Committing to bariatric surgery requires that you prepare ahead of time by eating the right types of foods. Your pre-surgery diet is just the beginning of the dietary changes that will help you lose weight and gain control of your eating habits. Following your bariatric surgeon's nutritional recommendations may help you demonstrate that you are able to make a commitment to the changes you will need to continue after you have healed from your surgery.
Purpose
The purpose of bariatric surgery is to reduce the amount of food you can consume in one sitting by altering the size of your stomach through banding or dividing the stomach. Doctors and medical professionals generally reserve bariatric surgery for patients who are morbidly obese, have a BMI of more than 40 or suffer from obesity related health problems with a BMI of between 35 to 39.9, according to MayoClinic.com. If your doctor asks you to lose weight in the months leading up to your surgery, the weight you lose may help your recovery and surgical risks. Your immediate pre-operative diet will prepare your body for the procedure.
3 to 6 Months Before
You may need to lose a specified number of pounds to qualify for surgery, according to the Weight Management Center at Johns Hopkins University. Reduce your calories to levels recommended by the surgery center. In general, eat at least 1,200 calories each day before your surgery. A healthy pre-surgery diet consists of at least 46 g low-fat protein if you are a woman and 56 g if you are a man, 2 1/2 cups low-fat dairy, 4 oz. whole grains and about 1 to 1 1/2 cups fruits and vegetables.
Pre-Op Diet
As your bariatric surgery date nears, your surgery center will likely recommend a strict liquid diet. At one week before your surgery, the University of Mississippi Medical Center advises patients to use a liquid dietary supplement for all meals. Additionally, the medical center recommends avoiding all sugary or carbonated beverages, caffeine in coffee or tea and full-fat milk. Ask your doctor or nutrition counselor whether you should take a multivitamin, and discuss whether you should stop taking herbal supplements, prescribed medications or over-the-counter drugs.
Warning
Before your surgery, avoid smoking completely. Some patients fall into the temptation of trying to gorge on their favorite foods in the months and weeks before surgery. Gorging on fattening foods not only hinders your pre-bariatric surgery weight-loss efforts, but it may also make switching to the all-liquid diet and eating to your doctor's recommendation after surgery more difficult. As you prepare for bariatric surgery, take advantage of psychological and medical assessments offered by your doctor or clinic to prepare you for the dietary changes post-surgery.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Gastric Bypass Surgery: Who Is it For?
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Program Frequently Asked Questions
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 (PDF)
- University of Mississippi Medical Center: Bariatric Surgery Pre-Op Instructions; J.R. Salameh (PDF)
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