With mini gastric bypass surgery, the stomach size and intestine length are reduced. This means, patients will feel full after eating a small amount of food and their small intestine will not absorb as many calories during the digestion process. The procedure combines restrictive and malabsorptive weight loss mechanisms.
Tijuana Bariatrics encourages patients to adhere to a special diet that reintroduces healthy foods slowly as the patient recovers from weight loss surgery. These guidelines cover the ideal eating habits for patients who’ve undergone mini gastric bypass surgery.
Purpose of the Post-Op Diet
Though a mini gastric bypass is less invasive than the traditional gastric bypass procedure, results and dietary considerations are similar. To avoid complications and allow time for your body to heal, patients are asked to follow specific guidelines on what kinds of foods they should eat and when new foods can be reintroduced.
One Day Post-Surgery
Only drink/eat clear liquids, like water, broth, skim milk, decaf coffee or tea, and unsweetened juice, gelatin, and popsicles. Do not stray from this diet on day one. Rest and allow your body to recuperate.
One Week Post-Surgery
Now you can introduce pureed foods and eat three to six meals a day. Each meal will be small, amounting to roughly 4-6 tablespoons of food. The solids should be savored and chewed thoroughly. We recommend taking per meal 30 minutes.
Consider tossing these foods in the blender with water, skim milk, broth, or sugar-free juice:
- Fish or lean meats
- Cottage cheese
- Cooked oatmeal
- Scrambled eggs
- Cooked fruits and veggies (no skin or seeds)
- Strained soups
Three or Four Weeks Post-Surgery
With your doctor’s approval, after about a month, you can move to soft solid foods. Common food items at this stage of the post-op diet include:
- Cooked lean meat and fish
- Cooked cereals
- Well-cooked rice
- Eggs
- Cottage cheese
- Cooked fruits and veggies (no skin or seeds)
Eight Weeks Post-Surgery
After two months, it’s time to try three to six meals a day. Meal serving sized are typically 1-1.5 cups of food.
These tips should help you make the transition to your new-normal diet easier:
- Drink 1 cup of liquid 30 minutes before/after a meal
- Drink 64 oz of water a day
- Chew food to a pureed state before swallowing
- Stop eating before you feel full
- Take prescribed supplements every day – this will be a lifelong habit
We recommend that patients choose foods that are:
- High protein
- Low fat
- Low sugar
- Low on simple carbohydrates
- Not fried
Other Tips Moving Forward
Eating smaller portions more often will be key to long-term surgical success. Your stomach is now a pouch, and it will only hold a small amount of food. Patients should also drink water between meals rather than during meals. This allows patients to eat full, nutritious meals with each sitting.
If you eat too much too fast, food will enter your small intestine faster than your body can handle. This can cause dumping syndrome, which causes dizziness, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and diarrhea. If you experience these symptoms, talk with your healthcare provider about ways to manage digestion.
Contact Tijuana Bariatrics
If you’re considering a mini gastric bypass surgery and would like more information, contact Tijuana Bariatrics online or call (877) 759-0739. We will be happy to answer all of your questions so that you can decide on the best strategy for long-term weight loss and lifelong healthiness.
