After The Surgery: Changes For A Healthier You

Your decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery very well may have been one of life or death. Your weight may have seemed to have taken over your entire existence, and now you are ready to regain control and lead a happy, healthy life. The battle does not end when the surgery is complete, however. Following your gastric bypass, you will need to follow a strict diet for the first few days and then make some major lifestyle changes with regards to your eating habits and physical activity levels if the surgery is to truly be successful. The bypass was not meant to be a cure-all but rather a push in the right direction; it is now up to you to follow through with what needs to be done to keep you moving towards a healthier you.

Why Do You Need to Follow This Diet?

The diet prescribed immediately following gastric bypass surgery is not wholly appealing; it is difficult, but necessary. The Mayo Clinic explains that your diet after surgery will tell you exactly what kinds of food you can consume and how much so that you can lose the weight you want to get rid of in a safe manner. They also explain that the diet will help with the healing process, keeping your staple line in your stomach free of the risk of stretching from the foods you are consuming. This time will also prepare you for the future, it will help acclimate you to eating smaller portions of healthier options.

How the Diet Works

You just had major surgery, so you need to be eased back into eating normal foods. The diet following your surgery will generally start with liquids and move in phases, integrating solid foods back in slowly. On the first day you can readily expect that you will only be consuming liquids like broth and tea. You will then move into pureed foods like cream of wheat, pureed vegetables or fruits, and pureed protein. Following that day you can introduce soft and moist foods, and finally you will be able to return to a regular diet.

Beyond the Diet

Once you have integrated back into the world of solid foods, temptation will be all around you. It is up to you to stay strong and continue to make choices that will move you towards your weight loss goal. TheNational Library of Medicine explains that you need to create a new way of eating for yourself following gastric bypass surgery. They suggest:

– Eat slowly. Give yourself at least 20 or 30 minutes to eat a meal and take time to fully chew your food.  If you are feeling pain when you are eating, you are trying to eat too fast, slow down.

-Split your meals up into 6 small meals throughout the day rather than the 3 traditional meals.

– When you feel full, stop eating.

After completing your gastric bypass diet you will continue to face decisions and temptations regarding food. Just think back to how far you have come, all that you have been through, and use that to keep yourself moving forward. You are fighting for your life, your health; do not let anything stand in your way.

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Tony is a personal trainer that has an educational background in nutritian. There are a few tips and tricks to eating healthy and feeling well that will lead to a better you.