
Gastric Bypass Surgery Support Group
Gastric bypass (GBP) is any of a group of similar operative procedures used to treat morbid obesity, a condition which arises from severe accumulation of excess weight in the form of fatty tissue, and the health problems ("co-morbidities") which result. If you are considering gastric bypass or have had it, join the community where we share our experiences and find support.
Another piece of info I received from my doctor is that the pouch will stretch naturally from the 1 oz or so size you start out with to about 5 oz. But this will take about a year.
You have to eat the right amount of the right foods to keep your body healthy.
I'm only telling you this as a way of comparing information, though. Amelia79 is absolutely right: Follow the instructions you get from your nutritionist and your doctor. They are the experts. Any information you read elsewhere that sounds the least bit off-base should be checked out with them.
The thing about semi-soft foods is that there is nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, to keep them in your pouch. You no longer have a pyloric valve to keep foods in. This is the reason you will work towards a solid protein diet with protein in first and then a bite or two of lean veggies. Be sure you are not drinking with your meals. This will make things worse.
Insofar as your pouch stretching, that is really NOT accurate. What happens is that right after surgery you have alot of swelling which limits the amount of food you can get in to it. As the swelling goes down (within the first 6 months) you will be able to eat more and more food until you are up to about a child's size portion of food.
In addition, you will find that doctors around the country have NO standards in aftercare and nutritional programs, much to our dismay. We are the guinea pigs for today.
So, best to get yourself educated and make the best possible choices for you from the get go.
Frankly, I do NOT think s.f. pudding (which is likely made with milk) is a good choice. I was on all clears for 8 full weeks and that was a long time. I drank broth, s.f. icee pops, and jello. But, I had terrible times with sliming (throwing up mucous).
I went from there to chewing my food to oblivion and alot of foods did not set right with me.
Soft foods would include things like tuna with mayo, canned chicken with mayo, cheese sticks, price's cheese spread, deviled ham, potted meat (yuk), softly scrambed eggs, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese blended with cinnamon and splenda. Basically protein type foods.
Many wls patients are lactose intolerant after surgery so asking a wls patient to drink milk is like asking for trouble, if you ask me. . . not to mention the fact that 1 cup of milk has 12 gr. of carbs and only 8 or 9 gr.of protein. NOT a good source of protein or calcium.
I could write a book but there's not time.
If you'd like more information you can email me at higkp@satx.rr.com and I'll try to help you as much as I can.
I am a 5 year post-op with 150 cm. bypass from roux en y gastric bypass surgery. I lost a total of 276 pounds.
I am very loyal to the rules of the pouch. AND, I believe in pure whey protein shakes. If you are interested in this go to www.vitalady.com and you can order samples of different kinds of whey protein that are good for wls post-ops.
Here's to all of you that are starting out this process. It's very dismaying to find that doctors have no standards in how to keep us healthy after this surgery.
Arm yourself with knowledge.
Hugs,
gaylek11
It's also a very good idea to take measurements and front and side view pictures. I have found that when the weight "stops" coming off is usually when I noticed the most changes in my actual body arrangement.
In fact, I came to call it the rearrangement period. I would actually drop sizes while losing no weight and not lose any sizes while dropping weight. Odd but common and oh so true.
Pictures will tell you what looking at yourself in the mirror may not. I can tell you that at times I would look in the mirror and see a fat lady and other times I'd look at my reflection and say, wow, I'm really getting there. So, depends on the mindset and the day.
hugs
gaylek11