With ever increasing numbers of obese or morbidly obese people in the world today, it’s somewhat comforting to know that there are solutions that can speed up the process of weight loss. While diet and exercise are efficient methods of improving your health, for many people who are suffering from the serious medical complications of being overweight, it simply takes too long, they need help and they need it fast. Gastric bypass surgery can be the answer for many people. If you are considering this type of surgery, you’ll likely want to know more about it, such as learning more about gastric bypass recovery.

The actual time you spend in the hospital after the surgery can vary greatly from one person to the next and what type of procedure you had performed. For example, for someone who has the minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure the average post op hospital stay will be between 3 – 5 days assuming you don’t have any complications.

If, on the other hand, you have the somewhat more involved open gastric bypass procedure you will have a larger incision and will require a slightly longer hospital stay, generally between 5 – 7 days, again, assuming you have no complications. Your surgeon will be able to provide you with more specifics based on your situation and your overall health and the exact type of procedure you are having.

As to recovery after the surgery, there will also be a fairly involved process which will include significant lifestyle changes, in particular the types and amounts of food that you eat. It’s important to understand that this procedure will make your stomach about the size of a walnut, and that will greatly reduce the amount of food and drink you will be able to consume at one time. That change will be permanent so the days of having a huge feast are over, or at least you’ll have to spread the meal out over several hours.

Most people will continue to lose weight up to 2 years after the procedure, and weight loss of up to 80% of your excess body weight is not uncommon. It’s not likely that you’ll lose 100% of your excess weight but losing the majority of it is still a great start for most people.

Losing weight at such a rapid pace can have virtually immediate impact on other obesity related issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Another benefit, after your recovery period, should be an overall lessening of many aches and pains and increased mobility. Just being able to move around more comfortably can have a dramatic effect on your health as well as your overall disposition.

For many people, gastric surgery really is a matter of life and death. While it is possible to lose weight the ‘old fashioned’ way, for people with serious and potentially life threatening health issues time is of the essence and this surgery can help them lose weight much faster than they would normally be able to do. Just make sure that when you’re considering surgery, you pay close attention to the gastric bypass recovery time and carefully follow all of your doctors advice.

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For anyone who has undergone the gastric bypass operation you are well aware of the challenges that can come with such a limited food intake. You know more than anyone how difficult it can be to make sure to eat properly proportioned and prepared meals so that you not only get all the nutrients you need but you can avoid a lot of the fats, carbs, and sugars that you don’t need, and that can actually make you sick. That’s why it’s so important to find good gastric bypass recipes, and the good news is that there are many places to look.

Of course, for several weeks after the procedure you will be greatly limited on the types of foods you can eat, at first you won’t be able to eat solid foods at all just Jell-o and protein shakes, then you will move up to pureed foods and finally, you will be able to eat most types of food. After the surgery, don’t be surprised if the foods you used to enjoy no longer satisfy you. Some people have reported that after the surgery they no longer liked to eat certain foods, such as meat. This may or may not happen to you, you will be spending some time relearning what you like, and what agrees with you, and what you don’t like or what doesn’t agree with you.

One thing you will need to do is to avoid eating too much processed foods that are high in carbohydrates and sugars. You will want to have a diet that is made up more of healthy, low or non processed whole foods. These are more nutrient rich anyway and are better for everyone, not just those that have had the surgery. If you eat too much highly processed carbs and sugar you will very likely get quite sick. You will experience nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Since there is a very real danger that you can get a ‘clog’ in your stomach, you have to make sure to thoroughly chew all of your food. For this reason you may want to avoid foods that have a very tough texture such as some cuts of meat. Raw vegetables might also prove troublesome to some people and you may want to use mostly cooked vegetables such as cooked carrots.

There are very real, and important, things you need to consider post surgery when it comes to preparing the best meals for your body and your overall health. If you are interested in finding gastric bypass recipes there are many places you can look but one of the first places you should check out is right at your doctors office. They will most likely be able to provide you with some recipes to get you started, other than that you can find recipes online, or at your local library or bookstore. With the increasing numbers of people who are having the surgery done, finding tasty recipes is just going to get easier and easier.

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Any type of surgical procedure comes with risks, some have higher risks than others. When it comes to gastric bypass problems the risks aren’t only associated with the surgery but with the lifestyle after the surgery as well. In order for you to have a successful outcome it’s very important that you fully understand, and follow, your doctors post op advice when it comes to the type and amount of food you can eat.

For most people the potential health benefits far outweigh the risks. Everyone knows that to be overweight is to invite a myriad of health issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. For people who are hundreds of pounds overweight the sheer act of moving at all can be close to impossible which will make weight loss next to impossible without some medical intervention.

Here is a list of some of the most common surgery complications:

1. Death

2. Anesthetic complications

3. Infection

4. Leaks where the incisions are located.

5. Bleeding post surgery.

6. Blood clots.

7. Kidney failure.

Because many of these risk factors are exacerbated by having too much fat on your body, your doctor may require you to lose weight prior to the procedure. It’s important that you understand that this type of surgery isn’t an easy way out. You will need to be strict with yourself both before and after the surgery. You will set yourself up for failure if you go into this with the idea that this is some sort of quick fix, or easy solution. You will still need to watch what you eat and get plenty of exercise, just like everyone needs to do if they want to lose weight.

Another thing that you should consider is that due to the bypassing of part of your stomach and small intestine, your body will have more difficulty absorbing nutrients. For this reason you will need to take a vitamin supplement. Most often your doctor will recommend iron, calcium, protein, and B-12 to name a few. These are the vitamins and minerals that won’t be as readily absorbed by your body after your surgery.

Another common side effect of the surgery is depression. Up to 23% of the people who undergo the surgery report feelings of depression post surgery. This is commonly thought to occur because many people blame all the problems in their life on the fact that they are overweight and they subconsciously expect their life to be wonderful after the surgery. When they realize that they have many of the same problems after the surgery as they did before the surgery they can get depressed. That’s why it’s so important for anyone contemplating the surgery to make sure they have realistic expectations about what the surgery can, and cannot, do for their lives.

For many people who are morbidly obese, a gastric bypass can literally mean the difference between life and death. Even so, it isn’t something that should be entered into lightly. Much thought and care needs to go into your decision to undergo this procedure. It’s also important that you carefully consider all the possible gastric bypass problems both during and after the surgery that you may encounter so that you can be prepared for them when, and if, they occur.

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It’s kind of funny, in a sad sort of way, that the number of ineffective, short-lived fad diets continues to grow. And they grow despite the fact that they don’t work, at least not as a long-term solution to losing weight. So, what are you supposed to do if you want to lose weight? Eat better.

Yep. That’s it. Eat better.

Okay, seriously, it wouldn’t be much if that’s all I said. I believe we all know, deep down, that we need to eat better if we stand a chance of shedding those extra pounds. Don’t worry, this is going to be as common sense as it is easy to follow. No fad diet nonsense, just what works.

Food is nothing more than fuel for the body. It contains the vitamins, minerals and calories we need to survive. We only get in trouble when we eat too many calories without burning them off. Some foods are better than others, but nothing is forbidden. Here’s how you can use food to put the odds of weight loss in your favor.

Start the day with something to get the internal furnace started. That means eating breakfast. There is no reason to skip breakfast. It takes virtually no time at all to grab a piece of whole-wheat toast and spread some peanut butter on it, then wash it down with a glass of orange juice. Or boil up some eggs for the upcoming week. Then have an egg, a banana and a granola bar. Even a ready made breakfast shake is better than nothing. The trick is to get your body use to burning calories for the day.

Now that you have your metabolism fired up, you need to keep it going by snacking. A light snack every two hours is all it takes. A small handful of nuts, some carrot sticks with non-fat yogurt, or a protein bar, are good choices. Regular snacking will prevent you from experience mid-afternoon burn out, too.

So, now it’s lunchtime and you’re feeling great! You’re eating food you like and you’re not hungry. Let’s keep going with turkey breast on whole-grain bread, romaine lettuce, tomato and a smear of mustard. Add a veggie-rich salad and a small glass of juice or skim milk and you’re all set.

Don’t forget your two-hour snack break.

For supper try some baked salmon brushed with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Include some fresh veggies of your choice (bake them with the salmon if you like), and a cup of homemade soup. Yummy!

Remember to eat your next snack.

As you can see, this is all reasonable, simple eating. Food is there to keep you going, and it needs to be tasty, too. Remember, nothing is off limits. If you must have some ice cream, just keep the portion under control. Make it a habit to increase the better foods, and eat less of the not-so-good ones and you lose weight fast. Faster than you may have thought possible.

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