Nutrition before Surgery
Following surgery, your eating habits will be very different from what they are now. With that in mind, we recommend you begin making modifications NOW, even if you are still evaluating your surgery options.
We give all of our patients a goal of losing at least 5 pounds before surgery. Some may need to lose a little more depending on their personal circumstances because, of course everyone is different! To assist you toward that end, we have listed a few behavior modifications and encourage you to pick two or three of these suggestions below and begin to use them.
- Gradually wean yourself from sugared drinks and all carbonated beverages. (You will not be able to drink either of these after surgery.)
- Reduce the amount of sugar and deserts you eat.
- Practice slowing down at meals and chew each bite at least 15 times. (You will have to chew longer than this after surgery so that food becomes the consistency of applesauce.)
- Practice reducing your portion sizes or practice leaving one bite on your plate at meals.
- Eat the protein portions (meat, poultry, fish, eggs and cheese) of your meal first and chew it well.
- Take vitamins and minerals daily.
- Practice stopping when you are satisfied – before you are full.
- Practice drinking water between meals and not drinking anything with your meals.
If it is necessary for you to lose more than five pounds before surgery, you may want to make further changes to your diet. The more weight you need to lose, the sooner you will want to start making changes. Do as much as you can, knowing that any change will make a difference.
- Try to follow a diet of about 1,000-1,200 calories per day. The best foods to eat during this time are lean meat, poultry or fish (60 grams of protein a day), whole grains (2-3 servings), fruits (2-3 servings), and vegetables (3 servings). Limit milk to 1 cup skim or 1%.
- Keep your fat intake as low as possible, using fat-free products if necessary.
- Snack on fruit
Remember that each healthy choice will benefit YOU.