Hello! My name is Megan and I just sent in all my information to the insurance company to see if I qualify (I better otherwise I dont know who would)! I have been lurking on the boards to get more information and I keep seeing liquid diets before surgery. Why do you have to be on a liquid diet before you have the surgery? I was hoping I could have the LAST supper :-) Ha HA:hungry:

Hi Megan, I'm not sure about your surgeon, but mine (in Australia) insists on a pre-op diet of Optifast, for 4 weeks. This does include 3 meal replacements, green vege's, diet jelly and calorie free liquids. The reason for this is to help you adjust to the liquid, then mushie stages after surgery, but also to shrink your liver, which is kinda in the way during surgery, and sometimes needs to be lifted. It also can help detox your stomach etc, that is full of crap from years of abuse. I hope this helps.............. you can also google "optifast before bariatric surgery"... cheers Karen

Megan, My Dr wanted me to do it to shrink the liver so she didnt have to move it around so much when positioning the band. Glad I did cause it helped get me ready for the 2 weeks after. Hope this helps....

Dave:bounce::bounce:

Not all doctors do a liquid diet but it seems most do. Some just a strict low fat diet. Some no diet at all.

Mine required 7 days but I did 13. (I had many LAST MEALS at that point.)

It's to shrink the liver mostly. The liver sits on your stomach and they have to move it for the surgery. Watch a Band surgery on or-live.com and you'll see them have to pick up and move it - that was enough to scare me - lol.

It also helped jumpstart my weigh loss (14lbs), cleaned me out, and made it easier to transition to liquid AFTER surgery - everyone has to do that. I have to do 2 weeks, almost done.

I'm dying for real food at this point but I'm glad it was required.

Hey Meg. The liquid diet helps shrink your liver. Also, and this is just my thinking---it starts you on some sort of disclipline. It gets you prepared in your mind for the liquid diet you will have to be on for 3 weeks after surgery. I had my last supper the day before I went on liquids. Good luck.

Thanks!! I feel that at least theres a reason for it not just to see if I can handle the all liquid diet. Good luck to everyone! Hopefully my insurance will approve me!!