Tijuana Bariatric Center Blog
Gastric Bypass Diet: Surgical Preparation and Recovery
Your diet before and after a gastric bypass matters. Prior to surgery, your diet can help facilitate weight loss and get your body ready for the procedure. After surgery, your diet can help with healing and prevent discomfort.
The team at our Tijuana, Mexico weight loss surgery center would like to go over some of the basics when it comes to the pre-op and post-op gastric bypass diet. We will offer more guidelines and insight during the consultation process.
Pre-Surgery Diet
Before surgery, patients will have a special diet to follow to help lose weight heading into surgery and make sure the body is as healthy as possible for the procedure. These pre-op diets typically begin up to a month before surgery.
- A Focus on Lean Protein - Your pre-surgery diet will be heavy on good sources of protein, such as chicken breast, salmon, tofu, eggs, and beans.
- Fresh Vegetables and Fruits - Vegetables and fruits will also be crucial for your pre-surgery diet. High-fiber and nutrient-rich produce is essential for weight loss and wellness.
- Low Carb and Low Sugar - Reduce your intake of carbs and starches, and avoid any unnecessarily sweetened foods. The less sugar, the better.
- Eating Healthy Fats - Healthy monounsaturated fats (avocados, olives) and polyunsaturated fats (fish, nuts, seeds) are ideal for your health.
72-Hours Before Gastric Bypass
Around three days before surgery, patients will go on a liquid-diet. This will help clean out the digestive tract and allow for a problem free surgery. During this period, patients can only ingest the following:
- Water
- Broths
- Jellos
- Low-calorie sports drinks
Post-Surgery Stage One: A Liquid Diet
Following surgery, patients will need to be on a liquid diet for the first week. This helps give your digestive tract a chance to heal without being overburdened.
Common components of the post-surgery liquid diet include:
- Water
- Broths
- Jello
- Sugar-free popsicles
- Unsweetened juice
- Skim milk
Post-Surgery Stage Two: A Pureed Diet
By the second week after surgery, gastric bypass patients can add pureed foods into their diet. This includes:
- Meal-replacement shakes
- Yogurt
- Protein shakes
- Applesauce
- Cottage cheese
- Creamy soups
Blended meats and certain kinds of smoothies should also be okay at this stage, though clear these with your surgeon first.
Post-Surgery Stage Three: Soft Foods
Around three weeks after surgery, you should be able to reintroduce select soft foods into your diet. This includes the following:
- Eggs
- Tofu
- Ground beef
- Soft chicken
- Fish
- Soup with noodles
- Soft fruits without seeds
- Well-cooked vegetables
Be sure to chew thoroughly and really savor your food so that it can be digested properly.
Post-Surgery Stage Four: Slow Return to Solids
A month after gastric bypass surgery, patients will be able to reintroduce solid foods into the diet. Be sure to go slowly when eating solid foods, chewing thoroughly and consuming meals slowly. This will give you a chance to feel out your body’s needs as it continues to recover in the weeks ahead.
Foods You Should Avoid Going Forward
Even though you will be back on solid foods after a month, there are certain foods you should avoid from here on out. This includes:
- Tough meats
- Dried meats/jerky
- Dried fruits
- Carbonated beverages
- Fried foods
- Popcorn
- Corn on the cob
- Fibrous vegetables
- Seeds
- Nuts
- Granola
Contact Tijuana Bariatric Center
For more information about dietary changes before and after bariatric surgery, be sure to contact the team at Tijuana Bariatric Center. We look forward to your visit and discussing these matters in much greater detail.
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Tijuana Bariatric Center is a facilitator company providing scheduling and marketing services. It is not a medical facility or healthcare provider. Tijuana Bariatric Center℠shall not be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in reliance on this information. This information does not constitute medical advice, results are not guaranteed, may not be permanent, and can vary per individual and does not establish any physician-patient relationship. The correct venue for claims regarding the actual medical services provided either by the medical facilities or surgeons or medical staff will be Mexico. Any claims against Tijuana Bariatric Center℠ must be asserted within 90 days of the event.