10 Foods to Avoid After Your Gastric Bypass

Gastric bypass is a type of bariatric surgery commonly performed on obese individuals who have not been able to lose weight using traditional methods, such as eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. Bariatric surgery, also known as weight-loss surgery, is very popular in the United States, with more than 200,000 procedures performed every year, and gastric bypass is one of the most common types of weight-loss surgery. During a gastric bypass, the surgeon reduces the size of your stomach and also changes the way food enters your intestines. These changes promote weight loss in two ways -- by making you feel full with less food and by preventing your body from absorbing all of the calories from the food you eat. However, it is important to ensure that your body still gets the nutrients it needs while staying on track with your weight-loss goals, which is where a gastric bypass diet comes in. A gastric bypass diet is designed to help patients recovering from weight loss surgery heal and make permanent changes to their eating habits so they can lose their excess weight and keep it off.

Gastric Bypass Dietary Guidelines

If you want your gastric bypass surgery to be a success long-term, there are certain post-op dietary guidelines you will be required to follow, which will be explained to you by your surgeon or registered dietician. Gastric bypass is a major operation that makes permanent changes to your digestive system and if you don’t follow your surgeon’s post-op recommendations, you could end up gaining the weight back or suffering complications from surgery. In order to maximize your weight loss after surgery, you will need to know what types of food to eat and how much to eat at each meal. Closely following your gastric bypass diet can help ensure that you lose weight safely. It can also:

- Give your stomach a chance to heal without being stretched by the food you consume

- Help you avoid gaining extra weight

- Help you get used to eating smaller amounts that your stomach can digest comfortably and safely

- Prevent any side effects or complications from the gastric bypass

- Foods to Avoid After Gastric Bypass

Some patients make the mistake of thinking that once they undergo bariatric surgery, they can eat whatever they want and lose weight. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Most patients can tolerate most foods after weight-loss surgery, but they are not always encouraged to do so. This is typically either because the foods are hard to digest, contain empty calories or could cause a blockage. Even healthy foods like certain fruits and vegetables may be poorly tolerated after gastric bypass, which is why it is important to discuss the specifics of your post-op diet with your doctor. If you want to lose weight and still get enough daily nutrition after gastric bypass, there are certain types of foods you should include in your diet and certain types of foods you should avoid. The following are 10 foods to avoid after your gastric bypass:

1. Foods with empty calories (i.e. sweets, chips, popcorn, pretzels)

2. Dry foods (i.e. nuts, granola, dry cereal)

3. Alcohol

4. Rice, bread, and pasta

5. Fibrous fruits and vegetables (i.e. celery, cabbage, broccoli, corn)

6. Sugary or highly-caffeinated beverages (i.e. soda and certain fruit juices)

7. Fatty foods (i.e. bacon, sausage, whole milk, butter)

8. Tough meats (i.e. steak, pork chops, ham, hotdogs)

9. Heavily seasoned or spicy foods

10. Foods reheated in the microwave

Your post-op diet after gastric bypass surgery may seem overly restrictive, but there are still plenty of things you can, and should, eat. Weight loss doctors recommend keeping a food journal after surgery to track your food intake, tolerances, and intolerances as you learn to navigate your new gastric bypass diet successfully.

The Best Bariatric Care in California

BASS Bariatric Surgery Center and Dr. Brian T. Chin offers some of the best bariatric care in northern California. Our team is ready to make you as comfortable as possible during your recovery from your surgery. If you are interested in gastric bypass surgery and want to know more, contact our expert bariatric surgeons to find out if this surgery is right for you.