Living post gastric bypass surgery is major change for a patient and their family. Because of the physiological changes involved in gastric bypass surgery, patients must re-learn how to eat and live their lives in a healthy way. For the first year after gastric bypass, patients are going through significant changes as many patients loose approximately 100 pounds.

Initially after surgery, patients are required to eat a liquid diet, progressing to a pureed diet, soft food diet until they reach their lifetime maintenance diet. Because for many obese people, eating is a significant event, making the change to a post gastric bypass diet is a considerable change. Prior to the surgery, patients are requested to clean out their kitchens and prepare for their hospital return and new way of eating.

The surgery is really the easiest part for the patient, the difficulty comes with the months and years that follow. Having a good support system will help patients succeed and reach their health and weight goals after surgery. Many doctors require patients to work with dieticians, nutritionists, physical therapists, mental health providers and even support groups of other gastric bypass patients. This type of follow up care has been proven to increase a person’s success rate with gastric bypass, and all of this takes place after surgery!

Support groups can also be found on-line and can be a great source of valuable information for living post-surgically. Other people who have real life experience and understand the difficulties of changing your eating habits can have excellent suggestions for daily living from what vitamins cause the least stomach upset, to using appetizer size plates for your meals.

The commitment and the fortitude to change your life for the better is the key to success after gastric bypass. Gastric bypass surgery is not a cure for obesity but a tool to help patients achieve their goals of better health and wellness.