Struggling with the Preop diet

[evanter 15]

Hi everyone,

My surgery date is the 12th of January and I'm on the pre-op diet (broth, Protein drinks and jello) now. I'm struggling with it quite a bit though I have stuck to it so far and have not cheated. I'm feeling very hungry, tired and lethargic. I'm afraid that I will continue to feel this way after surgery and I'm very worried. Right now, I'm lucky because I have vacation days and I have taken time off but after recovery, I will have to go back to work and if I feel the way I am feeling now, after the surgery, I don't know what the quality of my work/life will be!

Those of you who have already had the sleeve, does it get better after surgery? Or am I deluding myself?

Edited January 3, 2015 by evanter

[Elode 8,093]

@@evanter It does get better. The length of time before it does varies with each individual. After surgery and now if you can, make sure your taking your Vitamins. Especially the B's to help you with your energy. I'm not going to lie you will probably be a little tired in the beginning but stay on your fluids and Protein and you will be back in business before you know it. Take your time off to rest your body as much as you can. It's ok to be "lazy" just sleep when you need to. I was back in action at a week post-op. Good luck!

[alwaysvegas 702]

It actually gets better during the pre-op! Your body will adjust and the cravings will likely go down alot. You're fighting years of unhealthy eating habits. As @@Elode said, your mileage may vary, but most of us found that it all gets better!

The difference in cravings pre-op and post-op are like night and day. I remember walking out of the hospital and smelling BBQ cooking somewhere nearby and I thought, "That smells fantastic! But I'm not hungry." Such an ah-ha moment.

Just keep your eye on the prize. These few weeks a teensy portion of your life, but you should also push yourself to stick with the pre-op as it will help you hugely on your success!

Best of luck to you!

[shizwiz 197]

Stick in there! I am on day 4 of pre-op and have felt tired and all of the other fun feelings that go with a decrease of food intake. It is normal. Keep yourself as comfortable as you can and distract yourself if you can!

I have a ton of coloring books, puzzles, books (have been digging the Kate Shugak series) and anything else that will keep my ADD mind occupied.

Hang in there! We're all in it with ya

[RedSalamander 148]

I'm on day 5 of pre-op, so we're all suffering together! I find that I feel fine during the day when I keep nice and busy, but in the evening when I slow down (and make dinner for my family!), I really FEEL those hunger pangs. We'll make it--just a few days to go!

[joshwah 23]

I'm on it as well! I really try to stay busy. I plan my days down to the "T" so that my mind won't wander to food. Also -water. Drink plenty of it and it will put some of those cravings at bay. You can do it!

[prairie 34]

You can do it!!!!

I'm on day 5 pre-op diet and am so lethargic it's insane. Last night it was all I could do not to make popcorn and this morning I wanted coffee so bad that I was grinding my teeth. I keep remembering that this is only for a few weeks, that it will be better after surgery, and how much better the surgery will go if my liver shrinks and I lose a couple of pounds.

[monopoly2015 27]

It is so hard to day 4. Ridiculously hard. But day 5 seemed much easier. Almost no headaches. Lot more control. Day 6 got easier too. I'm only dropping about 1 pound per day so far. Not getting in all the shakes. Only 2 of the 3 required. broth and Jello too. No food. Terrible diet.

[619Raf 111]

I am also struggling day 3 of preop for me. I am also good during the day, it's the evenings when I get hungry and I also get headaches. Today I had a meltdown and started crying and told myself if I can just get something to eat right now I will get it out of my system and not cheat again. Well we all know that is not going to happen if I cheat once I will cheat again. So I put my big girl panties on made my shake and broth and I am laying in bed reading all the forums on here ????WILL POWER AND PRAYER ????

[losing.it.lulu 26]

I'm on pre-op diet day 15 of 16... and haven't cheated. It does get better...hang in there!

[monopoly2015 27]

How much did you lose

[losing.it.lulu 26]

So far... 14.6 pounds

[monopoly2015 27]

Did you have a requirement? I have to lose 16 or surgery is canceled. I haven't cheated and don't plan on it but Holy smokes is it hard

[losing.it.lulu 26]

They didn't give me an amount to lose. Just asked me to do my best... the diet is to shrink your liver.

[evanter 15]

Thank you all for being so encouraging! You were right, it does get better. I posted at what was my lowest point, day 5 has been the turning point for me. I feel like I have energy again and I can do things. Though, I still need more sleep than usual. But this is a marked improvement over the first couple of days.

To everyone on the pre-op diet, stay strong, we'll make it to the surgery! Off to pack my hospital bag now!