Prior to having the Lap-Band surgery your physician is going to put you on a very specific diet that you must follow to prepare your system for the surgery. Keep in mind that the surgery happens around the stomach so you must be sure to follow the dietary restrictions. If you don’t follow the instructions your physician may decide to cancel or postpone your surgery.
This pre-operative diet is critical because its goal is to lower the amount of fat in your liver. This is needed for several reasons, the most important reason is that as the fat content of your liver reduces the easier and safer it will be to move the organ in order to access the stomach to implant the Lap-Band.
The other reason for the pre-op diet is that with a reduced weight and liver size your recovery time will be greatly reduced and you will be back on your feet sooner.
Your doctor will likely ask you to start the diet 10 to 14 days prior to your surgery, most pre-op diets consist of little to no carbs, so foods like rice, white breads, French fries will be out of the question. Carbs make your body overwork to break down them down. The key to preparing for surgery is to raise the amount of proteins like fish, chicken, lean beef that you eat and reduce complex carbohydrates and sugars at all costs. This will make for a happy, healthy liver.
As the Big Day Approaches
The next stage of the pre-op diet is the liquid diet, as your surgery date draws near your doctor will probably put you on a liquid diet that is made up of mostly clear liquids like chicken broth, Gatorade and a some liquid protein supplements. This will achieve the final stage of your pre-operative goals which will be to reduce further the size of the liver and shrink the area around your stomach. The less fatty areas around your stomach you have will be in direct proportion to any bleeding you have. Keep in mind minimal amounts of bleeding is to be expected but maintaining a low fat diet will reduce the amount even further.
A Diet to take Very Seriously
Remember, following your doctor’s instructions prior to your Lap-Band surgery is absolutely necessary and in your best interest from a safety standpoint and it’s also a great way to kick start your weight loss journey!
After your surgery, basically what you will do is reverse the diet process you just went through, so first clear liquids, then thick liquids, then some protein then finally carbs.