Gastric bypass surgery is a serious option to consider when a person needs to lose a lot of weight. Some, however, do not meet the criteria to have a gastric bypass. There are weight and body mass restrictions, and also psychological guidelines that must be met before a person can be approved to have this surgery. One option to try before going under the knife is employing the same post-surgery diet without having the surgery.
Before Beginning
The Mayo Clinic says that after bypass surgery most patients are on a liquid diet for about two days, then they can move up to pureed and soft foods. During each of these phases, small meals are eaten frequently. Each of these phases will help prepare the body to stick to the long-term gastric bypass diet. A few good investments for this diet would be a food scale, measuring cups (solid and liquid) and measuring spoons.
Try to avoid drinking with a meal. Instead, drink between meals to maintain a sense of fullness. In order to avoid overeating or going off the diet, try to eat every two to three hours. Get as much protein, fruits and vegetables in the second and third phases as possible because the body needs the vitamins and minerals provided by them.
Phase 1: Liquids
Initially, a two-day liquid fast can be done to clean out the system. Drink plenty of water, broth and fruit/vegetable juice to avoid dehydration. Soups and cooked cereals can be eaten during the liquid phase. Try to drink about 2 ounces at a time and as often as possible. Limit the soups and cooked cereals to three times per day and only in about 2-ounce servings. The 2-ounce servings mimic the amount of food and drink the stomach would get after the surgery.
Phase 2: Pureed Foods
After the liquid phase, add pureed foods to the daily intake. Continue with 2-ounce individual servings but take a total of 4 ounces at each meal. Combine the first two phases for about four weeks for the best results. Pureed fruits and vegetables are recommended. These are foods that do not require chewing; they should be smooth or lightly textured. Make the foods in this phase as close to drinkable as possible. Low-calorie and low-sugar protein shakes can be added to this phase. Egg protein-based powder shakes would work.
Phase 3: Soft Foods
After the first three to four weeks, add soft foods to the diet. Combine the soft foods to the liquid and pureed phase for about eight weeks. Increase the total intake per meal to about 6 ounces. Soft foods are easy to chew and easily digested. Examples are scrambled eggs, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and finely ground lean meats .
Final Phase
After the initial three months, the food portions can increase to 8 to 12 ounces per meal. More solid foods can be added to the diet but avoid greasy, high fat, sugary and cholesterol-laden foods. Because there has been no surgery, the dieter will not suffer side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, when eating these kinds of foods. For the diet to succeed, these foods must be avoided.
An easy plan is include 3 ounces of fruit/vegetables, 4 ounces of low-fat dairy, 1 ounce of whole grain and 3 ounces of lean protein per meal. This is a way of balancing out what is being eaten so a bit of everything is taken in. The amounts of each food group can be varied per meal depending on the person.
Lifelong Changes
Begin following proper portion sizes and reading nutrition labels.
Try to stick to a largely vegetarian diet, but do not eliminate protein completely. Begin exercising. A minimum of 30 minutes of exercise per day is recommended but longer bouts of exercise can increase the weight loss.
Have a treat every now and then, but not too much. An easy way to treat is to take a small bite, or measure out a few ounces and include it in a meal.
Take a daily multivitamin. Other minerals and supplements can be added, if desired.
Tags: 2-ounce servings, about ounces, bypass surgery, cooked cereals, Foods After, foods diet