Preparation for gastric bypass surgery requires you to make changes to your diet to establish healthy eating patterns that will prepare you for your new lifestyle post-surgery. Although recommendations vary, some bariatric surgeons recommend losing up to 10 percent of your body weight before surgery to decrease risks and complications involved with surgery. It is imperative that you meet with a physician and nutritionist in the months leading up to surgery to develop a plan that will meet your individual needs.
Low-calorie Diet
The pre-gastric bypass diet is typically a reduced-calorie diet designed to help you lose weight before surgery. Calorie intake typically ranges between 800 to 1,200 calories, depending on your weight, height, gender and health history. A low-calorie diet before surgery also prepares you for the diet you will be following after your surgery. Gastric bypass surgery limits the amount of space you have in your stomach to hold food. You will get full quickly on smaller amounts of food than you used to eat in the past. Typically, eating too much food will lead to sickness with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
High Protein
Protein is emphasized in both the pre-op and post-op diet protocols. This nutrient is essential in the body for the growth, maintenance and repair of tissues. This is essential for the preparation of surgery in which your body needs to be strong for recovery. Protein assists in stabilizing blood sugar levels, which will prevent common hunger cravings that cause you to overeat. Adding protein to your diet will keep you from feeling hunger on a low-calorie diet. Protein intake may range between 70 to 120 g per day, depending on your individual needs as determined by your medical team.
Eliminate Refined Carbohydrates
Post-surgery, you will have to limit your intake of refined foods high in sugar. Hence, the pre-surgery gastric bypass diet should greatly reduce or eliminate processed foods such as simple carbohydrates. These foods are low in nutrients, high in sugar and fat and stripped of their vitamins and minerals during the refining process. They typically include white bread, flours, baked goods, candy bars and many packaged or canned foods with added sugars and additives. Eating these foods provides no nutritive value to your body and may increase weight gain if you eat them frequently in large amounts.
Foods to Eat
Candidates for bypass surgery typically do not know what types of foods are healthy or permissible since their diets mostly have been high in calories and fat. Healthy foods that are recommended on this diet include fruits, vegetables, lean meats such as chicken and turkey, fish, egg whites and low-fat yogurt and milk. Protein powders and supplements may also be advised if you are having trouble meeting your protein needs. Furthermore, some candidates may go on an all-liquid diet consisting of high-protein drinks, advised by a physician.
References
- Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases: Is There a Benefit To Preoperative Weight Loss in Gastric Bypass Patients? A Prospective Randomized Trial; Ramzi S. Alami et al; February 2007
- Mayo Clinic: Gastric Bypass Surgery
- University of Michigan: Adult Bariatric Surgery Program
- Victoria Bariatric Surgery: Long Term Weight Loss and Maintenance After Gastric Bypass
- Obesity Help: Nutritional Guidelines After Roux-en-Y-Gastric Bypass Surgery
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