I've decided to have the surgery, What's the next step? How much time do I have to wait?

Once is certain the person is a candidate for bariatric surgery, the next step is that the patient goes with a specialist nutritionist to receive a proper pre-surgical diet, with the purpose of adapting the patient's metabolism to the changes that will be made with the surgery, also that, with the diet, reduce the size of the liver and intra-abdominal fat, which allows an easier procedure and lowers the risk of complications long term.

In the case that the patient has a BMI higher than 60, it´s possible that the surgeon might suggest the patient lose weight as a requirement before the procedure, always looking for the best results for the patient.

The recommendation is that the patient starts with a pre-surgical diet from 3 to 4 weeks previous to the procedure, which will be determined by the procedure the patient will be summited to. This diet is divided into 2 moments, the first moment consists in 15 days of clear liquid, which are complete nutritional supplements, like soups, tea without sugar, and oral solutions occasionally. The second is 15 days of more complete liquids, including dairy products, raw vegetables, and food supplements.

Once the diet period has been completed, they will do some routinary pre-surgical exams to have a better perspective about the patient's health and minor risks, finally, the patient is ready to be submitted to the procedure and start enjoying this integral change that will improve their quality of life significantly.

Some of the benefits of good results from a post-surgical diet are:

• Fewer incisions during the procedure, because there won't be necessary use of additional instruments, which will help better esthetic results also.
• Reduce post-surgical pain for the patient.
• Reduces the possibility of complications and reduces the time of the surgery, which makes the post-surgical discomfort less.

Some important factors to have in mind are:

• In some cases, they made a psychological evaluation and consult other specialists depending on the health background of the patient.
• If the patient usually consumes alcohol and cigarettes, they must stop consuming them 10 days before and 10 days after the procedure.
• If the patient is consuming supplements and natural vitamins, or other kinds of medication, they must stop consuming them 10 days before the surgery.
• They must avoid doing physical activities that require a lot of strength, it´s recommended to do short walks or stretching to stay active and prevent injuries that might be an impediment to the proper handling of the procedure.