Just curious about the liquid diet.

[Cindy Gengler 23]

So I been reading a lot on here that people have to do the liquid diet before surgery. Can someone tell me why your doctors have you do that? I'm 3 months out from my surgery my doctor did not make me do a liquid diet. Just no food or Water after midnight. Just wondering where you guys are from and where you guys go that they have you do that?

[gonefromhere 32]

The goal of the pre-op diet is to reduce the size of the liver so that surgery is easier. It reduces the likelihood of an accidental injury to your liver or stomach during the procedure

[RickM 1,753]

I have yet to find a good explanation of why some docs impose a liquid pre-op diet. The notion that it helps shrink the liver, to the extent that such can actually happen in a couple of weeks - a debatable point amongst the surgeons - only requires a low carb diet like meat and veg, but not a liquid fast. The counterpoint to it that some docs site is that they want their patients as strong and healthy as possible going into surgery, and fasting for a couple weeks doesn't do it.

Personally, I would avoid any of the programs that impose such requirements, unless they can site specifically what it does that a more patient friendly meat and veg diet doesn't do.

[Lola4rmKona 82]

So I been reading a lot on here that people have to do the liquid diet before surgery. Can someone tell me why your doctors have you do that? I'm 3 months out from my surgery my doctor did not make me do a liquid diet. Just no food or Water after midnight. Just wondering where you guys are from and where you guys go that they have you do that?

It's mostly for people with fatty liver that need it to be reduced before surgery. You must not have a fatty liver so that's actually a good thing! Good luck on your surgery????

Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

[gonefromhere 32]

I have yet to find a good explanation of why some docs impose a liquid pre-op diet. The notion that it helps shrink the liver, to the extent that such can actually happen in a couple of weeks - a debatable point amongst the surgeons - only requires a low carb diet like meat and veg, but not a liquid fast. The counterpoint to it that some docs site is that they want their patients as strong and healthy as possible going into surgery, and fasting for a couple weeks doesn't do it.

Personally, I would avoid any of the programs that impose such requirements, unless they can site specifically what it does that a more patient friendly meat and veg diet doesn't do.

Actually, the literature all discusses a very low calorie diet (I'm haven't found any that looks specifically at macronutrients) to reduce liver size.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1381/0960892042386977

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/2/304.short

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11695-010-0337-2

My personal suspicion is that many surgeons simplify this to a liquid diet to make sure the person has all of the supplies they need for their post op diets, and to simplify the instructions (how many people who are in this situation are used to eating plain chicken and veg with no sauces/condiments/etc?).

My program imposes a liquid diet but instructs us that if we have trouble to contact the NUT. During a group class, one person said she was having trouble and the NUT gave her more detailed instructions allowing a small piece of chicken each day, so the liquid diet is not an absolute requirement.

Additionally, my therapist refers to the pre-op diet as "breaking up with food". I'm processing the change in my food relationship now (pre-op) so when I start eating real food again post op I'll have a clean(er) slate.

[heidikat72 935]

My practice didn't require the pre-op diet be liquids only. They just wanted two weeks of no more than 800 calories a day while getting at least 80 grams Protein. They said for some people the easiest way to get that much Protein while keeping calories that low is to just do liquid Protein shakes and that that is why a lot of other practices have people do a liquid diet. mine was basically lean protein and lots of non-starchy veggies.