5 Common Mistakes To Avoid After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Eating a traditional diet and exercising does not work for everyone. Some individuals may need extra help to lose weight. If you're significantly overweight and can't seem to get down to a healthy weight, you may want to consider getting gastric bypass surgery. The procedure ultimately reduces the size of your stomach so you can't eat large amounts of food. However, in order to see successful results, you have to follow your doctor's instructions.

Here are a few common mistakes you should avoid making after your gastric bypass surgery.

Skimping on Water

After gastric bypass surgery, it is even more important to drink eight glasses of water a day. Staying hydrated will help speed up the healing process and prevent dehydration. Drinking water will also increase your energy levels and help with weight loss.

Eating Fatty Foods

What you consume after gastric bypass surgery matters greatly. If you, for example, eat high-fat foods, like pizza and hot dogs, you could feel nauseous and hurt your weight loss efforts. To avoid that, you should choose foods that are lower in fats, such as chicken and turkey.

Drinking Alcohol

Sometimes it is nice to have a refreshing cocktail after a long day. However, it is important to stay away from alcoholic beverages until your surgeon gives you the go-ahead. You have a much smaller stomach now, so it can't properly digest alcohol. As a result, you could get severely drunk very quickly.

Thinking Surgery Alone Will Cure Your Weight Problems

During the first few months after gastric bypass surgery, you will lose weight quite rapidly. However, your weight loss will eventually slow down. That is why it is important to change your eating and exercise habits right away. Otherwise, you could end up gaining the weight you lost right back.

Neglecting Your Vitamins

Your doctor will put you on a low-calorie diet right after gastric bypass surgery. Since you will not be consuming many calories, your body might not get the vitamins it needs. That is why you have to take the necessary supplements each day. If you fail to take your vitamins, you could experience many unpleasant side effects, such as fatigue, tooth decay, trouble concentrating, and loss of bone density. 

If you avoid these common mistakes, you should have success with your gastric bypass surgery. If you have additional questions about your aftercare, you should get in touch with your doctor right away.