the second is to assist you in making better food choices. Depending on your circumstances, you may begin preparing for weight loss surgery as soon as you are approved for the procedure. Your doctor will work with a bariatric dietician to develop an eating plan that best fits your situation.

You will start your personalized eating plan as soon as you are cleared for the procedure, anywhere from a few months to a few weeks before your surgery. Be sure to lose the amount of weight specified by your medical team because if you don't, your operation could be postponed or canceled. Drink clear liquids like water throughout the day, but make sure you stop drinking at least 30 minutes before each meal.

General Pre-Op Diet Guidelines

Each bariatric patient will have a slightly different pre-op gastric bypass diet. However, you can expect general food intake guidelines as follows.

Eliminate or reduce foods that are high in saturated fats, including whole milk, fried foods, and fatty meat
Eliminate or reduce high-carbohydrate foods, including desserts, pasta, bread, and potatoes
No high-sugar beverages such as soda and fruit juice
Avoid alcohol
Don't drink beverages with your meals
Take a multivitamin daily

Preparing for Gastric Bypass Surgery Through Diet

What you eat before surgery is just as important as what you don't eat. Your pre-surgery eating regimen relies heavily on protein intake, including protein shakes and protein powder. Protein is important for several reasons. It helps your body burn fat for fuel. Secondly, it strengthens and protects tissues. Depending on your overall health and weight, your medical team may allow you to eat some solids during this time.

Before the procedure, make sure you ask the anesthesiologist for instructions about what you can or can’t have before the procedure. These suggestions may vary depending on your situation. For example, your doctor may want you to drink carbohydrate-rich fluids up to two hours before surgery.

48 Hours Before Gastric Bypass Surgery

About two days before your operation, you will begin a diet of clear liquids to clean out the digestive tract and allow for a problem-free surgery. During this period, you will only be able to consume the following:

Water
Chicken or vegetable broth
Sugar-free Jell-O
Low-sugar sports drinks
Low-sugar or diluted apple juice
Decaffeinated tea
Coconut water

Also, be sure to ask your anesthesiologist and doctor what you should not have immediately before a gastric bypass procedure.

Best decision I’ve ever made! Dr. Garcia has made the process easy! Everything was perfect. All in all, the value and quality of service are worth every penny and then some. Choose Dr Garcia for this service. You will not regret it!

— Kelley Silveira

Understanding More About the Gastric Bypass Pre-Surgery Diet

Your pre-surgery diet is geared toward reducing the amount of fat in and around your liver. Decreasing the amount of fat around your liver will make it easier for the surgeon to perform the procedure. It also reduces the risk of post-op complications.

Protein decreases hunger because tryptophan, an amino acid in protein, triggers the part of the brain that signals fullness. The more protein you eat, the less you will snack. Protein helps build muscle. As you gain muscle, your metabolism will run higher, and you'll be able to lose more weight. You'll burn more fat, even when resting.

Benefits of Following a Pre-Operative Diet

Following the guidelines of a pre-operative diet benefits patients undergoing weight loss surgery in several ways.

Reduces body fat – Any amount of weight you lose prior to surgery is helpful.
Preserves muscle – High-protein diets encourage your body to use fat for energy.
Prepares you for your weight loss operation and recovery – The pre-op diet stimulates and supports healthy wound healing.
Prepares you for life post-op – Your preoperative weight loss plan helps you prepare for new eating habits for the rest of your life.

Your Diet After Gastric Bypass Surgery

The aim of the gastric bypass diet in the days immediately following bariatric surgery is to allow your stomach and small intestine to heal. Your gastric bypass diet plan starts with clear liquids and progresses slowly toward solid foods as your stomach heals.

Some foods can put stress on your abdomen and the staple line used to create your new stomach, resulting in leaks and other problems, which is why you must reintroduce foods slowly. Please note that the term “week” is only an approximation; your progress may be quicker or slower.

Stage 1

For about a week after bariatric surgery, you'll follow a fully clear liquid diet similar to the one you followed before your operation. You may also be able to consume skim milk and protein shakes. When consuming your liquid diet, be sure to do it slowly and not rush. Take recovery at your own pace, and don't consume anything before you are ready. Take a daily multivitamin with liquid.

Stage 2

The slow transition to solid foods occurs during the second week. Many patients have no appetite after gastric bypass surgery but slowly begin to regain it as they add more foods. Remember, your stomach will only hold two or three ounces of food, so you need to choose wisely.

You'll begin to eat a variety of very soft food along with clear liquids from the first week. Liquids may also include decaffeinated coffee or tea and skim of 1% milk, as well as pureed foods of certain varieties. Sip liquids slowly, and don't use a straw to avoid drawing unwanted air into your stomach.

Foods that you may be able to add include:

Sugar-free pudding
Thinned applesauce
Non-fat yogurt
Thin creamy soups
Sugar-free sorbet
Watery oatmeal
Non-fat, sugar-free ice cream

As you begin to add more foods that appeal to you, your appetite will increase. Nevertheless, don't rush your intake. If your stomach still isn't ready, you may experience vomiting and other complications. During this time, you should remember to drink at least 64 ounces of water throughout the day.

Stage 3

Stage 3 of your bariatric operation diet allows you to reintroduce select soft and blended foods into your diet. You may be able to reintroduce small amounts of lean meat if pureed, along with smoothies, but check first with your surgeon. Most food that you introduce at this stage should be well-cooked and pureed to aid digestion. Continue to eat slowly and consume small meals.

Among the certain foods that you can eat are:

Cream or vegetable soup blended with chicken, turkey, or whitefish
Cooked, peeled, and pureed fruits and vegetables
Non-fat Greek yogurt
Fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese
Boiled, poached, or scrambled eggs
Egg whites
Canned tuna in water
Mashed avocado

Stage 4

Stage 4 is the period where you get to eat a lot more foods. However, you need to remember that it's important to consume high-protein soft foods like low-fat cottage cheese instead of junk foods, setting the stage for the rest of your life. Tijuana Bariatric Center recommends that its patients stay in this stage longer than a week to give the stomach more time to heal. You should stay in this phase until about Day 40, following your procedure to see how your body reacts to new foods.

Your diet remains essentially the same as the previous week, with an emphasis on lean protein. Focus on eating slowly and thoroughly chewing all food.

Foods that you may add include:

Lean lunch meats
Ground, finely chopped chicken, turkey, or fish
Low-fat soft cheeses such as string cheese chewed well
Mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes with skim milk and minimal butter
Cooked fruits without skin
Soft, cooked vegetables like squash, carrots, and green beans
Black, pinto, kidney, and lima beans, and lentils
Peanut butter

Stop eating when you feel full. Meat should not be tough or full of fat or gristle. If you have difficulty meeting your protein needs, take a sugarless protein supplement daily. Always remember to take a multivitamin every day.

Begin to focus on long-term eating habits about six months after surgery. You should continue to lose weight for another 6-12 months and continue to improve your health. Once you have lost sufficient weight, limiting calories by eating several small meals per day is still important.

Gastric Bypass Surgery Recovery Timeline

The recovery time for gastric bypass surgery differs slightly from patient to patient. Most people stay in the hospital for two to five days following laparoscopic surgery and can return to normal activities within 3-5 weeks. Continue to avoid smoking after gastric bypass surgery to aid your recovery.

Weight loss begins immediately, as your new stomach can only hold about one cup of food, and the number of calories your body can absorb is greatly reduced. Avoid strenuous activity for up to six weeks after gastric bypass. However, you can begin walking to reduce weight as soon as you can do so.

Your stomach and small intestine take longer to heal. Incisions will heal in about 2-3 weeks. The staple line in your stomach will heal in about 6-8 weeks. Following the nutritional guidelines recommended by your doctor is essential to your recovery because your digestive tract needs time to readjust.

During recovery, it is vital to drink 64 ounces of water every day so your body remains hydrated.

Your Long-Term Diet After Gastric Bypass Surgery

The long-term diet plan is different from your immediate post-op bariatric diet. In the months after surgery, you are still attempting to lose weight. At about Day 40, gradually introduce different textured solid food. Continue to avoid bread, rice, pasta, chia seeds, nuts, and crispy food like boxed cereal or crackers until sometime in the second or third month.

Red meat, like steak, is harder to digest, so wait a few months after surgery before introducing it into your diet, as it may take longer until you can tolerate it. You no longer need to blend food at this stage, but always make sure to chew everything you eat completely.

Taking It Slow

Following your procedure, some foods are more likely to cause pain, nausea, vomiting, or blockage. Add foods one at a time. If you can’t tolerate food, try again in one to two weeks. Dairy foods can be troublesome, as they may give you cramps, bloating, or diarrhea if you have trouble digesting lactose.

Eat small meals throughout the day, consisting of about one cup of food. Stop drinking liquids 30 minutes before each meal. When you begin eating, concentrate on protein first before eating other foods, and remember to stop eating when you feel full.

Planning Your Meals Ahead of Time

Although you may think that you'll have severe restrictions on what you can eat in the long term, the variety of healthy food you can eat per day is quite large and includes many different cooked vegetables and fruit. Generally, you will want to plan your meals ahead of time. Choose healthy, nutrient-dense foods low in carbohydrates, moderate in good fats, and moderate to high in protein. Your healthy eating regimen will help improve or even eliminate health problems like type II diabetes. Always read the health information on the packaging when deciding what to buy.

Meals Should Emphasize Protein

Choose lean protein like chicken breast, turkey, lean pork, Greek yogurt, low-fat cheese, and eggs. Legumes like lentils, kidney beans, and other dried beans also have high protein levels.

Eat Good Fats to Maintain Health

Foods with healthy fats include:

Avocados
Salmon and tuna
Nuts and nut butter
Sardines
Coconut oil

What Fruits and Vegetables Can I Eat?

High-fiber fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are a good choice for bariatric patients, along with fruits like pears, apples, and oranges. Vegetables like summer and winter squash are good choices, along with broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Don't forget leafy green vegetables like spinach.

Can you eat popcorn after gastric bypass surgery? Sure, but only a cup at a time and without butter.

Gastric Bypass Post-Op Food Restrictions

Naturally you'll want to avoid foods that are high in calories to improve health and continue weight loss. Yet, you should also avoid empty calories. Ditch the junk food, fast food, and carbonated drinks. Foods you can't eat after gastric bypass surgery are:

White bread, grains, or pasta
Fried food
Chips
Cookies
Ice cream
Fatty, sugary desserts
Whole milk and full-fat dairy products
Greasy and spicy foods
Sweet corn

Drinking Alcohol After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Many gastric bypass patients want to know if they can enjoy occasional glasses of wine. The short answer is yes, but you have to gradually reintroduce drinking alcohol because of the rapid weight loss that your body undergoes. The altered structure of your stomach and small intestine makes your body metabolize alcohol differently.

Following surgery, blood alcohol levels peak higher and faster and take longer to drop. Some patients only need to have a single drink to become legally intoxicated. Because you are more sensitive to alcohol, you’re at a higher risk for developing alcohol use disorder.

Alcohol Poses A Particular Threat To Recovery

Patients who have undergone RYGB are particularly at risk. A study published in the December 2022 issue of JAMA Surgery followed veterans from 127 health centers who underwent gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, or gastric banding surgeries. Those who underwent gastric bypass were far more likely to enter the hospital for alcohol use disorders after their recoveries.

In some cases, the alcohol use was so severe that it canceled the improvement in comorbidities provided by bariatric surgery. The study authors indicated that the change in metabolism pushed alcohol more quickly into the small intestine and was not a result of study participants drinking more.

Avoid Empty Calories

To sidestep the risk of alcohol abuse and the tendency to ingest too many empty calories, avoid drinking alcohol for the first six months after surgery. Your bariatric surgery provider should also thoroughly screen you to determine if you are already at risk for alcohol use disorder and whether another procedure would be more appropriate.

Other alcohol consumption tips include:

Don’t use carbonated or sugary drink mixers
Eat a little while consuming alcohol to slow its absorption
Remember that even small accounts can cause intoxication, so don’t drink and drive

With a proper gastric bypass before and after diet, your surgery, recovery, and long-term success will be more assured.

Why Choose Tijuana Bariatric Center?

At Tijuana Bariatric Center, our experienced, board-certified surgeons have a remarkable 98% success rate, which reflects their skill, precision, and dedication to excellence. We have performed over 10,000 successful surgeries, allowing thousands of patients to reclaim their mobility, self-confidence, and quality of life.

Our core mission goes beyond offering state-of-the-art surgery, however. We have engineered a holistic model for your weight loss journey where each patient receives individualized, multifaceted care, including access to one-on-one dietary counseling, inclusion in our online support community, and extensive email and phone follow-up. We strive to help patients expand their horizons and discover their passions as they navigate the world free from the debilitating social and medical restraints of obesity.

While Tijuana Bariatric Center offers cutting-edge surgical solutions and a compassionate, personalized approach, we do so at affordable rates tailored to your budget. Our pricing is transparent, and we offer excellent financing packages. Medical tourism insurance of up to $3000 is included with every procedure. Our goal is to make bariatric surgery accessible for those who need it most and to eliminate cost as a prohibitive factor.

If you are ready to get started on your transformative weight loss journey, please contact our offices today to schedule a consultation. We are excited to hear from you.