Bariatric Surgery | Gastric Bypass Surgery | Gastric Banding | Obesity | After Surgery

Much speculation has been put on how a candidate can best prepare for a gastric bypass surgery, especially because most bariatric doctors and surgeons require a weight loss of at least ten to fifteen pounds (sometimes more if the candidate is morbidly obese) before the procedure can be carried out. This is a pre-operative requirement to lessen the risks of operative and post-operative complications, and it is also an important transition factor that will allow the candidate to shift to a life of healthier dietary choices.

Losing those pounds pre-operatively is generally accomplished by subjecting the candidate to a strict calorie-restricted diet, increased fluid intake and moderate exercises. Here is why any candidate who would be undergoing a gastric bypass surgery in a month's time or two should seriously consider a change in nutritional and dietary preferences:

• Firstly, the restricted calorie and high protein diet is designed to reduce body fat, particularly the fatty deposits that make a person "apple-shaped". Fats that accumulate in the abdominal mid-section are stubborn and dangerous to health, as they are behind the development of critical diseases such as heart ailments, high blood pressure and diabetes. These fats need to be out of the way, since the procedure is concentrated on candidate's midsection.
  
• Secondly, dieting is meant to help preserve the candidate's lean body mass. Consuming quality protein sources prevents the body from tapping into the lean tissues for energy. The result is, more lean muscle while losing fats.
  
• Eating healthy foods before the surgery helps the body to recover faster when the procedure is done. Restricted intake of refined sugars and saturated fats, and increased consumption of protein gives the body an opportunity to take in more minerals, vitamins and essential nutrients that will come in handy after a demanding procedure such as a gastric bypass.
  
• Finally, another benefit of a modified pre-operative diet is to transition the candidate on to his or her post-surgery diet. After the procedure, the candidate will have to eat a specific diet that has higher protein, lower carbs, and reduced calorie content. Making the change preoperatively makes it easier for the candidate to make better food choices and incorporate protein supplements in his or her diet after the surgery.