More and more people are becoming obese in this country, and, indeed, the world. As a result, bariatric surgery is now incredibly popular, quite literally saving people’s lives. If you are classed as a good candidate, you will have to go through a lengthy period of preparation. Your surgeon will provide you with a plan of action, which you must follow to the letter. The most important element of this is to eat the special diet that you have been provided with. Not only will this get you ready from a nutritional perspective, it will also start to teach you how to eat healthy on a daily basis. But be ready to have to say goodbye to all your favorite foods before you can have weight loss surgery.
The Preoperative Diet
Generally speaking, your preoperative diet will be very high in protein, but very low in carbohydrates, fats, and calories. It will take quite some effort to follow this diet, but it will get you started on lowering your overall body fat, particularly around your liver. At the same time, it will ensure that your muscle tissue is protected and preserved. In so doing, your weight loss rate will significantly increase, and you will recover from your surgery quicker and better as well.
Your personal circumstances will determine how long you have to be on the preoperative diet. The surgeon will look at the type of surgery that will be offered, and what your current weight is, and make a recommendation based on that. For the duodenal switch and the gastric bypass, you will have to follow this diet for three months before you can have surgery. If you are having the gastric band, you usually only have to do it for three weeks. Different patients will be prescribed with a different diet depending on their health condition. Overall, the recommendations for everybody are:
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To stop drinking alcohol.
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To reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet.
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To stop eating fast food, which is full of calories. In so doing, your liver and stomach will start to heal and shrink, which is important to prevent surgical bleeding.
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To eat between 800 and 1200 calories per day.
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To not eat whole dairy products, chocolates, or fat meats.
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To reduce food that is sweet.
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To make healthy choices, including vegetables, fruits, oats, eggs, yogurt, and fish to the diet.
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To take protein supplements according to your prescription. Commonly, you will have to take between 70 and 120 grams every day.
This diet is incredibly important and you must follow it before you have your surgery. While being originally designed to reduce the risk of people experiencing complications before surgery, it is now known that it does a whole lot more as well. For instance, it ensures people start to get used to think properly about what they eat and how that impacts their overall health and well being. Make sure, therefore, that you follow the doctor’s recommendations.