Life After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Life After Gastric Bypass Surgery 

After your gastric bypass, you will continue the healthy diet and exercise habits you learned in preparation for surgery. This will enable you to not only lose weight but keep the weight off for the rest of your life.  Fortunately, the operation itself is a very effective tool, and helps you to maintain the healthy dietary and exercise habits. 

Nutrition Plan 

In the following weeks after your bariatric surgery, you will have a nutrition plan to follow. Sometimes, this diet can start out as a liquid diet, which progresses into a soft diet, and then into a regular diet. The first months of healing will involve a lot of fluids, as it is much easier to become dehydrated during this time. By staying hydrated, you will also avoid constipation and kidney stones. 

In terms of your diet, protein-rich foods are very important. It is also important that you avoid foods with high amounts of sugar and carbohydrates. You should also become accustomed to taking a multivitamin, as it is recommended you take one for life. Typically, after a gastric bypass surgery, you can expect to be taking calcium, iron, vitamin D,multivitamin, and vitamin B12 supplements. 

Sticking With the Plan 

Your nutrition plan is important, as it will keep you from gaining back the weight you may have lost from your gastric bypass. Your doctor, however, will not be living with you and watching every choice you make. Temptations will still be out there, sometimes right in front of you on the table during a party or holiday. Finding the discipline to stick with your nutrition plan is one of the most important parts of life after your gastric bypass surgery. If you are struggling to stick with your diet, consider consulting your dietician or doctor. 

Medication Change 

Your typical over-the-counter drugs or prescription could absorb differently into your body after your surgery. This could mean that you may have to change the type of medications you take. Larger pills also have a chance of becoming stuck in your intestines or stomach, so you may have to crush your medications or take them in a different form. 

In terms of drugs to avoid, you will want to stay away from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, depending on the type of operation you have. These can cause ulcers and stomach irritation. It is wise to consult your doctor before self-medicating with over-the-counter drugs. If you are having difficulties, you might find that your doctor will prescribe anti-acid medications to maintain the amount of acid in your stomach. This could be a life-long prescription or temporary. 

Fitness

The fitness portion of your weight loss journey does not start until your doctor says so. Until you can start heavy physical activity, you should focus on walking, even while in the hospital. You may also practice in-bed exercises or getting in and out of your bed. Physical activity is vital for long-term weight management. 

Each patient of bariatric surgery will have a different fitness program, as they each have unique needs and abilities. Doing a particular workout may be effective at first at burning calories, but as your body gets used to this workout, fewer calories will be burned. As you lose weight, it will also become harder to burn more calories. This is why it is necessary to change your fitness plan as your body changes. Your surgeon or fitness instructor will most likely have a good idea of what workouts you should be focusing on. 

The Best Bariatric Care in California

‍BASS Medical Group and Dr. Brian T. Chin offers some of the best bariatric care in northern California. Our team is ready to make you as comfortable as possible during your recovery from your surgery. If you are interested in gastric bypass surgery and want to know more, contact our expert bariatric surgeons to find out if this surgery is right for you.