Drinking Optifast before surgery

I just wanted to get some input on why I have to drink optifast for 2 weeks prior to my surgery? My sister just had her RNY in MD and she only had to fast 12 hours prior to her surgery. I'm on my fourth day and struggling with this gross stuff.I still have 10 more days to go.

Hi Renee,

I think you need to find out if your program 'requires' the fast and if it does, you need to do it. Maybe it will help some to understand the reasoning behind it. Not all programs require it and not all patients within a program are required to do it. This varies from program to program. The reason that it is done, is that the number 1 reason for reverting from a laparoscopic procedure to an open procedure is that that a 'fatty liver' is so enlarged that it makes dangerous or too difficult for the Dr to perform the procedure laparoscopically. When you go on a fasting diet, the first place that your body starts burning the fat from is your liver. This causes the liver to shrink, thereby making the procedure much, much safer. 

It may be that your sisters doctor didn't feel that her liver was enlarged to a point that he was concerned for her safety so he didn't require the fast. I know that in my case, my high weight was 264, but I had gotten down to 250 when I entered the program and I started working to lose weight using a South Beach Diet type program and lost down to 233 by the time I had surgery. Because I had been losing weight prior to my surgery, my Dr was comfortable that the fatty deposits in my liver had reduced and didn't require a 2 week fast. That said, there are patients in my program that do have to do the fast, so it varies from patient to patient. 

Wishing you all the best,

Thank you for your information. It was very helpful. Be blessed.

Renee,

You can mix optifast with diet orange soda or diet rootbeer and it makes a good shake.

Also when I did optifast I put flavorings in it like cocunut.  I also added pineapple to the cocunut flavoring and it was a pina coloda shake

Tamara