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Gastric Bypass Pre-Surgery Diet

Gastric bypass is a weight-loss surgery in which the stomach is made smaller and food is rerouted so it passes through a smaller portion of the digestive track. The purpose is two-fold--the shrinking of the stomach is done to help you feel full faster, and the rerouting of the food is done so fewer calories are absorbed by the body during the digestive process.

  1. Diet Before Surgery

    • Most physicians recommend patients begin a special diet one or two months before surgery. This will prepare you for the way you will eat following your gastric bypass. After a gastric bypass, your stomach can only hold small portions of food at a time, otherwise you will vomit. In addition, because your body is absorbing less of the food you eat, you need to ensure your body is getting the proper nutrients. By beginning the diet before surgery, you get used to the new lifestyle and ensure you can maintain it. Beginning the diet before surgery also helps you to shrink your liver, which allows the surgeon to make a smaller surgical incision to reach your stomach.

    Foods to Eat

    • The presurgical diet has certain requirements. Doctors recommend that you eat between four and five servings of protein each day. Two servings each of fruit and vegetables are recommended, along with 2 servings of starch. Finally, three servings of fat make up the final part of the eating plan. Proteins include lean meat and fish, nuts, beans, cheese, eggs or egg substitutes, dairy, peanut butter, cottage cheese and yogurt. Vegetables include tomato juice, and cooked or uncooked vegetables. Fruits include juice, apples, bananas, grapefruit, grapes, oranges, and other fruits. Starches include cereal, crackers, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn, squash, beans or bread. Fats include margarine or various oils (canola, flaxseed, sunflower, safflower and olive oil).

    Portion Control

    • Portion control is essential. When eating packaged foods, you should eat only the suggested serving size listed on the label. For foods without serving size suggestions, measure them to get used to determining how much of each food you need. Meat portions should be 3 ounces, bean portions 4 ounces, raw vegetables 1 cup, cooked vegetables ½ cup, juice portions ½ cup, pasta portions ½ cup and fruit portions vary based upon the type of fruit. Speak with your doctor for specific questions regarding portion sizes for your suggested diet.

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