Medical clinics and hospitals use preoperative protein diets to prepare bariatric surgery patients for medical weight-loss surgeries. Medical weight-loss programs recommend high-protein diets and surgery options to patients who are moderately to severely obese and have struggled to lose weight on other diet plans.
Purpose
Your weight-loss doctor may advise you to begin a protein diet approximately one week before surgery. According to the Duke University Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery, this diet helps to shrink the liver to make the surgical procedure safer. Starting the diet before surgery also helps you become accustomed to the strict diet you must follow in the weeks after the procedure.
Food Recommendations
A high-protein diet should include lean meats, such as chicken and turkey, fish, eggs and low-fat dairy products. Vegetarian options can include tofu and beans, and you can combine protein-based entrees with a side of fresh vegetables. You can eat fresh fruit, but you should limit quantities and avoid fruit juices.
Diet Restrictions
Strictly limit your intake of high-carbohydrate foods in preoperative period. This includes breads, pastas, baked goods, cereals and rice. Avoid high-fat foods, such a fried foods, chips, heavy condiments, bacon and sausage. Drink water or sugar-free teas in place of sugary drinks, such as soda, and avoid candy and desserts.
Expert Insight
You should not follow a preoperative protein diet for more than two weeks without proper approval and supervision from your doctor or nutritionist. In some cases, your medical weight-loss program may offer you the option of using liquid protein shakes to replace meals on the protein diet. These shakes are formulated to provide necessary nutrients while also providing the strict calorie control you may need during the early phases of a medical weight-loss program.
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