September 16, 2009 · Filed Under Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass · Comment 

After gastric bypass surgery it is imperative to monitor what you take into your new, smaller stomach. Therefore, you will be given a post gastric bypass diet to follow, as recommended by your physician.

It will be a four-stage diet and it is crucial that you follow the guidelines for each stage in order for your surgery to be and continue to be a success.

Stage one of the diet consists, strictly, of clear liquids such as water and apple juice. Sugar free drinks such as diet soda are acceptable, as long as you allow them to become flat first. You may also snack on broths, or sugar-free gelatin. It is very important to start small, taking little sips and working up from there. Do not allow yourself to feel overly full. If you tolerate stage one for a day or two, you may go on to stage two, semi-clear liquids.

Semi-clear liquids is stage two of the post-surgery diet and is similar to stage one in that is still liquid but uses items that can be thickened or thinned down to the consistency of watery mashed potatoes.

The blender will become your friend in this stage and so you can blend fruits and veggies to be consumed. At this time, you can also start to drink milk again, but be sure it’s skim or low fat. Soups and yogurt can be well tolerated but again, you should blend them to be sure all solids are broken down. You may be in this stage for up to 3-4 weeks depending on your tolerance.

Stage three will begin about 3-4 weeks after surgery, as noted above. You will begin to consume foods that are more solid, but still rather easy to digest. This stage consists of eggs, cooked anyway but fried; cooked vegetables; cottage cheese, low fat of course and any other semi-solid foods. Introduce these foods one at a time to be sure your digestive system can handle them and if not, continue onto something more stomach- friendly.

Finally, stage four begins when stage three has been well tolerated for some time and also your doctor may tell you to wait until he gives you the go ahead. You will begin to eat solid foods again, such as meats, beans, green leafy salads, breads, etc. but again you’ll want to introduce these one at a time for toleration purposes.

It is very important that throughout each of these stages you still get the protein that your body needs to aid in the healing after surgery. You can add non-fat dairy powder to most things to add this protein, without sabotaging the diet or endangering your health.

Because this is a very low-fat diet, you will need to be monitored for fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies, and your doctor may suggest nutritional supplements.

Tags: Apple Juice, Blender, Broths, Bypass Surgery, Clear Liquids, Cottage Cheese, Diet Soda, Digestive System, Free Drinks, Free Gelatin, Fruits And Veggies, Gastric Bypass Diet, Low Fat Soups, Post Gastric Bypass Diet, Potatoes, Sips, Smaller Stomach, Snack, Solids, Stage One, Weight Loss Surgery, Yogurt

September 16, 2009 · Filed Under Weight Loss Surgery · Comment 

As the famous song says, “Oklahoma is OK!” — and for us residents of the state, that’s the honest truth. From the farmlands to the ranches, from the Panhandle to the Arkansas border, “the land we belong to” is indeed grand. But another truth exists: the truth about obesity in Oklahoma. Almost 63% of the population of Oklahoma is overweight, with one in four Oklahomans (25%) qualifying as obese. That’s one out of every four of us! Oklahoma City is particularly plagued by obesity – our state capital was even named one of the most unfit cities n the nation by a major magazine only a couple of years ago.

Obesity is no joke. It kills people, and the ones it doesn’t kill right away usual suffer from co-morbidities, which are serious medical conditions directly related to obesity, such as heart disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, and hypertension.

We can’t afford to ignore this threat to our public health any longer. Oklahoma must act against obesity.

Booming Sooners

What is obesity? It is the condition of exceeding a medically healthy weight, based on a person’s height and build. Healthy weight is calculated in terms of individual body mass index, or BMI (weight in pounds x 703 / [height in inches]2). The only way to a better BMI is to lose excess weight. And that’s not hard: simply reduce the body’s daily caloric intake below its daily caloric needs. For some of us, just pushing back the plate, or switching to unsweetened iced tea instead of soda, is all that’s necessary.

But willpower alone isn’t the cure for obesity. Obesity is a disease that requires medical treatment that incorporates a complete change in the patient’s lifestyle and eating habits. This type of therapy will succeed in reducing BMI to a safe level in most people – but not all. For those beyond this form of care, there’s another option: weight loss surgery.

About Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery is not complicated. The patient is placed under sedation, then the surgeon performs a bariatric procedure—generally laparoscopically—to alter the stomach and/or bowel and limit how much food they can hold. These alterations force the patient to consume fewer calories each day than his or her body burns, resulting in the loss of excess weight.

But surgery is not a magical cure. It only works as part of a total medical treatment plan. Post-operative patients who fail to follow the diet and lifestyle program prescribed to them may fail to lose weight or quickly regain any weight lost. In addition, there are significant risks associated with weight loss surgery, and patients should consult with their physician prior to making a decision.

The Battle Begins

Oklahoma’s war on obesity can end up OK if the farmer and the cowboy – and the rest of us – join forces to fight it. By treating this disease as a disease, we can make our state a happier, better, and more beautiful place to be.

Tags: Arkansas Border, Bariatric Surgery, Bmi Weight, Body Mass Index, Daily Caloric Intake, Daily Caloric Needs, Eating Habits, Excess Weight, Farmlands, Heart Disease, Honest Truth, Hypertension, Medical Conditions, Medical Treatment, Obesity, Oklahoma City, Oklahomans, Public Health, Sleep Apnea, Sooners, Weight Loss Surgery, Weight Loss Surgery In Oklahoma