Shrink the liver and reduce fat in the abdomen

Does anyone had (NAFL) fatty and enlarged liver before surgery? I was reading that most bariatric surgeons put their patients on a special pre-operative diet, usually 2 or 3 weeks just before surgery. The reason for the pre-operative diet is to shrink the liver and reduce fat in the abdomen. This helps during the procedure and makes it safer. If you were on this diet, was it difficult to follow it? I will appreciate your help.

most surgeons do a liver shrink diet  mine used to not do it but got a new partner and found that her surgeries  went easier and the diffrence was she had her patients do a liver shrinking diet so he does it now 

its easy just 2 shakes a day and a lean cousin meal (less than 350cal) a day

Thank you very much.

Hi,

It was basically the same as the post-op diet: 2 protein shakes, brothy soup, 3oz of lean meat and 1 cup veggies for dinner.  For me it was hard to stick with it (especially at night - that's when I'm most weak.)  I also had this weird thing of "oh my god I must eat a cheeseburger because I'll never have it again" or "oh my god I must have popcorn at this movie because I'll never eat it again."  I slipped a few times.  

I ended up losing about 12 pounds in those 14 days, so I did SOME stuff right.  I was proud of that and it gave me some confidence that I can change the way I eat.  It was good to get used to the diet and try different protein shakes to find one I like.  The first thing they did at the hospital was weigh me, though, and my doctor (apparently) was fine with my progress.  He can be a total hard ass, though, so I wasn't sure.  But the surgery went on...  

He did a liver biopsy while he was in there, tho, and the fatty liver came back.  I don't know what that is and haven't dug too deep into it b/c I'm still figuring out all the other stuff that's going on.  It's another thing that will resolve itself with weight loss, so that's what I'm focusing on.  Trying not to overwhelm myself.

Hope that helps!

Best,

Sarah

Thanks alot, your help is greatly appreciated

Hi, 

I'm starting my 2-week pre op diet today, to loose weight and shrink the liver before surgery. I wi**** was as easy as the previous two posters. Mine is a completely liquid diet, only protein shakes and clear liquids. It's going to be super tough and I hope I can stick to it because I know it will help the surgery be successful. I'm trying to keep my eye on the prize and take one day at a time. :-) 

Thank you very much. It is greatly appreciated. You are right the most important is to stay focused on your diet.

My pre-op diet was 10 days due to my high BMI.  It was 5-6 protein shakes a day - and that was it.  For about 2 months prior to the start of my official diet I had been replacing breakfast and lunch most days with a protein shake and only eating a solid meal at dinner, so I didn't find my official pre-op diet to be too onerous since I had already adapted pretty well to the shakes and a lower carb intake.  (I gave up soda 5-6 years ago and I've never been a coffee drinker, so I also didn't have to deal with the caffeine withdrawal that many people deal with.)  

For most people, the first 3-4 days are the worst, while you withdraw, and then it gets better.  And, of course, at the end there's surgery!  Yay :D  

Thank you. I will try replacing breakfast and lunch with a protein shake before the oficial diet. I didn't know you have to quit coffee...I will try that too and I dont drink sodas.

Some people don't have to quit coffee - but you normally don't get it in the hospital, and caffeine withdrawal while you're dealing with recovering from major surgery can be a really big pain in the butt!