Trying to understand fatty liver

[KOLaficionado 0]

I've been reading up on fatty liver and it seems that what shrinks the liver is glycogen being used up. I was under the assumption that it was actual stored fat that made it large. And with that thinking, I assumed that you'd have to literally lose the fat from it. Now I'm just confused! Is it both that you loose?

[Cingulus 0]

As I understand the process, the "storage" around the liver is one of the first things to be consumed by the body as it goes into ketosis (SP) and that makes the surgery easier for the band and "shrinks" the volume the liver takes up not the actual liver itself.

[KOLaficionado 0]

Hmm interesting. I do know that there are gobs of fat around the liver in overweight people, and I can see how that could be hard to see and work around. If you google fatty liver(images) the liver is clearly larger and paler in color than healthy livers. There are several causes for fatty liver, but the appearance is basically the same for all. The fact that it's paler in color would go along with actual fat lipid deposits, but I have no clue what color the sugar stores would lend it...

I'm on day four of my pre op diet and my instructions are to eat any Soup I want however much I want, yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, and sugar free drinks. I'm opting to do a very low carb diet because I was a heavy beer drinker utill 7 days ago. It just seems that I would consume too many carbs, sugar AND fat with the diet he recomended. I'm still going low fat, but I'm worring more about the carbs and I have been enjoying eggs:redface: I guess that's why I'm curious about what actually makes the liver smaller. If mine is inflamed due to alcohol as well as my bad diet, I should probably eat a lot less fat as well:frown:

[Lolagirlie 0]

Not all obese people have fatty livers. But I would rather address this preop and not take the chance of being faced with canceling surgery once your asleep because they find it is. Good Luck with your surgery, it will change your life!!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I apparently had a fatty liver...doc said it wasn't diseased (yet, I'm assuming, because it isn't healthy) and I had a low carb, low calorie, low/no fat diet I was on to shrink it. Not a doc here but I think you're right to worry about the carbs and fat in the diet the doc gave you, if the point of it is to shrink your liver preop.

The diet my doc gave me (and they all tweak them a little) was 2-3 low carb low fat low cal high Protein Shakes a day, 64 oz at least Water a day, and 3 oz lean fish chicken or turkey a day in one meal, plus some green veggies. period. I cheated and did a more Atkins type thing the first 3 weeks, (atkins allows more fat) and while I lost 15 pounds my liver was too big still. After that horror I did what doc said for 17 days, lost 17 MORE pounds, and that time he placed the band fine.

I always say trust your doc but if you're worred about it I don't see how cutting out some fat can hurt you any! Especially for just a few weeks.

[KOLaficionado 0]

Thanks for the info! Well I'm sorry you had to go through the operation twice. I think I'll just suck it up and do the plan your doc had you on the second time round. It's only for two weeks, but I started a few days early because I'm concerned that my drinking has probably led to mine being larger than an average obese person:eek:. I did have an ultrasound of it and she said that I didn't need to see a specialist, but that I did in fact have fatty liver, so in the realm of bad news, not as bad as it could be. Well, I guess I'm off to buy protien shakes!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

My doc had me get EAS Carb control AdvantEDGE...they have 17 g Protein, 110 cal, and are low fat low carb. They taste like it, too!

BUT they are great for what they do. Good luck! :tongue:

[Jachut 487]

Fatty livers do contain fat, that needs to go, but the pre op liver shrinking diet is all about depleting the liver of glycogen. You cant lose fat specifically from your liver by going on a special diet, same as you cant choose to lose it off your thighs.

In the pre op diet, you will lose a LOT of glycogen (your body's sugar energy source), since you deplete your body entirely of carbs. Since carbs are always stored with a couple of molecules of Water you shed Water like crazy, and that's where the large weight loss comes from. You dont lose an awful lot of fat in those two weeks on the diet, you do lose a lot of water, a bit of fat and a bit of lean body tissue and your liver tends to shrink from glycogen depletion.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I had an ultra sound on my liver pre surgery and it showed I had a fatty liver. Recently I had another ultra sound and it showed no sign of a fatty liver. Losing that excess weight is

great for the liver!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

You know, Jacqui, I think you're the bee's knees!

But I believe the newest thinking is you can pull fat specifically from the liver, at least the way my surgeon very patiently explained it to me not once, but twice. Extremely low fat diets seem to make our bodies go to the liver first. I did lose fat, not just Water, at least assuming his pricey pricey tanita scales that check body fat, body water, etc are any indication. I would've agreed with you about 1000% (and actually I did...that's why I did my "own thing" for my first "liver shrink") but I think that at least the diet my doc gave me does some internal magic. Ok not really magic, but it works.

[KOLaficionado 0]

Thanks Jaqui, makes a ton of sense. Well, the way I see it this diet sucks as is, sooo I might as well go the whole 9 yards. Just give my body what it needs to keep it healthy for these two weeks and nothing else. I'm sure my liver will appreciate the effort and I CAN'T WAIT TO BE HEALTHY AGAIN! So I'm not gonna take any chances with a big ole liver!!

On the plus side, my ketone strips are nice and purple and that almost makes the violent mood swings and nausea worth it:tongue: