Before Your Surgery
Prior to having weight loss surgery, it is important to begin making some of the lifestyle changes that will be needed following surgery. Preparing ahead of time will make life less overwhelming after surgery which can often be challenging enough.
Old habits die hard. Working to break old habits now can help reduce the stress you may experience after surgery.
Our surgeons recommend the following for their patients:
1. If you smoke, you need to stop smoking at least one month prior to surgery to decrease your risk of respiratory complications. Smoking can also slow your healing process. If you are considering the gastric bypass procedure you must make the commitment to stop smoking forever.
2. Begin an exercise program now. Losing even 5-10 pounds before your surgery date will be beneficial. After getting medical clearance to do so, begin a walking program, join a gym or begin a yoga or Pilates class. Increase your physical activity each day by doing small things like parking further from the front door at the grocery store and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
3. Begin taking an adult chewable multi-vitamin each day along with additional calcium with vitamin d each day to help prevent bone loss.
4. Practice eating meals slower. We are a fast-paced society and often consume our meals way too fast. Eating too fast after weight loss surgery may result in getting food stuck or feeling ill. You will have to slow down your eating to avoid these unpleasant consequences.
5. Practice cutting your food into small bites (pinky nail sized bites). Chew one piece at a time very well before swallowing. This will help to prevent food from getting “stuck” which is uncomfortable and could require a scope procedure to remove whatever is stuck!
6. Practice refraining from drinking fluids while eating your meals, and for 60 minutes following a meal. This will help to prevent premature emptying of the stomach pouch and over-filling the stomach.
7. Learn to eat high-quality protein first at every meal. You will be eating very little food after surgery and every thing you eat will have to count. Protein first! Become familiar with different sources of protein and the number of grams per ounce. Experiment with the different protein shakes and bars. These will be an important part of your diet after surgery when you are unable to eat enough protein starting out.
8. Fluid is important. Practice drinking 64 ounces of sugar-free, non-carbonated fluids daily. Water is the best source of fluid. A new post-op patient can’t drink very much fluid and sipping slowly is encouraged. Immediately after surgery, be careful about consuming coffee and tea, which contain caffeine (a diuretic that can quickly lead to dehydration and deplete calcium from your body).
9. Several days prior to surgery, patients are required to adhere to a surgeon specific low calorie, high protein, low fat, low carbohydrate diet. The purpose of this diet is to help shrink the size of the liver, to make the surgery as safe as possible.It is not a diet for the purpose of losing weight, even though many patients will lose some weight during this time. You will receive a packet which outlines the specifics of this diet prior to starting it.
10. Medication Consideration. Prior to surgery you will need to be prepared to stop, or taper off the following medications as outlined, or advised by the surgeon. Your primary care physician must guide you in this step to prevent possible withdrawel complications . The surgeon may individualize these requirements based on your specific health history.
- Aspirin- stop 7 days before surgery
- Steroids- stop 7days before surgery
- Plavix- stop 7 days before surgery
- Ibuprofen (Advil, Aleve, Motrin)- stop 7days before surgery
- Anti-Depressant or Mood Disorder Medications- taper off completely or to lowest possible dose per physician instructions.
- Herbal Supplements- stop 30 days before surgery. Herbal supplements are not the same thing as vitamins. Herbal supplements are things such as Kava Kava, St. John’s Wort and Saw Palmetto, to name just a few.
11. Take the time to observe your eating behaviors before surgery. Do you eat out of boredom, stress, mood fluctuations, depression or other emotions? Are you an emotional eater, seeking out sweets or snacks when a certain mood hits? If so, how will you address these behaviors following your surgery? Devise some alternatives and write them down so you have a written plan as to how you will address these behaviors. Food journaling is an excellent way to identify emotional eating and food trigger situations. Some patients may benefit from pre and post operative behavior counseling.
