My name is Jamie Turner and when I turned 22, I started to form a horrible case of acne. I used every cleanser and lotion I could find and I even asked my physician for a topical steroid cream to clear up the zits on my face. After six months of treatment, my physician completed a blood test that concluded that a hormone imbalance was causing my acne. I started on therapy to control the amount of estrogen my body produced. The therapy along with a good diet and exercise regimen helped to clear up my acne. I am sharing my story, because acne is not just a condition that affects teenagers. It can affect adults at any age, and it can cause a great deal of embarrassment. Don't let your acne go untreated. Read my blog instead and learn about both natural and medical treatments that can help you.
If you're very overweight and just can't seem to drop the pounds, then gastric bypass surgery might be the best way to lose weight and regain your health. You probably have a lot of concerns about undergoing weight loss surgery. One of them is likely to be about how your life will be after you heal. Your eating habits will change drastically, and that can be scary. Here's a look at how you should eat once you've had bariatric surgery.
Start Slowly
Your stomach will need several weeks to heal after you've had a gastric bypass. During that time, you may have problems with stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting after you eat. You can minimize these complications by eating a soft, bland diet until your stomach heals. You won't have to eat that way permanently, but you should be prepared for several weeks of a restricted diet.
You'll begin by sipping small amounts of clear liquids. After a few days, you'll progress to blended foods. Everything you eat will need to be mixed with a liquid and blended to the consistency of pudding, so it is gentle on your stomach. Once you're able to tolerate blended foods without complications, you can move onto soft foods. That includes foods such as cooked soft vegetables and canned fruit.
Once your stomach has healed and you are able to tolerate a diet of soft foods, you are ready to begin introducing solid food into your diet again. You should go slowly because some foods may bother you now that didn't bother your stomach before you had the surgery. There are some foods, such as nuts and popcorn, you'll probably need to eliminate from your diet permanently.
Eat Small Portions
Since your stomach will be a lot smaller after you have gastric bypass surgery, you'll need to drastically reduce the size of your meals. Eating too much may cause nausea and pain. It could also stretch your stomach and defeat the purpose of your surgery. Immediately after surgery, you'll even need to limit the amount of fluids you drink, so your stomach won't stretch and interfere with healing.
To keep the volume of food in your stomach smaller than you're used to, it's a good idea to avoid eating and drinking at the same time. You'll probably have to eat more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day. This ensures you'll get the proper amount of nutrition without overfilling your stomach at any one sitting.
Getting Enough Nutrients
You will be eating less food and fewer calories after surgery, so you need to make the calories you eat count. You'll want to focus on protein and nutrients from vegetables and fruits. Nutrient dense foods should make up most of your diet. You'll need to eliminate or reduce the amount of simple carbohydrates in your diet. These foods, such as bread, candy, and cake, offer very little nutritional value in return for the amount of space they take up in your stomach.
The way your diet changes after you have surgery is very individualized according to your preferences and what you can tolerate. You may need to give up spicy and greasy foods because they bother your digestive tract. You'll want to watch for signs of nausea, constipation, and stomach pain, so you can identify the foods that trigger the symptoms. Fortunately, you'll have a dietician to help you before and after the surgery. He or she will devise a healthy diet that allows your stomach to heal, and allows you to lose weight while eating foods that promote health and taste good, too. Contact a local doctor, such as Iqbal Nauveed MD FACS, for any questions.
Share8 May 2015
