Gastric Bypass Surgery Support Group

My surgeon had me on the protein liquid diet for 4 weeks to help me lose weight and help shrink my liver. He told me that he was really surprised how much my liver shrunk and there was no fat surrounding it.

I'm not exactly sure about how long, but my surgeon went by BMI. If you had a BMI of 50 then the liquid diet was 4 weeks, 45 was 3 weeks, 40 was 2 weeks. But I don't think that is how long it actually takes to shrink the fat around the liver, just her guideline.

I had to do a 2 week liquid diet. However, when the surgeon talked to my husband after the surgery, he said I had an enlarged liver. So the 2 week diet was not enough time. We did not know I had this condition, and despite it, he was able to successfully do the surgery.

40 carbs a day??? WOW...I so want your doc. I haven't had over 6 carbs per day since the 4th of November. Most all the docs around here do the 2 week liquid protien/low carb shake diet for pre-op.

my pre-op regimen was 2 full-nutrition shakes with a meal for 2 weeks. The full-nutrition shake was extremely low in carbs, as was the recommended meal. It is the low-carb aspect which firms up the liver by helping it purge its extra fat. 40gs of carbs is still far below the daily RDA of 100, but the fewer you can eat, the better the outcome. You will NOT be denied surgery if you are not perfect, but it is worth the effort to avoid post-op complications or having to convert to an open procedure.

My pre-op diet started 9 weeks before my surgery. I was on the medi-fast shakes diet. For 6 weeks I had 4 shakes a day, plus water to drink 64 oz's a day, and one small meal, 4 oz's of very lean meat, and 1/2 cup of some veges, not all, or 1 cup lettuce and 1/2 cup of raw veges. Then for the last 3 weeks 5 shakes a day and water.
My last 3 days to surgery was liquid only.
So I haven't had any carbs at all since July, not any, no pasta, rice, bread, etc. None..........I would have loved a last binge on homemade mac n cheese.

Cheryl
I think it really depends on the situation. My doctor said any shrinkage is good, they are just afraid to puncture it during surgery so they want it to shrink so it's out of the way. I was on a 2 week liquid diet where we had to purchase a package with soup, protein etc. I have to admit I did cheat and my surgeon told me my liver looked good.