Frequently Asked Questions

> Can I get pregnant?
> When can I return to work?
> What are the restrictions after my surgery?
> What about all my current medications?  Can I take them after surgery?
> When can I start exercising?  What kinds of exercise can I do?
> Can I eat pizza again?
> Why do I have to stop drinking diet pop?
> My friend had the gastric band placed, it seems like she’s snacking all day?  Shouldn’t she just be eating 3 meals?
> Why can’t I drink water with my meals?  What about my morning cup of coffee with breakfast?
> I’ve heard I can just eat less of what I like and I don’t have to diet.  That seems too good to be true. Is it true?

Can I get pregnant?

Because of the nutritional well-being of the baby, It is not recommended that you get pregnant for the first 18 months after a band or bypass.

 As you start to lose weight, your hormones can drastically change, so that your birth control pills may not work effectively. It is recommended that you use a barrier device, along with your birth control pills, for the first 18 months after the band or bypass.

When can I return to work?

Returning to work depends upon what type of surgery you had and what type of work that you did. Band patients who do not have a job that requires heavy lifting are able to return to work after three days. Bypass patients usually remain off work for approximately 4 weeks.

What are the restrictions after my surgery?

After both a band and laparoscopic bypass surgery, there is a lifting limitation of approximately 20 pounds for the first two weeks (this is about the equivalent of two one-gallon jugs of milk). There is also no soaking in any water (bath tub, hot tub, swimming) for two weeks. If you have an open bypass procedure, then there is no soaking in water for 4 weeks after surgery. There are the same lifting restrictions for the open or laparoscopic bypass procedure.

What about all my current medications?  Can I take them after surgery?

For about the first year after a band and bypass surgery, you will be restricted to taking pills not larger than a plain M & M (about 9 mm in length or diameter).  Before your surgery, you should discuss with your family physician or your pharmacist if some of your medications can be cut or crushed or if they come in a liquid form.

Many of the long acting medications cannot be altered, and if you continue on this medication after surgery, your medications may need to be changed to the immediate acting form of the medication, which may result in you taking this medication more than once a day.

Because of the restrictive pouch after band and bypass surgery, you may find it necessary to take your medications over a longer period of the day, so as not to overextend the new pouch size. People who take more than four medications at one time of the day often struggle in the first few months after surgery to get their medications in.

When can I start exercising?  What kinds of exercise can I do?

People who have either the band or bypass surgery enjoy a greater weight loss when they exercise on a regular basis after surgery. The recommendation is that you do at least 30 minutes of an aerobic exercise (walking briskly, riding a bike, swimming, elliptical machines) 5 or more times a week.  Ideally you will have started an exercise program once you have made the decision to have the surgery, so that you will be well established in the program that you choose.  You may return to that program the day after you are discharged from the hospital.  If you have chosen swimming as your aerobic exercise, you may have to delay that for 2-4 weeks after your surgery, and may choose walking briskly until you can return back to that activity. Although resistance training will help convert fat tissue into lean muscle, the most weight loss will occur through an aerobic exercise program.  Resistance training may resume two weeks after your surgery.

Can I eat pizza again?

Patients who have had a gastric band placed or a gastric bypass done typically find eating bread, pasta and rice difficult after surgery. Once eaten, these foods swell in your gastric pouch and may make you feel uncomfortably full. Pizza is a bread-based product. So, likely, you will need to cut back on how much you eat and how often you eat it.

Why do I have to stop drinking diet pop?

Carbonation and pouches do not mix well. The carbonation will push up against the gastric-esophogeal sphincter. The result, you feel like you have a very bad case of “heart burn.” Patients who used to drink 6 or 7 cans of diet soft drink per day often report drinking less than 1 can per day after surgery.

My friend had the gastric band placed, it seems like she’s snacking all day?  Shouldn’t she just be eating 3 meals?

The band and the bypass are restrictive tools. This means that you will only be able to eat a small amount of food at one sitting. A typical breakfast may be ½ cup of cottage cheese and 1/3 cup fresh fruit plus ½ slice toast. Not much when you compare this to the typical eggs, hash brown and bacon and toast breakfast. Once the pouch empties, which occurs about 2 to 3 hours after eating, a person will be hungry again. What you may view as snacking is actually your friend eating another mini-meal. Both band and bypass patients are encouraged to eat 5 small meals per day.

Why can’t I drink water with my meals?  What about my morning cup of coffee with breakfast?

Patients are encouraged to separate their food from their fluids. This has to do with the emptying rate of the gastric pouch. When you eat food alone without a fluid, the food remains in the pouch for a longer period of time making you feel full longer. Once you begin drinking fluids the food passes through the pouch faster. As for your morning cup of coffee, get up, drink your coffee. Wait 30 minutes then eat breakfast. We know better than to mess with someone’s caffeine source!

I’ve heard I can just eat less of what I like and I don’t have to diet.  That seems too good to be true.  Is it true?

The lap band and gastric bypass are tools to help with weight loss. They are both restrictive tools. This means that you will be forced to eat less. If you eat less high calorie foods you will lose weight, initially. Our experience is that people who try to continue to eat a steady diet of fast foods, fatty foods, or high calorie foods in smaller quantities typically don’t have sustained weight loss. In fact, they may start to gain weight because their overall calorie intake is greater than what the body needs. Research as well as our clinics experience finds that a diet lower in calories and carbohydrates yields the best weight loss. Our dietitians will help you find foods to meet this bill.