Preparing for Weight Loss Surgery:
The Ultimate Guide

It's time to start preparing for weight loss surgery. But let's not sugarcoat it, this isn't just a quick fix, it's a commitment to a new lifestyle.

Think of it like a buffet; the surgery is just the appetizer, but the main course is the diet and lifestyle changes that come with it.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because you're getting surgery, the weight will just fall off like magic. "If I can just take it off, I'll keep it off" is not a strategy, it's a fantasy.

A better strategy is to start preparing for weight loss surgery 3-6 months before the procedure.

Why 3-6 months? Because lifestyle changes take time, and let's face it, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a new body.

Preparing for Weight Loss Surgery:

Answers to FAQ

How to Prep For Bariatric Surgery Part 1: Start Making Lifestyle Changes

How to Prep For Bariatric Surgery Part 2: MORE Lifestyle Changes

Setting Realistic Expectations

Why Lose Weight Before Surgery

Pre Op Diet Part 1: The "WHATs" and "WHYs"

PreOp Diet Part 2: Nitty Gritty Details of What to Eat and Drink

Lowdown on the Liver Diet Before Surgery

Should You Have a "Food Funeral?"

2 Week Pre Op Diet: How to Follow an ALL Liquid Diet Before Surgery

Pre Op Diet: How to Follow a Mostly Liquid Diet Before Surgery

Top Tips to Surviving the PreOp Liver Shrinking Diet

Preparing for Bariatric Surgery Mentally, Part 1: How Will You Stay MOTIVATED Long Term?

Preparing for Bariatric Surgery Mentally, Part 2: TOP 5 Ways to Stay ACCOUNTABLE Long Term

Stock up on the Clear Liquids and Pureed Foods You'll Eat After Surgery

Start Your Journey to a Better You:
What to Do 3-6 Months Before Bariatric Surgery

Having surgery is not a “one and done” deal.

Start diet and lifestyle changes 3-6 months before surgery to increase your chances of success.

Start incorporating these "Great 8" lifestyle changes. Bonus: As you start to line up these habits, you'll start to see the numbers on the scale go down.

Weight loss is an outcome that always follows consistent healthy habits. Small changes lead to big results!

#1: Turn Your House Into a Weight Loss Fortress

Remember a time when you “didn’t plan to eat the cookies”…but they were in the house and in a moment of weakness you found yourself plowing through the whole box?

You eat what’s around. Period. So no more cookies calling your name. It's time to purge the pantry and stock up on some bariatric friendly grub.

Make a "safe" house:

  • Get rid of any tempting food or trigger foods
  • Stock up with bariatric friendly foods

And don't worry, you don't have to sacrifice your loved ones favorite snacks - just store them in a cabinet you can't reach or in the fridge's bottom drawer where you can't see them.

Trust me, it's better than relying on inconsistent willpower. Willpower suggests there’s “won’t power.” A person trying to quit smoking or drinking doesn’t keep cigarettes or alcohol in the house!

Preparing for Weight Loss Surgery:
#2: Time to Get Structured

Now let's talk about eating. It's time to set up a regular pattern:

  • 3 main meals per day
  • 2 planned snacks per day, if needed

Plan to eat within the first hour of waking up and then every 3 hours thereafter. Like this:

If you wakeup at 6am-

  • 7am: Breakfast- choose high protein and low sugar and low carb options
  • 10am: Snack- a light, low-calorie snack if needed
  • 1pm: Lunch -focus on lean protein combined with produce, healthy fats and if room, healthy carbs.
  • 3pm: Snack- another light, low-calorie snack if needed
  • 6pm: Dinner- focus on lean protein combined with produce, healthy fats and if room, healthy carbs.

We're talking about preparing for weight loss surgery here, but you should know that whether you have surgery or not, eating small frequent meals and snacks like this will always:

  • Give you consistent energy throughout the day
  • Help curb hunger
  • Curb cravings
  • Curb overeating

#3: When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair

Yes seriously. Seem like you''d pay a little better attention, doesn't it?

HOW you eat matters as much as what you eat. Don't just eat, eat mindfully. Eat intentionally and with awareness.

No multitasking allowed. When you eat, eat. When you watch tv, watch tv. When you drive, drive…

…You get the idea!

Make eating a primary activity when you do it. Sure, a tv can be on in the background, but if you’re paying more attention to the tv than your food, you’re at risk of eating mindlessly and overeating.

In other words…

Uni-task when you eat.

Preparing for Weight Loss Surgery:
#4: Grocery Shop Regularly

Grocery shop like your life depends on it (because let's be real, it kind of does). 

You can’t eat what you don’t have. Make sure you're never caught without the right foods on hand by scheduling a regular grocery shopping day each week.

Your ability to make a good decision about what to eat at any given moment has everything to do with how hungry you are AND what foods are around:

  • Structuring your eating (#2 above) will help curb hunger.
  • Shopping regularly will assure you always have the right bariatric friendly foods around.

Schedule a regular, planned grocery shopping day each week to stock up on the right foods. Do it on the same day and time each week. 

Schedule it on your calendar like it’s an important appointment. Because it is! 

Continue to Lifestyle Changes #5-8----------------------------------->here