Before Surgery – Diet

More than 2 Weeks Before Surgery

• Choose low-fat foods, and avoid fried foods.
• Stop using sugar. Use sugar substitutes such as Sweet & low, Equal, or Splenda.
• Decrease intake of desserts and candy.
• Stop drinking sugar-sweetened beverages such as regular soda and sweetened Kool-Aid.
• Start weaning off caffeine and carbonated beverages.
• Start cutting back on fast food and eating out. Begin making healthy meal choices when eating out and at home.
• Eat 3 meals a day. Do not skip breakfast.
• Start decreasing portion sizes.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Practice drinking water and other fluids between meals, not with meals.
• Drink 64 ounces of water a day.
• Practice sipping liquids.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Begin some form of exercise.
• Review the following information on the gastric sleeve diet.
• Practice chewing foods thoroughly, 20 – 40 times or to paste consistency.
• Purchase your protein drinks or supplements.
• Purchase your vitamin and mineral supplements.

Begin planning a schedule for mealtime, fluids and vitamin and mineral supplements.

Two Weeks Before Surgery

The Pre Bariatric Surgery Diet starts two weeks prior to surgery. Depending on a person’s health, weight and body composition, bariatric surgery candidates are generally put on a diet ranging from 800-1200 calories per day, and consisting of 40-100 grams of protein each day. The diet also typically calls for a much lower intake of carbohydrates and dietary fat, especially refined sugars and saturated fat.

The pre-surgery bariatric diet is designed to

• Reduce Body Fat – The main purpose of losing weight before weight loss surgery is to reduce body fat in the abdomen region, especially in and around the liver. By reducing the size of the liver, the operating time for laparoscopic surgery is shortened and the procedure is safer
• Preserve Lean Body Mass- Increasing protein keeps the body from using muscle tissue as an energy source on a reduced calorie diet, and burns fat instead.
• Prepare the Patient for Post-Surgery Diet – following a reduced calorie, higher protein and lower carbohydrate diet is essentially the way a bariatric surgery patient will be eating for the rest of his/her life. Therefore, before the surgery is the best time to get used to making healthy food choices and using protein diet supplements that will be needed after surgery.
• Prepare the Body for Post-Surgery Recovery – eating healthy, increasing protein intake and avoiding refined carbohydrates, sugars and saturated fats provides the body with beneficial nutrients, vitamins and minerals that will help prepare it for the nutritionally demanding post-bariatric surgery recovery.

You should start your pre-op diet 14 days before your surgery:

• Replace all your meals with Slim-Fast®, using one of the following:
  • Slim-Fast Original – up to 6 per day
  • Slim-Fast Optima – up to 7 per day
  • Slim-Fast High-Protein – up to 7 per day
  • Slim-Fast Smoothies (99% lactose-free) – up to 7 per day
  • Boost or Boost with fiber (lactose-free) – up to 5 per day
  • Ensure (lactose-free) – up to 5 per day
• Have sugar-free clear liquids (like Crystal Light or sugar-free Kool-Aid) and water.
• Foods Not Allowed: Drinks with sugar (like Gatorade, Powerade, Kool-Aid, or Hawaiian Punch), drinks with carbonation (anything that fizzes, like diet coke, etc), drinks with caffeine, whole milk, and all solid foods.
• Resist the “last supper syndrome” – extra weight added, is extra weight to be lost.
• Strict compliance with this diet is mandatory and will make your surgery and subsequent recovery easier.

Attention Diabetics! Be sure to monitor your blood sugars and contact Dr. Shillingford if necessary.

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