The importance of Pre Opt Diet

[beverly]

What will happen if you don't lose all the required weight before surgery? This my sound ignorant, but could I die on the table or something?

[EricaG]

What will happen if you don't lose all the required weight before surgery? This my sound ignorant, but could I die on the table or something?

hahaha no. I think it's to jumpstart your weightloss.

[Feather]

Hi Beverly,

It should explain in your pre-op paperwork why its important to follow one of the three weight loss modalities. It is to reduce the fat around the liver and reduce the size of the liver as well. Yes, and jump starting the weight loss process is a benefit of this diet.

I have lost my required weight and am finding its been hard to keep off, but I'm going to crack down and get it back down so as to avoid any possible complications. I did speak with Carolyn Williamson and asked her the same question you're asking. She said I would not be denied the surgery, but that I'd be better off following the recommended diet(s).

Good luck my dear, I'm scheduled for July 14th.....yikes!

Feather

[Lindsay]

It's to decrease the size of your liver, and is emphasized as it will/can decrease your risk of complications.

"Reducing body fat in the abdomen and liver increases patient safety."

Losing weight before surgery will lower the risk of complications and make weight loss surgery safer. For the super obese patients, losing sufficient weight before surgery will allow the surgery to be performed laparoscopically, rather than as open surgery. The main purpose of losing weight before weight loss surgery is to reduce body fat in the abdomen region, especially in and around the liver. By reducing the size of the liver, the operating time for laparoscopic surgery is shortened and the procedure is safer. In some instances, a bariatric surgeon may postpone surgery if the patient's liver is too large.

The average weeks prior the bariatric surgery is normally eight to twelve weeks and this does not mean that the patient can eating he or she wants. The patient should this waiting time to start eating healthy.

Some surgeons even require their patients to lose at least ten percent of their current weight before the bariatric surgery is performed. Accordingly, those who have lost ten to fifteen pounds prior the surgery had fewer complications.

The ideal pre bariatric surgery diet is high protein and calorie restricted diet as this type of diet can reduce the liver size, which may mean less operating time. This type of diet may also decrease the presence of fat found in the upper abdomen. Lesser fat in the upper abdomen may mean fewer complications to the patient.

Calorie restricted diet will also be the diet that you have to observed after the procedure, for the rest of your life, so it is recommended that as early as now you get used to it.

Protein is also needed by the body before the surgery. The roles of the protein after the bariatric surgery are:

Help in healing process

Increase level of energy

Makes the transition from pre-surgery diet to post op diet much faster

and more info:

A pre-surgery bariatric diet is designed to:

Reduce Bodyfat - especially the depot fat around the abdominal mid-section. Since this is the specific surgical area, this is beneficial to the safety of the patient.

Preserve Lean Body Mass - intake of sufficient amounts of protein is "anti-catabolic" or "protein sparing". This means that getting adequate protein prevents the body from utilizing lean muscle tissue as an energy source while losing body fat on a calorie restricted diet.

Prepare the Body for Post-Surgery Recovery - eating healthy, increasing protein intake and avoiding refined carbohydrates, sugars and saturated fats provides the body with beneficial nutrients, vitamins and minerals that will help prepare it for the nutritionally demanding post-bariatric surgery recovery.

Prepare the Patient for the Post-Surgery Diet - following a reduced calorie, higher protein, lower carbohyrdate diet is essentially the way a bariatric surgery patient will be eating for the rest of their life. Therefore, before the surgery is the best time to get used to making healthy food choices and using protein diet supplements that will be needed after surgery.