You should have been through a preop program that gives you all the tools to be successful at losing the weight and keeping it off. Information on nutrition, fitness, emotional eating and making time for yourself should have been part of what you learned. If you do not have a comprehensive program, you need to spend time reading on all of these topics so that you are prepared to make healthy choices and deal with the challenges in your life without eating.

Take time to develop a support program. If your preop program does not offer education and after care resources, I would consider choosing another hospital or surgery center. This is information that is essential to you being healthy again and leaving your obese body behind. It is not really losing the weight that is the problem; it is keeping it off that will be the challenge. It may not be difficult the first year or even the second year, but if you slide back into old habits, you may be seeing your old body again.

Gastric bypass surgery is a tool and not a way out. You will have to work at it to be successful. Get all the information you can on being healthy. Follow the instructions given to you by the medical professionals and be willing to learn a new way of life. You will see the medical conditions disappear and you will see a new, healthier you emerge.

It is essential that you be prepared to change the way you live your life. If you have not exercised in the recent past, you should be learning about fitness and nutrition. These are the tools that are going to help you be successful. Learning about these things is the knowledge that you need to acquire the power that it will take to maintain your new life.

Many preop programs for weight loss surgery will teach this information. One other thing that we were taught was time management and balance. We actually had to make a chart that showed how all of our time was being utilized and if there were necessities in our lives, such as; exercise, that were being ignored we had to find a place to fit them into our schedule. Living a life that is out of balance can lead to both emotional eating and mindless eating. Over time both of these can lead to obesity.

One of the most important problems that need to be dealt with is emotional or compulsive eating. This is the eating that is done when there is no true hunger. It is eating being done because we are trying to fill a void as a result of something else. Or it could be eating that is done to try to relieve anger, boredom or stress. Dealing with this may require counseling or help from others that have been through what you are going through.

Dealing with the reasons we over eat is the most difficult part of this process, but it is necessary. You are limiting your chances of being successful, if you do not do some work and research about the compulsions of overeating. Very few people become obese because of poor habits alone. These poor habits are often the outward symptom of a problem that is being kept inside. Most gastric bypass programs have after care programs. Don’t ignore this part of the process. It may actually be the biggest contributing factor to reaching your goal weight.

Once you go home from the hospital, you will be on a liquid diet for 2 to 8 weeks. A liquid diet in this case consists of liquid protein, baby food or strained pureed foods. The important thing is to consume at least 60 grams of protein each day. The easiest way to do this is with protein shakes. Find a good shake that contains 15-20 grams of protein per 8 ounces and less than 10 grams of sugar. It is that simple. You will have to consume at least 32 ounces of caffeine free, sugar free liquid and that is pretty much the whole thing in a nutshell.

Bariatric vitamins are also necessary. These will be recommended through your surgery center and I have also seen resources online that carry these vitamins. You can begin introducing soft foods at the end of the second week and you can wait as long as eight weeks to begin eating food again. The experts say the longer you stay on the liquid diet, the better chance you will have of reaching your goal weight. At 8 weeks, you can eat almost anything. Whether your digestive system will tolerate it may be another issue. It is important at all stages to chew all foods thoroughly. You may find that sugar and fats will make you feel uncomfortable and possibly sick.

This is the easy part. Because of the size of your stomach and the freshness of your surgery, you will not have much of choice but to follow the gastric bypass diet. While you are recovering from surgery, it is important to concentrate on whatever is going to help you change your lifestyle and your relationship with food. Whether that is counseling or education or maybe both, this will be the factor that will have the most impact on your success.

You have to understand that the time will come when you will once again be able to eat enough to gain weight and you have to make sure that you are prepared to do what it takes to maintain a healthy weight. You must learn to avoid certain things and embrace things that you may have avoided in the past. This surgery is a tool. Only you can ensure your success.

The gastric bypass diet is the food plan that you will be following for the first 2 weeks following the surgery. This is the minimum amount of time you must follow this food plan. Some people stick with it for up to 8 weeks. This diet requires that you eat only strained pureed foods, baby food or liquid protein. Anything that needs chewed must wait for at least 2 weeks.

Once the first 2 weeks have past, you can begin to reintroduce soft foods back into you diet. It is important that you take it easy during this time. You do not want to rush things by overeating or eating too quickly. These are things that many of us did on the past, but the consequences for doing it now can be unpleasant.

You should be drinking at least 32 ounces of accepted liquids each day as well as consuming 60 grams of protein. This will take a lot of effort in the early stages because your stomach holds such a small amount of food or liquid. You will most likely be sipping on liquid the whole day to get enough for the day. You will also have to take either liquid or chewable vitamins to get enough vitamins and nutrients.

You should not drink 30 minutes before eating and should wait until 30 minute after eating. This diet is not difficult. It is boring and I was tired of bland foods by the time I began eating normal foods again. Sugar and fat should be limited and may make some people feel sick. You will know within a short amount of time which foods will work for you and which ones you will want to avoid. Ultimately, weight loss surgery will be what you make of it.

Hopefully, you will have gone through an extensive preop program that will prepare you for the surgery, the bariatric diet and most importantly, the lifestyle changes that will be necessary to reach your goal weight and maintain it. The gastric bypass diet itself will be over before you know it and then it will be up to you to make sensible food choices as well as begin an exercise program that will provide you with the necessary fitness requirements.

Being successful with weigh loss surgery is all about developing healthy habits. Most of us did not have them in the past. The weight loss surgery will begin the process of getting the excess weight off, but this process will be completed by you. And if you think that just because you have had weight loss surgery that you will never gain weight again and can never be overweight, there are plenty of weight loss surgery patients that will tell you otherwise.

This is all about living your life differently. You have to learn to deal with your problems without eating and it may take counseling or a good support group to be able to help you make the necessary changes. The first 2 weeks of your eating will consist of the following: baby food, strained pureed foods and liquid protein shakes. If it has to be chewed, it does not belong in the first 2 weeks of the gastric bypass diet.

It is important to consume 60 grams of protein, 32 ounces of liquid and bariatric vitamins. The vitamins can be chewable or liquid. This will take a lot of time each day in the beginning. Take care not to eat too fast or over eat. The consequences can be serious. After 2 week or as long as 8 weeks later, you can begin to reintroduce soft foods back into your diet. Make sure that anything you choose to eat is chewed extremely well.

Chewing is extremely important. Not chewing well enough, eating too quickly or drinking with your meal can lead to extreme pain. I have had this pain last as long as an hour and you won’t soon forget it. Avoid drinking with your meal, eat slowly and chew well and you should be fine. Eating will get easier with time and then the real work begins. This is where wise food choices and exercise become more important than ever before.

Diet is a big part of every stage leading up to surgery and following it. Many insurance companies that pay for bariatric surgery and independent weight loss surgery centers have programs that must be completed prior to having this life saving procedure. The program I was part of wanted to see that their patients could follow a structured program and lose some weight prior to the surgery. This was proof that you were capable of making the healthy changes that are necessary to maintain your weight loss.

Through the first year following gastric bypass surgery, the weight will come off relatively easy. You will not be able to consume a large volume of food at any time, but this will change over time. It will be essential that you begin to develop healthy habits and that will sustain your weight loss. Eat foods that are nutritious and begin a fitness program that allow you to maintain your health. And these are not things you should wait to do until after surgery. Once you make up your mind to take the step to have weight loss surgery, this should be the first day of the rest of your life.

You will be on a restricted diet for about the first 8 weeks following your surgery, but the gastric bypass diet is a temporary step in the process. And if you think that you cannot gain weight ever again because you had weight loss surgery…think again. The internet is full of forums that have members that have regained some or all of their weight back. There are many others that struggle everyday to maintain the weight they have lost. This surgery can get you down to healthy weight and can give you back your life. But staying healthy and maintaining your weight loss rests solely in your hands.

The first step of the gastric bypass diet will most often be administered before you leave the hospital. It is clear liquids. You will probably not be hungry and not feel like eating during this time, but in order to heal, it is essential that you try to take in some of the nourishment that your body requires. You should be onto step 2 on the second day after your surgery and this will be the most difficult step of your new food program. You can have any of the following on this part of the plan: liquid protein, baby food and strained puréed foods.

Protein is essential to this food plan. You should be consuming 60 grams per day. There are many protein shakes that can provide 20 grams per 8 ounce shake. You should consume at least 32 ounces of liquid each day. And this should be liquids that are sugar free, caffeine free and without carbonation. Alcohol should also be avoided at this time. During this stage, eating will be a full time job. It will take a long time to consume the items that you are required each day. This stage can last from 2 to 8 weeks.

Stage 3 of the diet for gastric bypass can begin anytime after the second week. You will begin by reintroducing soft foods into your diet. Chewing all of your food thoroughly will be essential during this step. This will probably be difficult because it is not what we are used to, but trust me when I tell you it is important. Recovering from gastric bypass surgery can be painful if you do not chew well enough and vomiting can be the result of eating too quickly. You will probably only be consuming a few ounces every few hours.

Stage 4 will come at about 8 weeks. You can resume eating most of the foods you ate before with a few exceptions. Meats will be the most difficult, because they are courser and may need to cut in small pieces and softened with liquid. Sugar and fats should be limited and sugar may be something that you may have to eliminate completely. These items may be difficult for your stomach to tolerate. Remember to take things slow. Find out what your new body will and will not tolerate.

You will eventually return to eat almost any foods, with a few exceptions. It is important to embrace the habits of living healthy. This surgery is a tool and not a miracle. There are people that have regained the weight despite having the surgery. It is important to understand that keeping the weight off is ultimately up to you.

The first 2 weeks of the gastric bypass diet are the most critical. You be allowed liquid protein, strained purred foods and baby food. That is it. You should not be having anything that requires chewing. You should sip 32 ounces of liquid each day and consume about 60 grams of protein. Vitamins that are suitable for bariatric patients are required.

Fats and sugar should be avoided during this time. Soft foods can be introduced at any time after the second week and must be reintroduced by the eighth week. By the eight week you can try most all foods that you ate before. Be sure to chew everything thoroughly. No drinking within 30 minutes of a meal. And that is pretty much everything you need to know about the bariatric diet.

The important thing is to develop healthy habits as soon as possible. This means following a sensible diet even if your stomach will tolerate sugar and fat. Begin walking as soon as possible following your surgery. And start strength training as soon as your surgeon says it is okay. I feel this last statement is very important. Although I walked very soon following my surgery, I put off strength exercise for over a year. And with the significant weight loss, I felt I lost a lot of valuable muscle. I sometimes feel a weakness that I never had before. Like anything, it is easier to maintain it than to regain it.

Counseling is another thing that you may want to consider. People do not become obese by lack of knowledge about nutrition alone. Show me someone that is obese and I will show you a person that has issues with emotional eating. Having a support system, such as; a counselor, a support group or some type of community, will go a long way in helping you deal with emotional eating problems.

Maintaining a weight loss, whether you lost the weight through surgery or not, is all the same. It takes watching what you eat, exercising regularly and learning to deal with issues that cause you to eat when you are not hungry. Gastric bypass surgery is a tool and not a miracle. It will be for you what you make of it.

You will have clear liquids the day of your surgery and then for the two weeks following you can have liquid protein shakes, baby food or strained pureed foods. You should be eating at least 60 grams of protein a day and no sugar. At about 2 weeks you can begin to add soft foods back into your diet. You can actually wait as long as 8 weeks to begin eating soft foods, but if you are like me you will be getting tired of liquids only. It is essential that you chew anything that you put into your mouth until it is liquid.

If is important to eat slowly on the gastric bypass diet, so that you do not overeat. Overeating will not only stretch your new tiny stomach pouch, but it can cause you to vomit. It is also important to avoid drinking for 30 minutes preceding and following a meal. Liquid and food are a bad combination for a bariatric surgery patient. Five years later I still follow this rule. You should be drinking about 32 ounces per day in the early weeks and you can increase that amount over time.

You will eventually be able to eat most of what you ate before, just a lot less of it. Sugar and foods high in fat are going to be things that you should avoid and they may even make you feel sick when you eat them. It is important to form healthy habits as soon as possible and this includes exercising. Strength training is important so that you do not lose your muscle mass. This is something that will commonly happen if you lose a lot of weight and are not doing anything to maintain healthy muscles.

It is essential to realize that weight loss surgery is a tool and it is only as effective as the person controlling it. Most people are aware that Carney Wilson has struggled with her weight despite the fact that she has had weight loss surgery. This surgery is not a miracle and it will take work to maintain the results that you will see in the first 9-12 months.

The foods you are allowed during the first two weeks are strained and pureed foods, baby food and high protein bariatric shakes. Now, it is easy to find shakes that are designed especially for bariatric patients. They contain the necessary protein, their calories are low and they contain very little or no sugar. The nice thing about these shakes is that anyone can use them to lose weight. If you get to the point later in your weight loss journey where you have hit a plateau or have gained a few pounds, these bariatric protein shakes can help get things back on track. Many patients will use these shakes from time to time for the rest of their lives.

Once you have used these bariatric diet foods for 2-3 weeks, you will be ready to reintroduce soft foods back into your diet. Try a new food each day, so that you will know what your body will and will not tolerate. If you are like me, you will eventually be able to eat everything again. Some people will struggle with certain foods through the rest of their lives and will eliminate these foods from their diets.

Most all foods can be eaten in moderation. Foods high in fat and sugar will present the biggest problem for most patients. Losing weight, even after surgery is a process and you will be learning the whole way. You have to keep in mind that losing weight is not only about using gastric bypass diet, but about having a healthy mental attitude that will carry through to the maintenance part of your journey.