Pre-Op Diet Experiences

[Radar 204]

My Pre-Op diet had a bit of a rocky start. It was supposed to start on Labor Day and my wife convinced me that one day wouldn't make a difference and to be fair, it didn't take much convincing on her part.

So I started on Tuesday, but I messed up again. As they say, if you fail to plan you plan to fail. I had some Protein shakes that a body builder friend of mine gave me so I figured, "Hey, why waste money when you can use what you've got?" and I used them, but in the middle of the day I noticed they were 300 calories vs the 160 calories in the Protein shake my nutritionist suggested. They had a lot more Protein but after speaking to my nutritionist, I decided to go to costco and pick up a few things after work including the RTD (Ready To Drink) shakes they sell, specifically the Premier Protein brand which come out to only $1.39 each. They have chocolate, strawberry and vanilla and at 160 calories they have 30g of protein. These weren't on the list my nutritionist gave me, but I provided her with the nutritional facts and she approved of them.

After work yesterday I went to costco to get the shakes, but I also wanted to get those Tyson pre-cooked frozen chicken breasts so I can quickly and conveniently toss one in the microwave for my meals. I was disappointed to find that my Costco no longer carries them. I filled out a suggestion card and went to Smart & Final and they didn't have them either, but they did have pre-cooked frozen chicken breasts cut into strips which is close enough. I prefer the breast to be whole so it doesn't dry out as much, but I'll take what I can get. I also picked up some baby spinach and when I finally got home, I heated up some of the chicken and sauteed the spinach in a teaspoon of coconut oil and minced garlic and it was great. I prefer olive oil, but I'm trying to be good and there was no coconut taste.

Yesterday I felt like I was starving all day and today I'm doing much better, but I'm still hungry. I'm due for my 2nd shake about now. I try to wait as long as I can before I drink them so they will last me until dinner.

Hopefully I can stick to the plan the rest of the way and my early slip ups won't make that much of a difference. I have a feeling I'll lose closer to 20 pounds than the 10 my nutritionist was hoping for.

How are all of you doing on your pre-op diets? What cool tricks have you learned? What tips or suggestions can you offer to make sticking to the plan easier? What experiences or challenges have you run into? How did you overcome them?

I can't wait to learn more from you all.

[Mrs.Truffles 17]

So my preop diet started bad in the beginning too. Dont be hard on yourself because if we had our ducks in order to begin with we wouldn't be candidates for surgery! Haha.

Im still working on my Preop, my Surgery is 9/15 and im about half way through. LaborDay weekend got me. I had a Turkey sandwich calling me and i answered. That grilled sausage saw the perfect opportunity and doubled teamed me as i was down! Either way i had a good Labor Day. I currently drink Premier Protein and i prefer the strawberry over the vanilla and chocolate so i bought a bunch as well as a few Chocolates an Vanilla just incase my tastes change after surgery.

One thing Ive learned these few days is to SPACE YOUR Protein APART. MAN. So im on 1 meal a day with 2 servings of protien. From 8am-11am i try and space out about 32oz of Liquids(Slow sipping practice) then at 11:30am/12pm i drink My first serving of Protein. I prefer mine kind of Slushy so it lasts alittle longer, which is real good for me. That will surprisingly curb my hunger for about 2-3 hours and if i babysit 16oz of liquid in that timeframe? 4 hours. Then, about 3/4pm, 30 minutes after i finish my drink, ill have a Meal. I Bought a bunch of those Healthy Choice Steamer Meals, Approved by my Dietitian, That's only got about 250-400 calories and 15-30g of Protein per serving depending on which one i eat. I Take my time eating Those. Sometimes i'll take me like 2 minutes to inhale one of them or sometimes it'll take me about 20 or so to the point where i have to reheat it. From there i wait about 30ish minutes to start drinking liquids again. From there i Sip on another 32oz of liquids until about 7/8pm. Then my second serving of Protein comes in. Frozen so it takes a while to get it down. After that i babysit 16oz of Water until bedtime.

Another thing that helps is fruity/sweet Vitamins and supplements spread throughout the day. Its like a Mini Treat for me. Lol.

[riley053 6]

My date will be September 29th and I'm so scared because I have cravings now so bad. What is going to happen to me when its the 2 week liqued diet? The closer to surgery the more scared I get.

[Radar 204]

I'm a little stressed too. I had those Protein shakes, but my wife does nails and doesn't get home until 8:30pm which is a very bad eating habit for my daughter and I. I thought I was going to pass out tonight by the time she got home and I was grouchy as hell. My wife asked why I was being mean. She thinks as long as she's getting paid, it doesn't matter how long we wait for her, or how it inconveniences us. Plus I feel like she's trying to sabotage me. My diet was supposed to start on Monday and she said, "one day won't matter and talked me into eating at a family BBQ. Tonight I told her I can only eat a little bit, but at least it was all very healthy. She gave me a larger portion than I should eat. I didn't eat it all, but I ate more than I should have.

I'm eating without her from now on.

I am already starting to get used to the shakes. I wonder if I'm losing weight. As each day passes and I get more used to it, I think the pre-op diet will become easier.

[Halfagain 68]

Hi Radar,

Good for you taking ownership of dinner, that is an excellent idea. This is your journey, and while all the support we can get is appreciated, we are responsible in the end for our own success. Finding ways to make this work is exactly how to be a can do, empowered owner of your own success.

[Radar 204]

There's an old saying in Ireland... "You are the author of your own fate".

It's time I started writing a better story.

[sleevingbeauty17 28]

Perhaps you can get dinner ready for your daughter before your wife comes home, then you have control over you portion sizes and will be a healthier time to eat. Just make sure to save some leftovers for your honey

[Radar 204]

I went out and bought the food. Tonight's dinner was orange, yellow and green bell peppers cut into strips and a package of Bill Bailey's Carne Asada in the package with the seasoning already on the meat and stuff. I just can't speak highly of this enough. It's at costco... sometimes. When you can find it, grab it because it doesn't last long. It's tender and juicy, and incredibly delicious. I also bought some baby spinach.

I thawed the meat, cleaned and cut all of the peppers, and julienne cut an onion. Everything was ready to sautée as soon as she walked in the door. She thought I was waiting for her to cook it, but I'm a very good cook. I was waiting so she could eat it fresh with us. My nutritionist gave me a list of veggies I can eat "unlimited amounts" of. Bell Peppers are on the list and I happen to know my wife and daughter love them so this was a win win. After feeling starving all day I finally feel full and happy.

I'm going to have to put my health above being polite so I can eat at a normal hour. Then I can work on going to sleep at a normal hour. I do IT work for a hospital so I have to be up at all hours. I get calls at 3am to fix stuff.

Thanks for all of your support and helpful suggestions. This should be a sticky thread.

Edited September 10, 2015 by Radar

[Radar 204]

I'm doing much better today. I don't feel weak or dizzy or jittery. I don't feel super hungry either and I seem to have a bit more energy. I am surprised I was able to adjust this quickly. I can't really say the worst of the pre-op diet is behind me because next week, it's liquid only.

Wish me luck!

[sleevingbeauty17 28]

Best of luck radar! Glad you found a compromise for eating at a good dinner with your Portion Control limits

[jacks89 51]

I started my preop diet labor day too!! Let me tell you the first day was okay bc I was off work but the second day I was miserable and had to work a 10hr shift. My head was pounding and I felt light headed. I really thought I'd pass out at work but I'm a trooper and was always taught, "you can do it if your set your mind to it, be strong!" And I did it! I had to set up alarms that went off in 3hr intervals to drink the shakes. I'm allowed to have sugar free Jello, chicken broth and sugar free popsicles but I haven't been eating them. Now that I'm finally off work I'll give it a try. I'd have to say the first day was the worst then afterwards it was easy, I continued working the 10hr shifts which were hectic but overall not bad in a way it kept me busy lol ah and I stayed off the social media bc everyone keeps posting delicious food stuff and I don't want to be tempted anymore than I have to xD lol in total for this week I've lost 10lbs

[Mom26 313]

I had my last of the 6-month appointments on Tuesday (the 8th). I was shocked that they gave me a surgery date of 9/24 (pending insurance approval) - and had to start my liquid diet yesterday (the 10th). I was expecting to feel absolutely horrible - like I did when I cut soda out of my life for a year. Surprisingly, I felt ok. My surgeon says 2 weeks liquid. No meals. I'm a bit envious of those who can add "something of substance" to their day. I would have been thrilled to shredd up a few ounces of chicken breast into my powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken Soup.

I have a Premier Protein shake for Breakfast. To me it tastes like Yoohoo. I wish it tasted like Nestle Quik, but Yoohoo is tolerable. Tomorrow I'll add in 2 scoops of PB2 for more Protein and flavor. lunch is Unjury Chicken Soup - heated to 130 degrees so the whey doesn't cook/coagulate. That, to me, tastes like Oodles of Noodles/Ramen. Again, tolerable. dinner is another shake, with maybe a Jello or Ice Pop for dessert.

We have 6 kids - and doing this while they were home would have been so much more difficult. They're all in college or older (one commutes to a local school so she's home still). My husband is a God-send. He had my soup ready to go when I got home last night. I've asked him to not alter his meals because I need to be used to being around people that are going to eat "normally". He's decided to make his meals something I wouldn't eat or don't like.

It's only been 2 days. I do feel a bit weak. I know I'm not getting in all of the liquid I need. I have to force myself to drink water/lemonade. I'm also guessing my intestines are in shock and not thrilled with what they're getting. And they're making it known!

I'm hoping to get insurance approval. But fear that because I haven't done the endoscopy yet and cannot get an appointment until the beginning of October, I may be postponed. If that's the case, I'm going to continue with a light diet - of shakes and maybe add a small meal until I need to go liquids again. I'm certainly not going to sabotage what I'm doing now!

[Radar 204]

That unjury Soup actually sounds great and your husband sounds like he's really trying to help you out. I only have one kid and I feel overwhelmed sometimes. I can't imagine having 6. Do you ever experience privacy with so many kids?.

I have been doing the Premeir Protein shakes 2-3 times a day and I like the chocolate more than the vanilla. I want to try the strawberry.

The pre-op diet is tough and yesterday I was up at 4am and didnt sleep until 1am do Protein Shakes weren't gonna do it for me.

On the way to work, I had to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting someone and my Protein Shakes hit the floor of my car and one broke open. What a great way to start my day!

When I got to work and cleaned up I knew I was 1 Protein shake short so I cheated and had 2 boiled eggs and an orange.

After I got off work, I was craving fish for my 1 meal of the day and wanted to go to Ports O' Call in San Pedro but my wife insisted on going to Westminster to eat noodles in duck soup so I watched my wife and daughter with my stomach growling at me and I was starting to get a little dizzy and angry. Hungry + Angry = Hangry.

After they ate my wife and daughter ate, they said they felt bad and wanted to go to San Pedro do I can eat fish. Keep in mind it's now 10pm. My wife gets off work after 8pm. My last Protein Shake was at 3pm so I'm almost at 8 hours with nothing after barely anything.

Of course all of tge restaurants were closed like I told my wife they would be and she acted shocked because she was wrong... again... even though she knows EVERYTHING!

I ended up going to a crappy restaurant and ordered fish. By this point my hands were shaking. My wife, who just ate, ordered Salisbury steak. The meals came with soup or salad do I got salad and my wife hot clam chowder.

The restaurant was full and it was about 11pm and they had one waiter who was really a bus boy working the whole restaurant so our food got to the table about 45 minutes later.

At this point I had given up. I tried to be good but I ate some of my wife's soup, had a bite of bread, had some of my wife's Salisbury steak with gravy and mushrooms and I had about 3 ounces of fish with broccoli.

I hope today is better. I think my wife is actively trying to sabotage me. I realize it sounds like I am throwing my wife under the bus. I guess I'm still a bit hangry. I really love her and she wants this surgery for me more than I do. I can't expect her to change her life for me. I just feel like she expects me to keep my life the same for her. I can't eat with her anymore. I can't wait for her to get off work so late anymore before I eat... or drink Protein shakes. So much of my family and social life revolves around sharing food and/or drinks. It's really going to make me feel like an outsider or a pariah that can't be around everyone when food is around.

I'm going to start making my rebuilding PAUL videos again on YouTube today to document my experience and progress. I just created a cool video intro for them. I'll post a link when I get it uploaded.

On the bright side I think I'm down about 13 pounds for the week.

[tcrehm 101]

I started liquids only yesterday for my 22 Sep surgery. I have found that drinking peppermint herbal tea seems to help with the hunger when it hits but I have felt so weak today. I took my Vitamins and had enough Protein and drank my 64 oz of fluids and chicken broth and am not sure what else to do to help. I'm concerned about driving because I feel so light headed and weak.

Any ideas?

[samuelsmom 670]

@@Radar If you are down 13 pounds, then you are obviously sticking to something! I would suggest adding greek yogurt- that is a great snack and quite filling. Also, a hard boiled egg has saved me on more than one occasion. So that was actually a good choice in a bad situation. Maybe you should bring some extra and store them at work. I would also suggest you try and stay away from restaurants now that your surgery is close. Concentrate on eating well. Good Luck to you!