dieting

so i hear it is a good idea to drop a little before surgery, my doctor doesnt require it i don't think, they havn't said anything about it at all.  So should i go ahead and do it anyways, and if i have lost some before, will it change my insurance approval at all?

jen

Jen -

Although I considered any weight loss before surgery a bonus - if for no other reason than to shrink your liver and make your surgery easier.

Having said that, though, I think I'd call Dr. S's office and see what they say!

Good luck,

Tia

I can tell you that Dr. S only told me not to gain weight. Apparently really fast gaining or losing can increase the size of the liver, so he is actually fine with just staying the weight we are (honestly, most of us are on an upward trend anyway, so I feel like maintaining these months through the holidays has been like losing!!). I have done quite a bit of research about the liver issue and as I said, rapid loss can cause an increase in liver size as well. I imagine there are folks who aren't as compliant as they should be on preop diets then try to lose super fast before surgery, which could also lead to an unfavorable outcome for the liver, so perhaps he just says don't gain.

I'm not at all sure about the insurance approval except to say I have definitely read of cases where people dropped below a certain BMI and ruined their history for the approval.

Hope this helps some,

Denise

Hey Jen!

I had to lose weight prior to surgery.  My surgeon required that I lost at least 10% of my excess weight prior to surgery because I was coming to him with a BMI of 71.  It really improves your chances of having an uneventful surgery if you go in a little bit smaller.  It's amazing with a 10% loss how it changes how everything works for everyone.

Besides the physical reasons for concerning dieting pre-WLS, please also consider the mental ones as well. I think there is value in starting to make changes in your habits before WLS, whether these changes result in pounds lost or not. This way, it will not be as sudden a change for you post WLS. For example, the first thing I did was transition to non-carbonated beverages. This was a tough one for me because I was a diet soda addict in my old life. After I accomplished that, I started to work exercise into my life. This was something I never did before starting this journey. I was able to build my stamina up and I think this made it easier for me to get back into this routine at the appropriate time post-WLS. I also tried to follow a better diet. I admit I was not perfect. There were times when I would allow myself things that I knew would be forbidden to me post-WLS. Even so, I did lose weight before surgery.

Best wishes to you no matter what you decide.

Debbie

Oh Debbie that is a wonderful reason to lose wieght prior to surgery.  I always preach this to people because really it is a behavioral change that you have to make in yourself and without that change, the post-op period will be especially hard.  I was so glad I had the mental conditioning prior to surgery.  It really made my frist few weeks after surgery a breeze and allowed me to lose as much as I have.  I'm really grateful for that .