Preop Bariatric Diet

Bariatric surgery is a weight loss surgery that shrinks the capacity of the stomach to help obese patients lose weight. The surgery is not a magic cure for obesity and a patient will have to use diet and exercise before and after the surgery to lose weight successfully with whatever type of bariatric surgery is used.

Pre Surgery Weight Loss

• The surgeon may require that a bariatric patient lose 8 percent of their weight before the surgery to decrease the risk of complications from the procedure, according to Dr. Sergio Huerta, a bariatric surgeon at Southwestern Medical Center. Follow the dietary requirements that your doctor gives you before you surgery to lose fat around the abdomen and in some cases to decrease the size of the liver.

  The diet that you follow will typically include between 800 and 1200 calories, according to BariatricChoice.com. The presurgery diet will also help you get started on the changes that will be necessary after the procedure. The changes to your diet will continue through your lifetime.

  Your prebariatric diet will likely contain between 70 and 120g of protein each day and will avoid refined sugars and saturated fats.

Liquid Diets

• Your surgeon may require you to consume a high protein liquid diet before your gastric bypass surgery. You may use a liquid diet before a laparoscopic surgery to eliminate fat around the abdomen and to reduce the size of the liver. Your doctor may recommend using whey protein shakes before the procedure to minimize the size of the liver.

  The liquid diet is followed after the gastric bypass surgery when you will not be able to consume anything more than 2 oz. of liquids at a meal. Following the diet before the procedure helps some patients prepare for the major lifestyle change that follows this type of weight loss surgery.

  Discuss the diet with your doctor and a nutritionist before the surgery. You may be able to gradually work towards a full liquid diet over the course of two or three months.

Preparing for Recovery

• Recovery from gastric bypass surgery and other bariatric procedures can be painful and difficult. The diet that you consume in the months before the procedure will help prepare your body for the massive recovery effort that is required after the procedure. A healthy diet that is low in fat and calories will also help prepare you for the drastic reduction in food that you will eat after the procedure. You are not likely to want to eat anything in the first few days, but eventually you will feel up to consuming some sold food. The surgery helps to control your appetite and prevent you from overeating, but a good presurgery diet will begin your education in nutrition and making good choices. Avoid eating refined sugars and processed foods. Carbohydrates should come from fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Eat lean sources of meat such as fish and chicken. After the surgery, your meals will be considerably smaller, you can begin to eat frequent small meals before the surgery to prepare for your new healthy lifestyle.