Bariatric surgery is a significant step towards weight loss for individuals struggling with obesity. However, surgery alone isn't a magic bullet. Preparing for the procedure with a pre-bariatric surgery diet is crucial for a safe and successful outcome. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the 2-week pre-bariatric surgery diet, its purpose, guidelines, and potential benefits.
Understanding the Need for a Pre-Surgery Diet
Undergoing bariatric surgery is a personal decision that can change your life by improving your health. You need to know several steps before you step into the operating room; these steps can ensure the success of your surgery and be helpful in recovery. The pre-bariatric surgery diet is designed to help shrink your liver and prepare your body for the surgery. It may seem like a daunting task, but understanding the purpose of the diet and how to follow it can make this phase smoother.
Bariatric surgery encompasses various procedures like gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. These procedures require the surgeon to access the stomach. To ensure a safe and effective procedure, the liver should not be enlarged. The 2-week pre-bariatric surgery diet plays a vital role in achieving this.
Key Objectives of the Pre-Surgery Diet
The liquid diet serves several purposes. The primary reason is to reduce the size of the liver so it’s easier to perform surgery. Fat and sugar increase the size of the liver. The pre-surgery diet involves a low-calorie, high-protein, low-carbohydrate regimen. This diet may be planned by your dietitian or bariatric surgeon, who will instruct you to consume specific foods and avoid others to shrink your liver, lose weight, and prepare for the procedure.
Weight loss before surgery will shrink the size of the liver. This allows for the surgeon to see the stomach better. Some studies of shown before surgery weight loss shortens OR times time as well. Weight loss before surgery reduces your risks of developing complications by lowering your BMI.
Read also: Bikini Competition Prep Guide
Dietary Guidelines for the 2-Week Pre-Op Phase
Approximately two weeks before surgery, your doctor will start you on a full-liquid, low-carbohydrate diet. Your physician will specify exactly when you should start the diet. All surgical weight loss patients follow a Phase 2A meal plan. This high protein full liquid diet will allow you to lose body fat while preserving your muscle mass, which is the powerhouse of the body.
The typical pre-op gastric bypass diet is high in protein and low in fat and carbohydrates. You will consume 70 to 120 grams of protein a day.
Here's a breakdown of the key components:
- Full Liquid Diet: The diet primarily consists of liquids to facilitate faster digestion and nutrient absorption.
- High Protein Intake: You should try to consume 60-80 grams of protein per day. Consuming protein is crucial because it helps maintain muscle mass.
- Low Carbohydrate and Sugar Intake: Low-carbohydrate and low-sugar foods should be consumed. High carbohydrates and refined sugars are restricted in this phase.
- Healthy Fats: Healthy fats are important as fats can keep you satisfied when you are on a restricted-calorie diet.
- Hydration: In addition to protein shakes, you should aim for a fluid intake of 64 ounces per day. The liquids can help keep you hydrated and provide a high chance for your liver to shrink. Drink slowly or SIP, SIP, SIP. It should take you 30 minutes to drink up to 8 ounces of fluid; it is common to feel “full” after drinking only 4-6 ounces immediately after surgery.
- Avoidance of Certain Foods: Before a few days of bariatric surgery, it is recommended to avoid processed foods that are rich in sugar, sodium, and preservatives. Avoid all carbonated fluids. Do not graze between meals.
Sample Meal Plan and Food Choices
Your surgical weight loss dietitian has provided you with a list of acceptable liquid drinks. The variety is limited, but remember this is only for a short period of time. Here's a general idea of what you might consume:
- Protein Shakes: Essential for meeting protein goals.
- Clear Broth: Provides hydration and electrolytes.
- Sugar-Free Gelatin: A low-calorie, sweet treat.
- Water: Crucial for hydration.
- Unsweetened Tea or Coffee: In moderation.
Managing Hunger and Potential Challenges
Since you will not have a tool working for you, you may feel hunger. This is expected and normal. You will likely feel real physical hunger and also “head hunger.” Head hunger is the wanting to crunch or snack on certain types of foods. In the initial days, it is normal to feel hungry. You can drink more liquid diet to keep yourself hydrated.
Read also: Transformations with Ozempic
Here are some tips to manage hunger:
- Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of water throughout the day to maintain overall health and control hunger.
- Frequent Small “Meals”: Your goal is to consume six small meals per day. Space your meal replacement shakes and one solid food meal evenly throughout the day.
- Focus on Protein: Protein helps promote satiety.
Benefits of Adhering to the Pre-Surgery Diet
A 2-week Pre-Bariatric Diet can be beneficial in different ways, including both short-term and long-term benefits.
- Liver Shrinkage: Shrinkage of the liver is the primary benefit of the pre-surgery diet.
- Weight Loss: With a pre-bariatric diet, one can reduce excess weight and risks related to the surgery.
- Improved Insulin Sensitivity: With a low-carb diet, one can experience improved insulin sensitivity. For patients with type 2 diabetes, a low-carb diet is very important.
- Mental Preparation: You need to be prepared for the mental framework for the lifestyle changes you will experience ahead.
The Importance of Commitment and Support
The decision to undergo bariatric surgery isn’t easy. Aside from choosing to undergo surgery after consulting with a physician, your biggest requirement is commitment to a lifestyle change of eating the right foods in the right portions, losing weight and keeping the weight off for the rest of your life. A restrictive diet for two weeks before the diet can be challenging, but with the right mindset and strategy, it becomes easy and possible. You need to be focused on your diet by reminding yourself that this phase is temporary. You will get a healthier and happier life after the surgery.
It's very important that you adhere to this liquid diet according to your surgeon's instructions. There have been cases in which a patient's surgery was canceled due to noncompliance with the pre-op diet.
Going through the pre-surgery diet can be a difficult task; you don’t do it alone. The two-week pre-surgery diet is important in your weight loss journey. This phase is temporary and is necessary for a safe and successful surgery. With proper guidelines and commitment to the plan, you can achieve success during and after the surgery.
Read also: Dangers of the 800 Calorie Diet
Post-Surgery Diet Progression
After bariatric surgery, you have a reconstructed stomach with much less capacity, so it’s very important that you give it time to heal by eating the appropriate foods in the right portions. Once your operation has been performed, your stomach will need to heal. What and how you eat will be a determining factor in how well and how quickly you recover. Your post-op diet will prevent your stomach from stretching and putting undue stress on your body. The bariatric diet for recovery is set to ensure that your body heals properly and obtains adequate nutrition. There are 4 levels of diet progression to follow that describe what you eat after bariatric surgery.
- Stage 1: Liquid Diet: You will follow a strict liquid diet in the days and weeks following bariatric surgery. During this stage of your bariatric meal plan, you will eat foods that have the consistency of a smooth paste or thick liquid. You’ll still want to consume high amounts of protein and the recommended daily 64 oz. of water.
- Stage 2: Pureed Foods: Step 2 also lasts one to two weeks and includes blended or pureed food that is high in protein and low in fat (no vegetables). Also, even though the liquid diet step is over, it’s still important for you to maintain the commitment to drink 64 ounces of fluids per day to avoid dehydration (about 4 to 6 ounces of liquid every hour).
- Stage 3: Soft Foods: Anything that can be easily mashed with a fork is considered a soft food, but that doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want as long as it’s soft. Stage 3 of your post-gastric bypass meal plan continues the focus on lean, high-protein foods with the gradual introduction of more fruits and vegetables.
- Stage 4: Solid Foods: Once you’re able to tolerate soft foods, you may begin integrating firmer foods into your post-bariatric meal plan. You’ll want to chop or dice foods and start slowly to see how your body responds. It’s recommended that you only add one new food per day to accurately assess your body’s reaction. Stage 4 of your bariatric diet carries over the high-protein requirements and daily intake of 64 oz. of water for proper hydration.
About three to four months after bariatric surgery, you are ready to begin the diet you should follow the rest of your life. “It’s important to eat protein at every meal and eat the majority of it first so you can meet your protein goals,” Lisa said. The “30-minute rule”: After surgery, you have a smaller stomach, so you should not drink any liquids for 30 minutes before a meal, during the meal, and for 30 minutes after a meal. Not drinking prevents you from feeling full too quickly before you’ve finished eating your protein.
Long-Term Success Through Lifestyle Changes
As soon as you’ve made the decision to have surgery, you should start modifying your behavior. Honestly, 90% of the success a patient achieves depends on behavior modification. The first step in healthier eating is cutting down to appropriate portion sizes and following the “MyPlate” concept. Under this formula, each plate of food is 30% non-starchy vegetables, 25% protein, 25% whole grains and 20% fruit. Another key during this phase is the importance of ingraining physical activity into your daily routine.
For optimal, yet healthy, weight loss with bariatric surgery, patients are expected to change the types of foods they eat, the amount they eat, and how they eat.
Addressing Common Concerns
- Will I feel hungry? You can expect to feel a certain amount of hunger and will have to manage with this.
- Can I have a last meal? It is NOT recommended to over indulge before surgery. High blood sugars the morning of surgery may result in a canceled surgery.
- How will my surgeon know if I follow the plan or not? The goal is to have weight loss. Following the liquid plan will guarantee a significant weight loss in a short period of time.