What foods can you not eat after gastric bypass surgery

To help weight loss surgery patients experience long-term weight loss after bariatric procedures, we would like to go over the do’s and don’ts of dieting after gastric bypass. You should avoid the foods and beverages listed below after you’ve undergone a surgical weight loss procedure.

Soft Drinks and Sodas

Carbonated beverages can cause you problems after you undergo bariatric surgery. The carbonation can make you feel uncomfortably full due to your smaller stomach size. In addition, sugary drinks or liquids with corn syrup can increase your risk of dumping syndrome. Stick with water to quench your thirst.

Alcoholic Beverages

If you’re eating or drinking something after bariatric surgery, it should ideally be nutritious. Alcoholic beverages are full of empty calories. Given the changes to your digestive tract, your alcohol tolerance tends to be much lower; a little bit of alcohol can cause you to become seriously intoxicated.

Caffeinated Beverages

Caffeine leads to dehydration, which needs to be avoided after bariatric surgery. If you enjoy coffee and tea, go for decaf to help you stay hydrated throughout the day.

Tough Meats and Jerky

Chewing your food thoroughly is important for digestion after gastric bypass surgery. Certain foods are much harder to chew thoroughly. Tough meats and jerkies tend to be extremely difficult to chew properly. That’s why the Tijuana Bariatrics team recommends that patients eat soft meats instead. They’re a better protein source and easier on your stomach.

Dry Foods

Dried fruits, nuts, and granola may be delicious, but they are difficult to swallow without water. Since patients are advised to drink between meals rather than during meals, dry foods should be avoided. That said, you can still have granola and cereals with low-fat milk.

Raw Fibrous Vegetables

Fibrous vegetables are healthy, but when eaten raw they can be difficult to digest. Examples of these vegetables include:

• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Corn
• Cabbage
• Celery

You can still have these healthy vegetables, but it’s a good idea to cook them first so they are softer and easier to chew and digest.

High-Fat Foods

Foods that are high in fat can lead to weight regain even after bariatric surgery. These fatty foods can also cause you to feel nauseous because of the richness of the meal. Try to avoid bacon, sausage, hard cheeses, whole milk, and butter.

Popcorn

Popcorn is healthy and filling, but after gastric bypass it can take up space in your stomach and be difficult to digest. You can have popcorn in small amounts after gastric bypass surgery, but save the popcorn for the end of a meal. This ensures you eat the most nutritious foods first and do not overeat.

Breads and Pastries

Anything made with flour is a recipe for weight gain. They also take up a lot of space in the stomach. Like popcorn, wait for the end of a meal to have any bread or pastries. Ideally, avoid anything with flour as much as possible.

Rice and Pasta

Rice and pasta are essentially like bread. Starchy foods like these take up room in your stomach and can cause you to pack on the pounds. Consider avoiding rice and pasta. After bariatric surgery, you should only have these kinds of foods in very small amounts if at all.

Empty Calories and Junk Food

There are so many snacks foods out there that should be completely avoided after bariatric surgery to maintain a healthy weight. Avoid potato chips, chocolate bars, candies, and other kinds of junk foods whenever possible.

Learn More About Weight Loss Surgery

For more information about losing weight in a safe and rapid way, be sure to contact our trusted bariatric surgeons and weight loss specialists. The team at Tijuana Bariatrics can be reached by phone at (664) 167-7290.

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11 Jun 2019 in News

When looking into having the Gastric Bypass procedure, individuals need to consider what changes they will need to make to their day to day lives after their weight loss surgery. This leads many people to worry about what they can and can’t eat.

Post-surgery, patients are placed in contact with a specialist dietician that will recommend a diet that keeps portion sizes small and introduces different food textures stage by stage with a focus on correct eating techniques and healthy choices. It is important to keep regular contact in these early months to ensure the best foods are introduced to ensure the stomach area can heal without the risk of being overstretched by food and the patient will get used to eating smaller portions of the right balance of foods to aid weight loss and help to avoid any after-surgery complications.

Please note that it is important to follow the advice of the dietician to ensure the success and comfortable recovery of the weight loss surgery.

What can I eat after gastric bypass surgery?

The patient will begin by sipping on water immediately after surgery while in hospital, then to teas, herb teas, milk. By the time they are home they are moved on to smooth pureed foods, avoiding all lumps and bumps for the first 4 weeks such as:

• Weetabix in semi skimmed milk
• Pureed chicken and lentil soups
• Pureed casseroles
• Low fat unsweetened yogurt with pureed fruit

In the first week, these foods are made more runny, slowly making thicker depending on tolerance. Portions are small at this stage, just a few teaspoons at a time and no more than the size of a small yoghurt carton, with the focus being instead on little and often, typically six times a day.  They must remember to eat and sip slowly to avoid discomfort and to avoid the stomach area becoming too full.

Once the patient is handling pureed food, usually after 4 weeks, soft foods are introduced. These are again very small meals little and often as for the first few weeks. This time the patient is taught how to chew until a pureed consistency is made before swallowing. Soft foods that are advised include:

• Minced meats such as cottage pies, shepherds pie
• Certain types of soft fish
• Cottage Cheese
• Soft boiled potato, sweet potato
• Soft cooked vegetables without thick skin
• Soft Fresh Fruit, making sure to avoid seeds or thick skin,
• Cooked Vegetables without the skin,

Usually, after about eight weeks, a patient can gradually eat firmer food are introduced to all textures of food, but the patient must make sure they are chewing well and stop eating before they feel over full.

What can’t I eat after gastric bypass surgery?

Patients are advised to avoid the following:

• High fat and sugar content foods – These may cause discomfort or dumping syndrome and lead to nausea or diarrhoea. Even if a patient has none of these symptoms eating these foods leads to weight gain. Clearing these foods out from the beginning is important for resetting to a new lifestyle to get the right start for life.
• Alcohol – consumption of alcohol increases the risk of ulcers and gastritis on the small stomach. Alcohol is absorbed faster after surgery with the effects of alcohol felt faster. As for sugar and fats above, even for those without noticeable symptoms, alcohol contributes to weight gain and reduces the absorption of some key nutrients risking deficiencies. For this reason, we advise avoiding for the first year and then limiting to very small amounts

Apart from these, there are no specific foods that need to be avoided. However even after a patient has fully healed from their surgery, there may for some be foods that are likely to cause more problems to chew than others, such as doughy bread, rice or tough meat with foods getting stuck causing pain, nausea, or vomiting. However with the correct process and working closely with the dietitian techniques will be given for even these foods so that these symptoms are avoided and all main food groups are in the main well tolerated. Patients can go on to lead normal diverse lives eating out with friends, travelling or eating at home along with the family.

If you would like more information about gastric bypass surgery or another weight loss procedure, please give Streamline Surgical a call on 0333 016 3030 or make an enquiry online.

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