After gastric bypass surgery: Eating

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After gastric bypass surgery, your new stomach will be able to only hold two tablespoons or less at first. Because of this, you may not feel fullness but a sense of satisfaction. This sensation is your signal to stop eating.

Questions to ask yourself while eating

To avoid possible problems, ask yourself these questions whenever you eat:

Was the bite small enough?
Did I chew it 20 to 30 times to the consistency of applesauce?
Did I slow down and take 20 to 30 minutes to eat?
Did I stop eating when I felt satisified?

General eating guidelines

Your new stomach will be able to hold only two tablespoons or less at first. Because of this, you may not feel fullness, but a sense of satisfaction.

General eating guidelines include:

Stay on a liquid (at room temperature) diet for about three weeks after surgery. You will not be physically hungry but you may feel emotionally or psychologically hungry. This hunger feels very real, but it is your body's reaction to not getting any food. Your new stomach is very small and swollen from the surgery so it is important to realize that this hunger is not real. You must stay faithful to the liquid diet for three weeks or you may ruin your surgery and/or have severe complications after surgery.

Drink slowly and do not use a straw for about three weeks after surgery.

After three weeks of liquids, you may go to a pureed diet. You will stay on this diet for about seven days.

After seven days of pureed food, you may start to add soft foods. Add only one new food at a time.

Make sure you eat foods high in protein.

Eat slowly. Set aside 20 to 30 minutes for each meal. Stop eating when you feel satisfied or at 30 minutes. One bite too many may make you uncomfortable, nauseated, or sleepy. Putting your fork down between bites may help.

Take small bites and chew your food 20 to 30 times (or to the texture of applesauce). If you swallow food without chewing well, you can block the new pouch opening. This will cause pain, nausea and/or vomiting.

Eat at the dining room or kitchen table. Eating while watching TV may distract you from chewing well.

Remember not to sample foods when you cook. Also, when eating, keep the serving bowls away from the table so you are less likely to take seconds.

Do not drink liquids with your meals or in the 30 to 45 minutes after eating. Liquids will overfill your stomach. They may also "wash" your food through your stomach pouch too quickly so you won't feel full when you actually are.

Be sure to drink six to eight cups of water a day, in between meals.

Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner each day at the same times. Do not skip meals. Skipping a meal may make you overeat at the next meal. Breakfast needs to be an important part of your everyday routine. Eat breakfast within 90 minutes of waking up.

Stay away from high-calorie beverages and foods like milkshakes, pop, ice cream and alcohol. They leave your stomach pouch quickly and leave you feeling hungry. In some cases, high-calorie beverages and foods may cause weight gain or severe diarrhea.

Avoid alcohol during rapid weight loss (usually six months after surgery) and limit alcohol use for the rest of your life.

In general, avoid foods that are greasy and high in fat and sugar.

Choose nutritious foods and treat yourself to the highest quality food you can afford. Because you are not eating much, you need food that will nourish your body with vitamins and minerals. If you want fresh strawberries in December, for example, go ahead and buy them.

Don't drink more than one cup of a caffeinated beverage (coffee, tea or diet cola). The caffeine can prevent your body from absorbing iron and cause iron-poor blood. Also, caffeine is an appetite stimulant and can make you want to eat more or snack.

If you feel a need to eat when you are feeling upset, bored, nervous, or any other feeling, you can:

brush your teeth
go for a walk or go for a drive
call a friend
write in a journal
go to a support group or visit the obesity message board
go to the gym or work on a project/hobby
go to a movie
rest, take a bath
drink water
turn off the television