Have you had or are you considering lap band surgery? Bariatric patients have some important considerations to think about when it comes to their diet, both before and after surgery. For patients undergoing lap band surgery, Medifast’s Bariatrics Plan can help address some of those concerns.
Your doctor will give you some specific instructions on your diet and you may already be familiar with Medifast. But if not, let’s take a look at how using Medifast for your diets before and after surgery would work.
Using Medifast Before Lapband Surgery
Several weeks before your scheduled surgery date, it will be time to start changing your diet. In addition to taking prescribed vitamins and minerals, you will need to cut down on caffeine and carbonated beverages. You will also need to cut down on fats, sweets, and high-carbohydrate junk foods.
To help you prepare, your doctor may recommend that you use one of two options. For the first, the Medifast 5 & 1 meal plan, you would be eating five Medifast meals per day and then one meal that you would prepare yourself. For the other plan, your doctor may recommend that you follow a liquid diet, which would mean simply using Medifast shakes and hot drinks, and not their other products.
Medifast after bariatric surgery
Immediately after lapband surgery, you will only drink clear liquids for a few days. After that, you will switch to low-fat liquids for (usually) two weeks. Most Medifast products would be suitable for this period, except for packets of oatmeal, some soups, and of course Medifast bars.
In the third phase of your postoperative bariatric diet (another two weeks), you will begin to eat some pureed foods as well as fluids. At this point, you can try things like cottage cheese, applesauce, and even Medifast oatmeal.
After that is the final phase, when you start eating normal textured foods. You will need to focus on getting enough protein in your diet, without too much fat. This is where Medifast meals can help, as they are all high in protein.
Of course, everyone’s body is different, and patients may have different kinds of experiences after their lap band surgery. Therefore, you should always follow your doctor’s instructions on how you should proceed with your diet. And most importantly, pay attention to the clues your body gives you. If eating something makes you uncomfortable, don’t eat it.