Bariatric surgery is performed on obese patients to reduce the size of the stomach to aid dieting and weight loss. The diet that is consumed after this type of diet is very restrictive and results in a rapid weight loss. The gastric bypass diet can be consumed without the surgery, but it may be difficult to accomplish without the reduction in stomach size.
Rules of Diet
The bariatric diet after surgery requires the patient to get as much nutrition as possible from the least amount of food. A dieter who has not undergone the surgery can benefit from this rule as well.
A bariatric diet must contain an adequate amount of protein for proper nutrition. Patients can get their protein from liquid sources such as high-protein shakes. Soup is another way for a dieter to get a great amount of nutrition without consuming a lot of food or calories.
The diet that is consumed after bariatric surgery must contain 60 grams of protein a day and less than 10 grams of sugar at a meal. Fat is limited in the diet plan as well. In the beginning, the diet for surgery patients must be pureed, but this is not necessary for those considering the diet without the surgery.
Calories should not go below 1,000 per day for proper weight loss. In the early stages, a gastric bypass surgery patient may not be able to consume this many calories, but the body will require at least this much to successfully lose weight. When calories dip below this level, the body responds by holding on to fat stores, making it more difficult to lose the extra weight.
Behavior Modification
A difficulty that is found with this type of diet in someone who has not had gastric bypass surgery is lifestyle and behavior choices. A surgery patient is not physically capable of consuming large amounts of food, but a dieter who has not had the surgery is able to consume as much as she wants. To be successful on this very restrictive diet, it will be important to modify behavior and exercise a great deal of control.
Learning as much about nutrition as possible will help with meal planning when calories are restricted. Finding the best nutritional punch for as few calories as possible will require planning, research and commitment.
Long-Term Success
Maintaining weight loss is where many diets fail. The lessons that are learned on a bariatric diet can be continued for a lifetime. The diet will teach you plan your meals so that the best nutrition is consumed for the least amount of food and calories.
Monitoring weight so that it does not creep back on is an important part of weight management as well. Awareness of weight gain can be dealt with easily when it is a small amount, instead of waiting until weight gain has gotten out of control.
