Medifast Bariatrics Plan – Using Medifast Before Or After Your Bariatric Surgery
Have you had or are you considering Gastric band surgery? Bariatric patients have some important considerations to think about when it comes to their diet, both before and after surgery. For patients who are getting lap band surgery, the Medifast Bariatrics Plan may be able to help put some of those concerns to rest.
Your doctor will have some specific instructions for you about your diet, and he or she may already be familiar with Medifast. But if not, let’s take a look at how using Medifast for your pre and post surgery diets 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 whatever vitamins and minerals are prescribed, you’ll need to cut back on caffeine and carbonated drinks. You’ll also need to cut back on the fats, sweets and high carbohydrate junk food.
To help you prepare, your doctor could recommend that you use one of two choices. For the first, the Medifast 5 and 1 eating plan, you would be eating five Medifast meals per day and then one meal that you prepare for yourself. For the other plan, your doctor may recommend that you follow a liquid diet — which would mean just using the Medifast shakes and hot drinks, and not their other products.
Medifast after Bariatric Surgery
Right after your lapband surgery, you’ll be on clear liquids only for a few days. After that, you’ll move to eating low-fat liquids for (usually) two weeks. Most of the Medifast products would be suitable for this period, with the exception of the oatmeal packs, some of the soups and, of course, the Medifast bars.
In the third phase of your post-bariatric surgery diet (another two weeks), you’ll start eating some pureed foods, as well as the liquids. At this point, you can try things like cottage cheese, apple sauce and even the Medifast oatmeal.
After that is the final phase, when you start eating foods of normal texture. You’ll need to concentrate on getting plenty of protein in your diet, without too much fat. This is where the Medifast meals can help as they are all high in protein.
Of course, everyone’s body is different and patients can have different types of experiences following their gastric band surgery. So you always want to follow your doctor’s instructions about 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, then don’t eat it.