2 Weeks Pre-Op: OptiFast Diet
You will meet with Kristen White, your dietician, who will guide you through the Optifast pre-op liver shrinking diet.
The reason for the 2 weeks of Optifast is not to “test your will power” or even to see how much weight you can lose. The reason is that it is necessary to shrink your liver before the surgery. People who are overweight often have large, fatty livers.
The liver sits over the top of the stomach, and during sleeve surgery Dr Gordon uses a retractor to lift it out the way. Simply put, if the liver is too big and heavy it will not be possible to lift it out of the way and your surgery will not be able to proceed. It is important that you follow you Optifast diet to shrink your liver and allow for safe surgery.