Diet changes leading up to surgery

[NewMe_2021 56]

Curious what changes (if any) folks made to their diet while waiting for their surgery date?

I'm trying to make some changes now so adjusting to a new lifestyle won't be quite as dramatic after surgery. I want to set myself up for success as much as possible. So far I have done the following:

- cut way back on my coffee (only one cup caffeinated every other day)

- Water intake up to 100 ounces a day

- tracking my food and limiting carbs to less than 120g a day

- trying to teach myself to eat 5 times a day instead of 3 (this has been a big change because I had finally gotten used to only eating 3 times a day...my new program wants folks eating 5 times a day so something is eaten every 3-4 hours)

- focusing on Protein first

- cut fast food down to 2 times a week

- cut out alcohol

- adding in walks, though not consistently yet

Any thing else I can do to help prepare myself more for this new lifestyle?

[Neller 114]

Practice taking small bites and chewing thoroughly, which should slow down your eating. That’s been the hardest thing for me post op, along with not drinking fluids 30 minutes before or after meals. My gut tells me when I’ve forgotten. It hurts!

[XtinaDoesIt 202]

WOW! You seem like you've got this! All I did prior was cut back on alcohol. I think if you can manage those changes you'll be better off than I was and I'm doing alright!

The only thing I can think of is to try out recipe's and new Snacks that are post surgery friendly so that you already have an idea of what you like. Also trying to reduce your sugar intake (drink less juice, soda etc.). I actually found that I love crystal lite...

[NewMe_2021 56]

1 hour ago, Neller said:

Practice taking small bites and chewing thoroughly, which should slow down your eating. That’s been the hardest thing for me post op, along with not drinking fluids 30 minutes before or after meals. My gut tells me when I’ve forgotten. It hurts!

I definitely need to work on the small bites, chewing thoroughly and eating slowly. I keep hearing about the fluids piece as well and feel like I can easily figure out the 30 minutes after a meal, however, how on earth do you figure out how to stop drinking fluids 30 minutes before you eat??? Do you eat on a very defined schedule so you always know when you will be eating thus always know when to stop drinking? This part definitely seems like the toughest change to master for me.

[SummerTimeGirl 582]

So I just started the process the end of February. Have done all my blood work, taken certain classes and quizzes online, did my EKG, chest x-ray, H-pylori test, and visited with the cardiologist. All I have left is a visit with the dietician, pulmonologist, and the mental health specialist. Oh and one more visit with the surgeon. That's providing nothing else comes up that needs to be done/taken care of.

But so far..........

Things I'm doing to prepare.................

• Taking a daily Multivitamin (as suggested by dietician)
• Started Keto again (but not extreme this time, this time I'm eating fruits as suggested by the dietician, and keeping fats low)
• Stopped drinking Diet Pepsi and now consuming 64 oz (as suggested by the dietician) or more of Water
• ONE cup of coffee a day (sometimes I would drink 2 or more a day)
• Tracking my food on Cronometer and in a separate journal that also asks about my mood energy, activity, sleep, etc each day
• Trying to eat 3 times a day and 1 snack (as suggested by the dietician)
• Adding in exercise at least 15 min a day, 3 days a week to START with a goal of 60 min a day, 5 days a week (also suggested by the dietician)

What I need to work on............

• The 30-30-30 rule as given by the dietician (no drink 30 min before a meal, eat the meal within 30 min, no drink for 30 min after)
• Slowing down my eating/chewing/making my meal stretch out over 30 min

Edited March 12, 2021 by SummerTimeGirl

[NewMe_2021 56]

52 minutes ago, XtinaDoesIt said:

WOW! You seem like you've got this! All I did prior was cut back on alcohol. I think if you can manage those changes you'll be better off than I was and I'm doing alright!

The only thing I can think of is to try out recipe's and new Snacks that are post surgery friendly so that you already have an idea of what you like. Also trying to reduce your sugar intake (drink less juice, soda etc.). I actually found that I love crystal lite...

Thank you so much! That is such a great idea to try out some new recipes and Snacks before hand. I feel like that will help immensely from a cooking perspective. I tend to have all my meals down to a precise window of prep time and I'm really used to how much time I need in order to get dinner on the table for the family by a certain time. Practicing some new ways of cooking and new recipes would definitely save on some stress later on.

Sugar is definitely a tough one that I'm still working on . Not necessarily what I drink (I usually just drink Water, black coffee and herbal tea), but, I have noticed I definitely have a sweet tooth. So, it's good to know I need to continue tackling this in advance!

[NewMe_2021 56]

On 03/11/2021 at 19:16, SummerTimeGirl said:

So I just started the process the end of February. Have done all my blood work, taken certain classes and quizzes online, did my EKG, chest x-ray, H-pylori test, and visited with the cardiologist. All I have left is a visit with the dietician, pulmonologist, and the mental health specialist. Oh and one more visit with the surgeon. That's providing nothing else comes up that needs to be done/taken care of.

But so far..........

Things I'm doing to prepare.................

• 
  Taking a daily Multivitamin (as suggested by dietician)
  


• 
  Started Keto again (but not extreme this time, this time I'm eating fruits as suggested by the dietician, and keeping fats low)
  


• 
  Stopped drinking Diet Pepsi and now consuming 64 oz (as suggested by the dietician) or more of Water
  


• 
  ONE cup of coffee a day (sometimes I would drink 2 or more a day)
  


• 
  Tracking my food on Cronometer and in a separate journal that also asks about my mood energy, activity, sleep, etc each day
  


• 
  Trying to eat 3 times a day and 1 snack (as suggested by the dietician)
  


• 
  Adding in exercise at least 15 min a day, 3 days a week to START with a goal of 60 min a day, 5 days a week (also suggested by the dietician)
  

What I need to work on............

• 
  The 3o-30-30 rule as given by the dietician (no drink 30 min before a meal, eat the meal within 30 min, no drink for 30 min after)
  


• 
  Slowing down my eating/chewing/making my meal stretch out over 30 min
  

Sounds like you are getting close and doing fantastic!!! I like that 30-30-30 rule. Such an easy way to remember those key items. Exercise is definitely one I need to work on consistency with. Maybe I need to break it down into smaller amounts rather than thinking I need to dive right in with 30 minutes every day. I’ll have to give that a try and see how it works.

[ecugsplgrl 34]

initially your sips of liquid after surgery will have to be VERY small or cause pain. Practice not chugging beverages or taking large gulps.

[lizonaplane 1,612]

I am probably not having surgery till July at least, since I have four months of required nutrition classes.

I started at the end of January and here is what I've done:

1) Cut out diet soda COMPLETELY (this is huge since I used to drink about 5 cans a day

2) Focus on Protein and then veggies, and reduce fruit (hard because I love fruit) and carbs (not a carb lover except sweets!)

3) cut down to 1200-1400 calories a day

4) exercise 30+ minutes almost every day

5) wait 30 minutes after eating to drink and not chug my Water (this is hard because I take meds that cause dry mouth)

6) Cut out iced coffee (this wasn't necessary but my iced coffees were huge and I don't really miss them)

I'm still working on taking smaller bites and chewing better. I haven't got this down yet. I never drank or smoked so those aren't issues. I've lost 18 lbs so far but now I'm totally stalled.

[JDLane 140]

I started my program at the end of January, I'm not sure when surgery will be. I've done a lot of things similar to your list, stopped drinking bubbles, started counting my Protein intake and Water, trying to focus on eating protein first at meals, chewing slowly to a pudding like consistency. The separating meals from drinking is what I'm working on now. It sounds easy but I've heard it's actually a big cause for regain because it will push food right through your system and allow you to be hungry more quickly.

I'd recommend trying different Protein Shakes, bars and Snacks so you can figure out what you like before you buy a ton of something and end up hating it. Then again for some people the surgery changes your tastes and you may end up hating it anyway!

[NewMe_2021 56]

On 3/16/2021 at 11:27 AM, lizonaplane said:

I am probably not having surgery till July at least, since I have four months of required nutrition classes.

I started at the end of January and here is what I've done:

1) Cut out diet soda COMPLETELY (this is huge since I used to drink about 5 cans a day

2) Focus on Protein and then veggies, and reduce fruit (hard because I love fruit) and carbs (not a carb lover except sweets!)

3) cut down to 1200-1400 calories a day

4) exercise 30+ minutes almost every day

5) wait 30 minutes after eating to drink and not chug my Water (this is hard because I take meds that cause dry mouth)

6) Cut out iced coffee (this wasn't necessary but my iced coffees were huge and I don't really miss them)

I'm still working on taking smaller bites and chewing better. I haven't got this down yet. I never drank or smoked so those aren't issues. I've lost 18 lbs so far but now I'm totally stalled.

I'll likely be having surgery in June (unless there is a cancellation and I can get in earlier!). It's taken me over a year to get to this point, so, I'm definitely ready. Sounds like you've been doing great so far! Carbs are definitely the hardest for me. I have IBS-D and white flour based things (saltines, Pasta etc...) have always been things I could eat and know I wouldn't wind up with an unpleasant bathroom experience. It's been a challenge to cut these out. In some ways I am lucky as I am not really a fan of sweet things, so, at least it limits the type of carbs I have to get under control. I feel you on the stall, when I implemented all my changes I lost weight in the beginning, but, like every other time it's like my body adapts and either stays at the same weight or finds creative ways to get back to where it was before. I'm really hoping all these changes will result in consistent downward trend on the scale after surgery.

Good luck with everything!

[NewMe_2021 56]

On 3/17/2021 at 3:11 PM, JDLane said:

I started my program at the end of January, I'm not sure when surgery will be. I've done a lot of things similar to your list, stopped drinking bubbles, started counting my Protein intake and Water, trying to focus on eating Protein first at meals, chewing slowly to a pudding like consistency. The separating meals from drinking is what I'm working on now. It sounds easy but I've heard it's actually a big cause for regain because it will push food right through your system and allow you to be hungry more quickly.

I'd recommend trying different Protein Shakes, bars and Snacks so you can figure out what you like before you buy a ton of something and end up hating it. Then again for some people the surgery changes your tastes and you may end up hating it anyway!

Isn't learning to chew slowly and thoroughly tough to get down pat?!?! That and figuring out how to not drink 30 minutes before or after are some of the changes I still struggle with for sure. I've also been working to try different shakes, though, my dietician threw a bit of a wrench in that process - they only have 5-6 different types of shakes they approve in their program. I had been using Premier Protein and was shocked when I found out that the didn't approve using them for the 2 week pre-op or after surgery. So, I started trying ones off their list. My problem is the shakes are so daggone sweet! It's definitely a challenge.

Best of luck with everything!

[ShoppGirl 4,786]

You may also want to try not drinking 30 minutes before or after meals a few times although you don’t have to do that in the beginning because food is not solid but it was good for me to just know o could do it. Also don’t forget no straws.

Edited March 25, 2021 by ShoppGirl

[A1220M 101]

Curious what changes (if any) folks made to their diet while waiting for their surgery date?
I'm trying to make some changes now so adjusting to a new lifestyle won't be quite as dramatic after surgery. I want to set myself up for success as much as possible. So far I have done the following:
- cut way back on my coffee (only one cup caffeinated every other day)
- Water intake up to 100 ounces a day
- tracking my food and limiting carbs to less than 120g a day
- trying to teach myself to eat 5 times a day instead of 3 (this has been a big change because I had finally gotten used to only eating 3 times a day...my new program wants folks eating 5 times a day so something is eaten every 3-4 hours)
- focusing on Protein first
- cut fast food down to 2 times a week
- cut out alcohol
- adding in walks, though not consistently yet
Any thing else I can do to help prepare myself more for this new lifestyle?

GREAT question. I'm pre-op as well and have been looking for this type of advice.

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