Life After Gastric Bypass Surgery

[MsJacquiiC]

Life After Surgery

Can I drink carbonated beverages after surgery?

Many centers advise against this. But they will not harm you, or your operation. Many patients do find carbonated beverages uncomfortable, from the gas they produce.

It is recommend that you avoid any flavored drinks between meals, such as diet soda, coffee and tea – use of these tends to activate your hunger mechanism.

Why can’t I eat red meat after surgery?

You can, but you will need to be very careful, and it is recommend that you avoid it for the first several months. Red meats contain a high level of meat fibers, or gristle, which hold the piece of meat together, preventing you from separating it into small parts when you chew. It can plug the outlet of your stomach pouch, and prevent anything from passing through, which is very uncomfortable.

What is Dumping Syndrome?

Dumping syndrome is caused by eating sugars, or other foods which contain many small particles, on an empty stomach. These substances produce a high osmotic load. Your body handles these by diluting the food particles with water, which reduces blood volume, and causes a shock-like state. Sugar may also induce insulin shock, due to the altered physiology of your intestinal tract. The result is a very unpleasant feeling, as you break out in a cold clammy sweat, turn pale white, feel butterflies in your stomach and a pounding pulse. This may be followed by cramps and diarrhea. This state can last for 30 - 60 minutes, and is quite uncomfortable – most have to lie down until it goes away. It can be avoided by not eating the foods which cause it, especially on an empty stomach. A small amount of sweet, such as fruit, is well-tolerated at the end of a meal.

What is the problem with milk products?

Milk contains a special sugar, called lactose, or milk sugar, which is not well digested. This sugar passes through undigested, until bacteria in the lower bowel act on it, producing irritating byproducts, as well as gas. Depending on individual tolerance, some persons find even the smallest amount of milk or milk sugar will cause cramps, gas and diarrhea.

What do I do to use the Gastric Bypass "tool" successfully?

The basic rules are simple, and easy to follow:

1. Eat 2 -3 meals per day, no more. Protein, in the form of lean meats (chicken, turkey, fish), and other low-fat sources, should be eaten first, and should comprise at least half the volume of the meal eaten. Foods should be cooked without fat, seasoned to taste. Avoid sauces, gravies, butter, margarine, mayonnaise, and junk foods.
   
2. Never eat between meals - nothing. Do not drink flavored beverages, even diet soda, between meals.
   
3. Drink 2 -3 quarts, or more, of water each day. Water must be consumed slowly, 1 -2 mouthfuls at a time, due to the restrictive effect of the operation.
   
4. Exercise aerobically every day, for 20 minutes at least (one mile brisk walk, bike riding, stair climbing, etc.). We encourage weight/resistance exercise 3 - 4 days per week.
   
5. When each meal is satisfying, this is not a diet, but a style which you can easily achieve, and which will result in rapid weight loss followed by weight maintenance.

Why can’t I snack between meals?

Snacking is the worst thing you can do to your weight control process. Snacking, nibbling or grazing on foods, usually high-calorie and high-fat foods, can add hundreds of calories a day to your intake, while defeating the restrictive effect of your operation. Since most snacking is done out of impulse, hunger-limitation or satiety has a limited effect in preventing it. Snacking will definitely slow down your weight loss, and can lead to late regain of weight (usually not all of it, unless you get really ridiculous). Snacking is also a habit, which is easier to avoid, than to stop once it is started.

If you start snacking after a while, and notice the bad effects, your surgeon will help you to stop. It’s a lot easier, and more rewarding, never to start.

Why drink so much water?

When you are losing weight, there is a heavy load of waste products to eliminate, mostly in the urine. Some of these substances tend to form crystals, which can cause kidney stones. A high water intake protects you, and helps your body to rid itself of waste products efficiently, promoting better weight loss.

Water will also fill your stomach, and will help to prolong and intensify your sense of satisfaction with food. If you feel a desire to eat between meals, it is because you did not drink enough water in the hour before.

What’s so important about exercise?

When you have a Gastric Bypass, you lose weight because the amount of food energy (calories) which you are able to eat is much less than your body needs to operate. It has to make up the difference by burning reserves, or unused tissues. Your body will burn any unused muscle first, before it begins to burn the precious fat it has saved up. If you do not exercise daily, your body will consume your unused muscle, and you will lose muscle mass and strength. Daily aerobic exercise for 20 minutes will communicate to your body that you want to use your muscles, and force it to burn the fat instead.

The idea of having an operation is to become slender and healthy, not skinny and weak. If you lose most of your excess fat, and retain most of your muscles, imagine how much power and energy you will have, to enjoy your new life!

[ Source ]

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass A type of gastric bypass procedure which combines restrictive and malabsorption techniques - meaning, it reduces the amount of food a patient can comfortably eat (restriction), and also reduces the amount of calories that can be digested in the small intestine (malabsorption). This combination of bariatric methods leads to greater weight loss and the roux-en-y procedure is seen as one of the best ways to treat clinically severe obesity. See WLS Videos for animated surgery technique.

Protein One of the three nutrients that provides calories to the body. Protein is an essential nutrient that helps build many parts of the body, including muscle, bone, skin, and blood. Protein provides 4 calories per gram and is found in foods like meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, beans, nuts, and tofu. Proteins are an essential human nutrient, obtained from both plant and animal foods. Though their greatest commercial use is in food products, they are also employed in adhesives, plastics, and fibres.

Satiety The feeling of satisfaction or fullness with the intake of food.

Kidney Stones Kidney stones -- also known as renal colic or ureterolithiasis -- results from stones or renal calculi (from Latin ren, "kidney" and calculi, "pebbles") in the ureter. The stones are solid concretions or crystal aggregations formed in the kidneys from dissolved urinary minerals. Nephrolithiasis (from Greek nephros, "kidney" and lithos, "stone") -- refers to the condition of having kidney stones. Urolithiasis refers to the condition of having calculi in the urinary tract (which also includes the kidneys), which may form or pass into the urinary bladder. Ureterolithiasis is the condition of having a calculus in the ureter, the tube connecting the kidneys and the bladder. The main symptom is severe pain that starts suddenly and may go away suddenly: Pain may be felt in the belly area or side of the back Pain may move to groin area (groin pain) or testicles (testicle pain) Other symptoms can include: Abnormal urine color Blood in the urine