Prior to your Weight loss surgery, you may be required to follow a pre op diet. Depending where you are having your surgery, the length of this diet can vary considerably from as little as 2 weeks to 10 weeks or more. The purpose of this diet is for liver shrinkage. The liver is a fairly brittle organ, which can bleed if handled too much. It sits in the way of the stomach, and can be enlarged particularly in an obese person. The surgeon wants the liver to be “shrunk” up out of the way, to make the procedure safer, if this is achieved, then the surgeon is less likely to cause liver damage and also the added weight loss is a benefit too. You will need to strictly follow this diet as if your liver is too big during the operation, the surgeon may consider not going ahead with your surgery.
The liver shrinkage diet can be one of many diets, but the 2 main diets that are regularly used by hospitals are
1. Milk diet.
This is a diet consisting of milk, yoghurt and a salty drink like oxo or Bovril. This diet is not usually offered to diabetics as it will not fulfil the dietary needs of a diabetic to maintain good glucose control. It includes a salty drink to try and maintain the salt levels in a person’s body when it enters starvation mode or KETOSIS as it is known. Without the salt, you may experience cramps in your legs, and feeling unwell. It is recommended that you do not deviate in any way from the diet your team gives you. Each diet is carefully calculated to meet your exact needs and keep you in optimum health on the run up to your operation day.
2. Food Diet.
The food diet is a carefully selected balance of low fat, high protein, low sugar, low salt foods that you can mix and match to create your meals. You will be given a list of “suggested” food items, that you can cook, and encouraged to also reduce the amount of added calories, by using alternative methods of cooking than frying, You will be advised to steam, poach, bake or grill these foods which largely consist of Chicken/Turkey and other lean meats. Fish and unlimited vegetables (however not root vegetables) and specific types of fruit. This diet is usually given to diabetic patients as it allows more control of blood glucose levels.
Both diets can have fantastic results on a person’s weight loss pre op, BUT remember the weight loss is simply a bonus….the only true aim of the pre op diet is for the purposes of liver shrinkage. However if you follow the programme strictly……..weight loss is inevitable and most welcomed by your surgeon.
Most dieticians will advise that you start taking the multi vitamin and mineral regime daily, once you enter the pre op dietary programme. Some teams will not advocate supplements, so only follow your specific team’s advice and not what you think you should be doing.
Some people will be advised to continue taking Vitamins and Minerals for life, particularly those who will no longer absorb these things from their food, such as bypass patients. Band patients will not usually be required to take supplements, as there is no malapsorption involved in that particular surgery.