Your dietician may recommend a strict calorie-controlled diet for two weeks before weight loss surgery. The diet aids in shrinking the liver so that your surgeon can easily push it to the side in order to access the stomach. This is required for a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. Reducing a moderate amount of weight before surgery can also decrease surgical complications. The pre-operative diet includes:
- Food low in carbohydrates and fats
- Drinking at least 2 litres of fluid a day
- Avoiding alcohol
- Taking mineral and multivitamin supplements
- Intake of food at regular intervals (spread throughout the day)
If you are diabetic, you need to reduce your medication as suggested by your doctor. Your surgeon will also give you clear instructions as to the medications that you can/should take and those you should avoid.
Pre-operative Diet
Following a strict pre-operative diet is very essential for patients undergoing weight-loss surgery in order to decrease the size of your liver and facilitate minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, which is associated with less post-operative pain and faster recovery. This diet is also necessary to prepare your body for the surgery, protect your muscle tissue and help in a faster recovery.
Your pre-op diet should be low in carbohydrates and fats, and include moderate amounts of protein as well as multivitamin and mineral supplements. It is advisable to avoid fried food, fatty meat, sweets, whole milk products, smoking, alcohol and binge eating. Your surgeon may also design a specific pre-operative diet specifically for you, based on your body type and the type of surgery you’ve opted for. Your pre-op diet for weight-loss surgery should start 2 to 3 weeks prior to your surgery.
You will be instructed on the continuation of your regular medication and which ones will be stopped before the surgery. If you are diabetic, your insulin and medication will be adjusted.
