How the heck do you do the pre-op diet?!?

[ser123 0]

:help:

So I know what I am supposed to do... a clear liquid diet for a week.

Ummmmm.... but how? I shouldn't knock it before I try it, BUT I can say that will power and self-restraint in the food department are not my strong suits.

My surgery isn't until January 5th so I have some time yet, and thank goodness it is after the holidays as opposed to during. Logically I know the diet is temporary and my liver needs to shrink which will reduce the risk of complications.

Does anyone has any suggestions to make it easier. Is there any clear liquid that is particularly filling and satisfying? Does anyone have any tips or advice? c

[juliegeraci 7]

The only tip I can give you is this. Anything that pass through a straw is considered a liquid. I would say stick to Soups, Protein Shakes and the like. 1 week isn't bad. Some doctors have you do the diet for months. Good luck.

[Jachut 487]

Failed, absolutely and utterly! I coudlnt do it - I didnt actually have to but thought I would for the kick start. Yeah, right. I was passing out within 2 days and my doctor told me I was an idiot for putting myself thorugh that when it wasnt medically necessary.

Actually he said its actually not good for you at all but its the lesser of two evils when you're facing surgery with a big fatty liver.

[lisah25 3]

:help:

So I know what I am supposed to do... a clear liquid diet for a week.

Ummmmm.... but how? I shouldn't knock it before I try it, BUT I can say that will power and self-restraint in the food department are not my strong suits.

My surgery isn't until January 5th so I have some time yet, and thank goodness it is after the holidays as opposed to during. Logically I know the diet is temporary and my liver needs to shrink which will reduce the risk of complications.

Does anyone has any suggestions to make it easier. Is there any clear liquid that is particularly filling and satisfying? Does anyone have any tips or advice? c

I had to do two weeks of Medifast before my surgery, and that was the hardest part so far. The best thing I can tell you is that it will pass, and yes, it's just one week. Remind yourself that it's a medical thing, not just another diet, that helped me.

[tonya66 13]

I agree Susan, I am not looking forward to the liquid phase. However, I do find that warm broth seems to curb my hungar. I buy the Low Sodium, crystals and mix with hot Water.

I've tried it a few times when I'm trying not to go snack on junk food and it does seem to help.

I haven't gotten my surgery date, but I suspect sometime in January I will be following th pre-op diet. However, the thing that scares me mostly is the post-op diet. 4 weeks without any substance, my doc has you on 2 weeks liquid, 2 weeks,mushy, and then gradually add one food at a time back in. I hear the 5&6 weeks are pure hell because your starving, and no fill yet.

Anyhow, I keep telling myself it is short term and a year from now I will be glad I did it.

PS - WE CAN DO THIS!

[lynn1964 0]

Hey,

When I was going through the pre-op liquid plan I found drinking caffeine free ice tea helped alot. And it has a lot of anti-oxidants so that is a plus. My doctor told me that shrinking the liver with the liquid plan would be a medical necessity for surgery. Knowing it was a medical need really helped. I also made sure all of the foods I like were out of the house and more importantly out of my office. My doctor told me that five days would work, so I did 5 instead of 7 days.:clap2:

[Woodys 0]

I had to do two weeks of lowfat cottage cheese and yogurt. Afterwards I had to do one week of clear fluids and depended a lot on sugar free Jello, popsicles, chicken broth, veg broth, etc.

To stay motivated think about your surgery and the reason you have to be on this diet in the first place.....to assist in making the surgery easier and safer. Time to start thinking more seriously about this surgery and its purpose and not so much about food. Easy for me to say, but when it came down to doing what the professionals instructed before and after surgery I couldn't see any other way of behaving except to do what I was told for the better of the band and my weight loss. And, if this is what it would take for me to rid myself of all those life threatening, life sucking, depressing pounds.....then so be it.

Be smart, no time to obsess with food now.

Carol

[tonya66 13]

I agree with you guys, there is a reason we have to do the pre-op diet and it is medically necessary for the surgery. So I will focus on that thought from here on out!

I think it will make it easier to stick to the plan. I sure would hate the surgery to be aborted because my liver was so darn huge.

[StephC 0]

I'm on day 11 of my pre-op diet - I'm allowed to Protein Shakes and 1 - 300 cal frozen dinner. Its been HARD - I will admit I have cheated more then once but I've always tried to keep my calorie intake below 900. My dr assistant called it a crash diet and its to have the same outcome as a totally liquid diet - shrink the liver. My doctor explained that the liver is a very delicate organ and can be damaged easily, they have to lift it and hold it up so they can get the band around the stomach - so by doing the diet we are shrinking it to make it easier to handle.

[ser123 0]

I knew about the shrinking liver part but didn't know they had to lift my liver up. That is kind of scary but it makes sense.

When I told my patient coordinator I didn't think I could do the liquid diet for a week, he was ADAMENT about it and said I had to or I was risking serious complications.

Which of course seemed overblown to me. Since I want to minimize the seriousness of what I am actually doing. Not anymore. Definitely want my delicate liver to remain unscathed.

Thanks guys. This thread has been an eye opener for me.

[saraincincy 0]

I don't mean to jump in here but, I am wondering if this is the case, why do some Dr's require it and some don't? Does it have to do with expierence of the Dr doing the surgery? or how high your BMI is? I to am planning on having the band done in early Jan but was told that no pre op diet is required. But planing on going on slim fast Jan 2nd anyway.

Thanks for the good post.

Sara

[sweethot143 2]

saraincincy, i don't have the answer for you, but beware of slimfast, it is terrible for you. Look at the ingrediants of other Protein Shakes before you buy those. Slimfast is full of sugar, carbs, and hydrogenated oil. They only have 10 grams or Protein and you can find better quality ones with triple that. a few weeks ago i bought tons of slimfast without realizing all that, and got home and read the labels and wasted about $25!

Just wanted to give you a heads up.

[beversman 0]

I have a TWO week liquid diet... Im on day two... HA -- no it i NOT easy.

You can do it though... I know I am going to be able to do it. You can to!

I won't lie to you. It sucks.

BUT it will be worth it to have a successful surgery and a healthy new life.

(only 12 more days to go for me!)

[piercedqt78 658]

The first few days are the hardest. I had to do 10 days of the following

1 protien shake

1 sugar free yogurt (6 oz)

all the sugar free and caffine Clear liquids I wanted

I called on day 6 and ask if I could have egg drop Soup without the eggs and I was told that I could have 1 cup in place of the yogurt, I ordered it with no eggs so I didn't have to strain them out.

A few tricks to get through, have your broth in a bowl, with a spoon, makes the body think you are eating.

If you are hungry drink, I lived on Propel.

Take a walk everyday, even at the mall if you have to.

It does get better, I promise. By day 4 I wasn't even hungry anymore. I actually went to a formal lunch 2 days pre-op. I had a cup of hot Decaf tea, and some chicken broth. The food didn't appeal to me at all.

I think the reason for doing it is also to shrink the stomach and to help get past the hunger pains. After banding I didn't suffer the hunger that so many newly banded do. I was totally full on 3 bites (baby bites) of mashed potatos when I started mushies. It does shrink the liver but it also prepares you mentally for the adjustment. ~Mandy

[Jachut 487]

I wasnt required to do it because I had a lowish BMI (35, so obese, but not morbidly so) and truly, I was a person that just ate too much. I ate good food and a healthy balanced diet with a few too many treats, and my quantities were just too large. I was relatively active until the year or so before my surgery when my weight began to cause ankle problems, so I wasnt in too bad shape. My liver function tests and ultrasound - which my doc didnt order, my GP had done so a month or two before when I began researching - showed my liver was in perfect condition and not the least bit fatty. Since I had medical evidence of this, my doc said there was no need to do Optifast, had I not happened to have had the tests I would have had to do it since its standard procedure. So I was lucky, but thought I'd give it a try anyway, lol. Till my doc set me straigth.

So in short, I didnt have to do it becuase I didnt have an enlarged or fatty liver that needed shrinking.