Getting Used to the Post-Gastric Bypass Diet

The following article was written by a reader who wanted to share her experiences in getting her health insurance policy to cover weight loss surgery. For privacy reasons, her name is not included.

Click here for more information about the food you'll be eating after surgery.

"I am one of the millions of people who suffer from obesity..."

This is a big problem in the nation today, and many people simply cannot find the ability to lose the weight. Sometimes it is genetic, and sometimes people simply find it hard to stop eating the amount that they are used to. This might lead to a host of health problems that can even lead to death.

You should look at all of your options in order to uncover the best way to lose weight. For me, I chose gastric bypass surgery, but this was no easy choice or path to follow. The surgery went well, despite the possible side effects, but then I had to follow a strict diet in order to learn how to eat the right way and prevent problems after the surgery.

The first few days after the surgery were the hardest. I was used to eating four full meals a day and drinking soda all day long. This was the hardest habit to break.

For the first couple of days I didn't eat anything. I was not allowed, but I really didn't feel like eating much. I was told that my new stomach pouch was only capable of handling about an ounce of food. This is not much, in case you are wondering. I could only take in a very small amount at a time. At the beginning, after they cleared me to eat, I could only ingest liquid things like broth. I hated this, but my weight loss showed up almost immediately.

I got to work with a registered dietician who helped me make a meal plan for the next few weeks. They were so small and I thought that I was going to starve. We started by eating things that were totally soft, like mashed potatoes and apple sauce.

Though some of the things that I could eat were high in calories, I couldn't eat very much. I started to track my caloric intake, and I saw a huge drop in what I was eating. I went from almost five thousand calories a day to less than fifteen hundred. It was a hard road, but seeing the weight come off was an amazing site. It really motivated me.

The other motivation I had to stick with this diet was the fact that I would get sick if I ate more than my stomach pocket could handle. There was only so much room in that new pocket, and if I overfilled it, then my digestive system would tell me no and bring it back up. This was the worst part about things, but it really taught me to look at what I was eating and not gouge myself of food anymore.

I was able to eat solid foods about two months after the surgery, but I still had to limit myself to small amounts. I totally relearned how to eat and what to eat to help myself be healthy. I even added some exercise later on when my doctor told me that I could. Almost a year after the surgery, I think that I have trained myself to eat healthy and live a good life.

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To read personal stories submitted by gastric bypass patients, visit After Gastric Bypass - Personal Experiences.