A tip for how to help prepare for the pre-op diet

[PlBren 21]

Like many of the folks on this forum, I am dreading my pre-op diet and wondering how to get through two weeks of liquids only. I've read countless accounts of people who have done it and most say that the first 1, 2 or 3 days is the worst, then your body sort of adjusted. I had no idea what that really felt like and so I found it of little comfort.

I am a month away from surgery (hopefully - waiting for approval) and so I am not yet on the pre-diet but I wanted to give it a try anyway, just to see what it was going to be like. And so I did a 48 hour liquid only diet last week. And it has helped me feel as if I can do the full two weeks.

This is what I did - it was a 48 hours, but over 3 day, trial. I started one evening - dinner time (after having a normal Breakfast and lunch that day). I had a shake and a sugar free popsicle for dinner. And the next day - it was all liquid. And then the next day - I did liquids for breakfast and lunch and then had a normal dinner.

I will say that the 2nd day was hard. But I made it a challenge - told myself I could do it and then I just dealt with the hunger. I had a lot that day - anything to help with the hunger - three Protein Shakes, two servings of chicken broth Soup, lots and lots of Water, 3 popsicles and 1 serving of Jello. But I did it. And when I woke up on the 3rd day, I wasn't hungry until 9:00am. And that day, I didn't struggle at all. Sure, I was still hungry, but not the deep, I can't think of anything but food hunger that I had felt the day before. It was more like - oh yeah, maybe I should eat something hunger. And before I knew it, it was dinner time and my trial was over. And I didn't even pig out that night for dinner. I didn't need to - I was satisfied with a small meal.

I know everyone is different and thus it might take longer to get over that initial feeling of "starving", but now I know not to look at this as a two week diet, but instead - taking it day by day, challenging myself to do it and now I know it will get easier to deal with the hunger.