So What Happens On The Pre Surgery Diet?

Weight Loss surgery patients will often have enlarged livers which makes it hard for a surgeon to actually get down and dirty and do the actual operation. Often the surgeons will recommend a VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) to the patients with abnormal liver results to shrink the liver so that surgery isn't compromised. 

Let's face it, this surgery is dangerous enough with morbidly obese people lying on an operating table. No need to complicate things further. 

So how do I shrink my fatty liver? I thought I'd share, for those of you who are interested. 

My surgeon recommends that I do a meal replacement program. More specifically, the program that has worked perfectly for his patients since 1991 is the OptiFast program. 

The Opti Fast program is the meal replacement shakes that have the letters VLCD (see above) underneath the name on the box. These have a completely nutritionally balanced meal in one sachet. They also included the daily recommended dose of 25 extra minerals and vitamins. Things like Chromium, magnesium, iron etc.

My daily regime basically includes having three of these shakes per day in place of a meal. 

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I can also have, throughout the day- the following....

Fruit - One serving, per day of either...... 

120g strawberries, 1 lychee, 1 apricot, 100gms cooked rhubarb, 1 slice pineapple, , 1 passionfruit, 120g grapes, 1 lime, 1 apple, 20g cherries, 1 mango, 1 med orange, 1 peach, 1 sml pear, 120g pear in natural juice, 120g plums, 6 prunes

Low Starch & Green Veg

2 Cups per day, steamed

Alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, beans, bok choy, broccoli brussel sprouts, celery, cabbage, capsicum, cauliflower, cucmber, eggplant, garlic, lettuce, leeks, mung beans, mushrooms, onions, radish, shallots, silverbeet, snowpeas, spinach, squash, tomato, watercress, zucchini

Soups

Stock cubes, bonox (in moderation), Vegetable soups (using allowed vegetables only), miso soup

Sauces & Condiments

Lemon juice, vinegar, worchestershire, soy sauce (in moderation), chilli, mustard & tomato paste

Spices & Herbs

All spice, basil, celery flakes, chilli, chives, cinnamon. cloves, coriander (YAY), cumin, curry powder, dill, fennel, garlic, lite salt, mint mustard seed, nutmeg, orgeano, paprika, parsely, pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme, tumeric, taragon

Miscellaneous

Artificial sweetners, Unsweetened lollies/gum, diet jelly, essence of banana, mint strawberry

Calorie free fluids

water, tea, diet softdrink, diet cordial, mineral water

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Today is 'officially' day one. Til now I have been doing my left over Tony Ferguson shakes. These aren't VLCD shakes but I think I've eased myself into these perhaps? 

So generally,  I don't feel overly starved, hungry, cranky or like my throat has been cut, so that's good. I have kept myself busy with cleaning and organising my paperwork in my office! FINALLY! 

The shakes taste nice. Not like a big creamy milkshake, but not vile to my tastebuds. I mix them with the required 200 mls of chilled water and they go down lovely. 

So to the couple of friends who asked me for this info, I hope I've helped! It'll be nice having you come along on this ride with me. ;-)