I Am Ashamed/embarassed

[Texarkolina 201]

I don't believe the statement "if you can't follow your pre-op diet without cheating you can't do the surgery"...! First off we have to consider all of the factors surrounding the pre-op diet. Us patients are used to eating God knows however many calories per day which probably consists of fatty foods high in calories, sodium, sugar, etc. So, for a person who is used to eating lets say 2500 calories a day to go to 500 calories or less a day is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT!!! Yes, some people do have food issues which will cause them to overindulge. And yes, some people do have the willpower to complete the diet without cheating. But, the vast majority of individuals are going to go through periods of withdrawal and straight up hunger. You have to keep in mind that we still have our full stomach. We are not sleeved just yet. Therefore, you are NOT going to be satisfied with just eating 2 pieces of chicken breast/6packets of pudding/clear liquids for a two, three, or some of us are on four week pre-op diets. Let's get real here! The only thing you have to worry about post op is mentally preparing yourself for the small portion sizes. Other than that it, in my opinion, it should be much easier to not overindulge in food because you won't be hungry. Again, at post-op stage you will probably battle mental hunger...which for most of us that should be somewhat cured during the initial approval process anyway. After all, that is what the process is for...Not only to get us physically ready but also mentally ready to say to make the right decisions in regards diet & exercise.

To Texarkolina, I am on a 8-10 day clear liquid diet. And although our diets are somewhat different it is hard. I'll be the first to admit that I cheated on day 3 of my diet. I cheated with a salad. But I still cheated. I spoke to my surgeon about it and he said it was fine. According to my surgeon, the last 4-5days before surgery are the most crucial. Don't beat yourself up about it. Just say to yourself you can do this and keep pushing!!! I know how you feel but IT WILL all work out for the best! Cheers to you !!!

Thanks for the encouragement!