good afternoon,

I am having my surgery on 9/7 - I was put on a pre op diet for 2 weeks starting today. I am doing the Opti Fast 800 calorie diet (liquid). so far it has been ok. (i started it today LOL). My question is: I have been reading and some people did the pre op diet and some other don't. Is this really necessary? why some Doctors required and some other's dont?? Does it make a diference at the moment of surgery having done the diet and or not?? I have a lot of questions.

Thanks for your help!

Vanessa

It's a function of BMI's. If you have a BMI over 40, 45, 50, most doctors require you to do it for safety reasons. Apparently it makes the liver less slimy and easier to handle. Plus, of course, you are lighter, which is better for the heart. Just do the best you can if your BMI is high. Most people cheat a little, because they just can't stand it after a while. Every little bit helps your surgeon, which helps you.

good afternoon,

I am having my surgery on 9/7 - I was put on a pre op diet for 2 weeks starting today. I am doing the Opti Fast 800 calorie diet (liquid). so far it has been ok. (i started it today LOL). My question is: I have been reading and some people did the pre op diet and some other don't. Is this really necessary? why some Doctors required and some other's dont?? Does it make a diference at the moment of surgery having done the diet and or not?? I have a lot of questions.

Thanks for your help!

Vanessa

The primary reason for the pre-op diet is to reduce the fat layer surrounding your liver. Your doctor is going to move the liver during your surgery and the less fat around it, the easier it is to handle. You do not want the liver to be inadvertently nicked or torn during your surgery. That is an undesirable side effect. Some doctors, if they see there is too much fat around the liver will stop the surgery. After the patient wakes up, he / she finds out they didn't have surgery and they have to do more of a diet to further shrink the fat layer.

Smkeller is correct - pre-op diets differ by person, due to your BMI and overall health conditions.

Another benefit of the pre-op diet - it allows you to start changing your relationship with food. And- some people lose a good number of pounds during the pre-op - to jumpstart their loss.

Yes...it helps shrink your liver. Most of us have a really fatty liver and most surgeons do not want it to "get in the way" as it lies halfway over the stomach. If you can view graphic images, there are YouTube videos of the surgery and many surgeons point out where the liver lies and why it's important to shrink it prior to surgery. My first surgeon told me if I lost 10-15 pounds in the two weeks prior to surgery, almost ALL of that is fat off the liver (first to dispose of fat cells, apparently) and it supposedly makes a huge difference.

good afternoon,

I am having my surgery on 9/7 - I was put on a pre op diet for 2 weeks starting today. I am doing the Opti Fast 800 calorie diet (liquid). so far it has been ok. (i started it today LOL). My question is: I have been reading and some people did the pre op diet and some other don't. Is this really necessary? why some Doctors required and some other's dont?? Does it make a diference at the moment of surgery having done the diet and or not?? I have a lot of questions.

Thanks for your help!

Vanessa

usually the surgeon wants you to lose some weight before surgery because if you lose weight it reduces the size of your liver and makes it lighter and that makes it easier for the surgeon to get under the liver and move around in your tummy without complications. Also, some insurances require a 10% weight loss before surgery.

In addition to the shrinking of the stomach and liver allowing for more room for the surgeons to physically operate there is one even more important reason for the pre op diet. A reason that causes me to believe that those surgeons not requiring it are damn fools or are looking forward to doing your revision work. By following a pre op diet you demonstrate that you can actually follow a diet. This is an absolute necessity for continued success after your WLS.

I just recently encounter a prospective WLS surgery patient that was dropped by her surgeons. She gained weight during the preop diet and admitted to not following it. She's now trying it again with a different group and I'm pretty sure she learned her lesson. This aint the easy way out folks.