Pre-op diet, WHY?

[thinoneday 445]

I was pretty lucky i guess, didn't need the pre op diet . . . doctor didn't find it necessary.

but from what the others say here, i guess that is the reason some physicians do it. . . good luck and the best to you!

[TX HS FB Coach 0]

I am 6 days Post Op and to tell you the truth, I was given a 14 day Pre Op diet and I was limited to a 1200 calorie, low carb diet. I followed it for 7 of the 14 days and when I went to get my Pre Op Upper GI on Day 11, I asked the tech what my liver looked like and they said "Great"! I immediately spent the next 3 days eating (in moderation) foods that I know I can't have for several months Post Op. And I am happy to report, I have not had one episode of nausea or any complications since my surgery 6 days o.k. despite my Pre Op "cheating". But I also know that everyone is different................

[determined1 3]

I just dont get it, I thought I would have a pre op diet but I dont and when I asked the NUT she said that there isnt any evidence that it does anything!!?. I plan on doing a low carb, high Protein diet 2 weeks prior, just incase.

[kalew 0]

Even if it doesn't you will get a jump start on your weight loss at the least. It's not a bad idea, I heard my surgeon actually didn't do someone's surgery because they didn't do the diet and hadn't lost weight. They were in the OR and he just closed her up. Imagine that! It must do something if he could tell inside.

[roboniko 2]

I am confused as well. My surgery is Sept 21st and I was put on a diet yesterday, about a 800-1000 cal diet consisting of hi Protein and low carb, natural fruit and so fourth. They said the same thing about the liver. But also that for the most part they were following the same post op standards for Gastric Bypass, ie Vitamins for life. Guess it just seems like it is a free for all when it comes to standards. Kinda like they haven't done enough of them so they are all just guessing or doing what they think is right. I have gotten different info from the same "team" of people that I am seeing. Makes me a little nervous but I am doing what they say when I can figure it out.

[moni luv 2]

This mind hunger is really a hard thing to overcome. I am on day 5 of my pre-op diet and I think that I am more hungry today than on the first day of the diet. I have cheated today and ate a cup of low fat popcorn. I think I need to Water intake. I will keep you guys posted.

[laylasmojo 10]

My doc puts you on a low carb high Protein 1200 cal diet when you first see the nut so mine will be about three months then 10 days before you have to do 4 low carb shakes and 1 veggie salad with lemon juice on it and nothing after midnight the day beofore you go in. let me tell you I am not looking forward to those ten days. but if i dont do it and shrink my liver he may not continue with the surgery or he may have to go open instead of lap!

[thinoneday 445]

Maybe this is just me stuggling, BUT really why? My doctor has me on liquid and Protein drinks only for TWO weeks. She said it is to soften my liver and reduce the slick fat off of it to make it more pliable in surgery. How exactly does that work. Other people have said that it take alot longer than that for anything really to change in your liver. Is it not eatting solid food that FLUSHES the liver?? Is it not having carbs and sugar?

I know I am suppose to follow doctors orders to the letter, BUT if you are slipping is there better slips than others. Protien, real fruits or verggies??

I know the further into I get, MAYBE, it will get easier. That or as I get closer to surgery I will get more scared and loose my appitie. Well, a girl can hope:001_unsure:

I was really fortunate and didn't need a preop diet, my doctor didn't find it necessary cause i was on the "smaller" side with BMI, but if your doctor says your to do it, well then i guess you should do it . . . one lady at my doctors office who had to do the pre op told me the doctor said it was to help with the surgery AND it shows how serious she really was about the surgery. . . cause the surgery is only a tool and you do have to do the work . . .so that to me makes more sense then "shrink the liver" "soften the liver" cause it takes a LONG time to accomplish that task. . . . but if your doc wants you do that cause it "softens the liver" then follow her/his instructions. . .good luck!

[XS-2011 1]

WOW!!. I will be honest - I was not put on a preop diet except for after midnight the day before surgery. I even went out and had a large plate of Pasta that Monday night (Wed AM surgery). I read the boards that Tues and really got scared with all the stories of 2 week pre op diets and liver size. I asked my doc the morning of surgery do we need to delay and he said it was no big deal.

Guess what I am saying is go with what your surgeon says but if you slip - its not the end of the world.

My VSG doctor said the same thing. I do not have a pre-op diet with the exception of Clear liquids the day before surgery and of course NPO after midnight. I was really getting scared for a minute, but like a lot of things in the Medical field, some physicians are very conservative and others go with the research trend.

[onikenbai 33]

I'm completely intolerant of all the Protein shakes out there... and I tried many. Still thinking about the sleeve, but my pre-op diet before my band had to be Protein drink-free. Yes, you can shrink your liver quite well without those shakes. I had to stick to fish, chicken and veg for a month with very very very little sugar or carbs. I wasn't even allowed fruit because of the sugar. I had a complete physical about a week before my band went in and my GP did the dip stick test and it showed I was way into the ketotic state so the all food method does work. I also lost 30lbs in 31 days. On the down side, my hair started falling out in handfuls during my second week of the diet, but I think that would have happened even if I had gone the Protein Drink route.

If I have a revision I am really not looking forward into do all of it again, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

[Susanne 32]

I only had 8 days of pre-op because I scheduled surgery fast.

One of the things I believe I heard out of their speeches was that if you cannot control your eating for 2 weeks before one of the most important surgeries of your life, how will you EVER be able to deal with food restrictions post surgery? This is surly not the main reason, but I think they can see a potential "problem patient" up front - does that make sense? After all, the 2 weeks AFTER surgery, there is not room for you to mess up or it can have fatal outcome!

I stuck to my supplements to the letter, most tasted OK. If I cheated, I cheated with their stuff, for example one evening I had two microwave dishes instead of just one because I was hungry or I had an extra half Protein bar as a late night snack.< /p>

I was told it is for the liver and because this food leaves very little residue in your intestines. This made total sense to me. Imagine you have a plastic bag that you want to make smaller. One was filled with horse manure and the other one was pretty much empty - I certainly believe working with the latter is easier, safer for the patient and all that.

On a different note, I had to laugh because you know, usually when you cheat on your diet, no one really knows. Now, in this case, THEY CUT INTO YOUR STOMACH and if there is a half digested, chewed up piece of steak, there really is no denying that you cheated, is there? LOL

[Addy 1]

I'm 3 weeks out from surgery and my doctor has advised me of a 2 week, 800-1000 calorie liquid diet. I think I'm going to start this week a bit ... hopefully my recovery from surgery will be easier. They're the experts, not me.

[myrori 55]

My doctor says liquid diet too, they wanted me to buy 2 bags of Bariatric Advantage from their office for 135 bucks and it sells for 49.95 on the website. I printed out the nutritional info and took it to The Vitamin shop and got a nearly identical product for 24 bucks.

I am wondering why a portion of plain chicken would hurt though? No carbs, high Protein. Oh well I will stick to the liquid, then I can't blame myself if my liver is still big.

[onikenbai 33]

My doctor says liquid diet too, they wanted me to buy 2 bags of Bariatric Advantage from their office for 135 bucks and it sells for 49.95 on the website. I printed out the nutritional info and took it to The Vitamin shop and got a nearly identical product for 24 bucks.

I am wondering why a portion of plain chicken would hurt though? No carbs, high Protein. Oh well I will stick to the liquid, then I can't blame myself if my liver is still big.

I don't think the bit of plain chicken would really hurt, but it's a slippery slope. Face it, plain chicken sucks and it's sooo tempting to put something on it for a bit of flavour. Most of the time the flavouring is high carb.

During my pre-op diet I made a Soup of chicken, low sodium broth, zucchini, eggplant, celery and onion. Wasn't half bad actually once you threw in a whole lot of basil. The bummer was that no noodles or carrots were allowed because of the carb factor, meaning I couldn't just crack open a can of Campbells and call it a day.

[myrori 55]

Does anyone know if sugar free Jello is acceptable on the liquid diet? I made it through yesterday, about 7 PM got real bad when my sister when out to "WENDYS" for her family. I politely excused myself and went to the store to shop for calorie free drinks to curb the hunger.

My Nut said sugar free Jello is part of the clear liquid after diet so I was just wondering if it is cool ion the pre op.