Well I had the quantity part right, but I had the rest all wrong. Since I had a Roux-en-Y, my digestive system was surgically reconfigured, unlike the lap band, which does not involve any cutting with the exception of an incision through the band is inserted. Long story short, you cannot eat real food after this type of a surgery.

For the first 2 weeks of the gastric bypass diet you will be consuming liquids. It can be baby food, strained pureed foods and liquid protein shakes. And believe me, by the end of 2 weeks you will be tired of nothing with texture. You can reintroduce foods after 2 weeks, but use good common sense when you choose. A hamburger should not be your first meal. You will probably be full after the first bite, but you have to chew it until it is liquid.

Your stomach will be much more accepting of soft foods that are well chewed and will cause less pain. Take it easy. Save foods items that are course in nature for a month or two down the road. You will be able to find enough variety in soft foods that you will not be bored and your stomach will not be ready for some vegetables and course meets for about 8 weeks.

Do not push things. The 8 to 12 weeks that you will send recovering is a small amount of time in the grand scheme of things. It may seem like a long time, but you will eventually be able to eat almost anything again, although some people will experience problems with sugar and fat. These are food items that you should be limiting anyway.

The gastric bypass diet consists of 4 stages and it takes about 8 weeks to go through all 4 of these stages of the gastric bypass food plan. You will return to eating many of the foods you ate in the past, but hopefully your food choices will be wise and your portion sizes will remain under control.

Stage 1-This stage will be gelatin and clear liquids. This stage is will last 24-48 hours and you will have to be past this stage before you leave the hospital in most cases.

Stage 2-This stage begins 24-48 hours following your surgery. This stage can last anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks. This stage of the gastric bypass diet consists of 3 things only…baby food, low-sugar protein shake and strained pureed foods. You can eat any or all of these options. Keep in mind; if you have to chew it, it is not stage 2. Nothing in this stage should have to be chewed. You should be consuming 32 ounces of liquid each day as well as 60 grams of protein. You should stop any fluid consumption 30 minutes before you eat and should not drink for 30 minutes following eating.

Stage 3-This can begin at 2 weeks or you can wait as long as 8 weeks to begin this phase of your gastric bypass diet. At this point you will begin adding soft foods back into your diet. Cottage cheese and eggs were 2 of the foods that I ate first. They were high in protein and soft. It is important that you remember to chew this food until it is liquid. You cannot chew too much. This may be difficult to remember, because many people are not used to chewing their food in this manner. If you eat too quickly or do not chew enough, you may end up with results that you will not forget. You could end up in extreme pain or end up vomiting. Experiment with the different foods that you eat. Vegetables and meats will prove to be the most difficult.

Stage 4-Your surgery should have healed enough that you can eat almost anything you ate before. You will just be eating a lot less of it. Firm meats should be cut up into small pieces and you may want to soften it with liquid. Proceed with caution when you are eating a food for the first time. Always limit your sugar and fat intake. These are the food products that are likely to cause discomfort and possibly, dumping syndrome.

This is an exciting time in your life. It is a chance for you to regain your health and diet will always be a big part of that. The time will come when you may be able to gain weight again. Now is the time to change your lifestyle. Learn to make healthy food choices, exercise regularly, keep a healthy mental outlook on life and develop a support system. You have been given a new lease on life. Take advantage of it!