Tips/Tricks to get thru the 2 wk pre-op liquid diet??

[longhaul68 27]

I’m starting my 2 week liquid diet on 4/12 and feeling unsure I’ll be able to manage it. My RNY is 4/26 and the nutritionist is allowing me any and all non-starchy vegetables but dear lord…will Bone Broth and Protein Shakes hold down the beast within?? I’ve lost about 13 lbs since January with just very clean high Protein eating. HW- 276 CW- 263 and 5’8”. Why do some programs allow lean chicken at dinner and others are so adamant about liquids/purées? Anyone have any tips/tricks to get thru this period? Very excited for this lifestyle turnaround! Thanks in advance for any advice :)

[BigSue 1,389]

The pre-op diet is one of the most difficult parts of the WLS process. It can vary greatly from one surgeon to the next, and even between patients for the same surgeon (for example, I've read that some surgeons require a more strict pre-op diet for patients with a higher BMI and/or who carry more weight in the abdomen), but remember that it is for the safety of your surgery, to shrink your liver so your surgeon has good access to your stomach. You are trusting your surgeon to cut you open and rearrange your digestive system, so it's important for you to do your part in getting your body ready for surgery.

As for tips and tricks, it depends on what's allowed on your pre-op diet, but sugar-free Jello and sugar-free popsicles are helpful if they're allowed (also for the post-op diet). A strategy I used during my pre-op diet was to get a lot of samples of different brands and flavors of Protein Shakes, so I had a variety and it helped me to figure out what I liked in preparation for using post-op (but be aware that many people report a change in taste after surgery, and after stocking up on Protein shakes they liked before surgery, they realize they can't stand the same shakes after surgery). Good luck!

[mcipanda 121]

Love that you can have any/all non starchy veggies. Sounds like it isn’t much but it really is!

For the shakes, I treated them like mini meals.. At Breakfast, I made a coffee shake using latte flavored Protein Shakes and sipped slow. At lunch, I made a Peanut Butter banana chocolate milk shake with banana extract, a chocolate Protein Shake and PB2 peanut butter powder. For dinner, have a Protein shake and some fajita seasoned sautéed veggies. For a snack, try having a strawberry banana shake (Fairlife) blended with ice.

I was really afraid of the 2-week diet, but it flew by. The key is to keep it interesting. Have cauliflower “rice” with veggies, for example. My biggest worry was the doctor opening me up, seeing my liver covered in fat, then closing me up and saying “nope.” It happened to others on these forums, so the fear kept me in line. It was also a great prep experience for the weeks after surgery when you can only have liquids.

Hope some of this is helpful

Edited April 8, 2023 by mcipanda

[Smanky 747]

I was on Protein Shakes and one non-starchy vegetable meal per day, so a similar plan to yours. No idea why some folks get super-restrictive milk diets and others can eat solid meals, but each surgery has its own way of doing things.

Yes, the pre-op diet sucks, the cold-turkey off sugar addiction alone is brutal. But it's only two weeks. I kept that in my head at all times - two weeks is a blink of an eye in this whole process, and by week two my pre-surgery nerves had kicked in and that nervous energy helped divert my attention. Distract yourself with anything you can. Games, cleaning, walks, books, walk-and-podcast or walk-and-audiobook. Whatever you're able to do. Drink Water, keep it on hand at all times. Stay focused on why you're doing this. Make wishlists of what you want to do and wear when you start dropping those sizes.

[Recidivist 1,141]

I was on shakes only, and I found that it was extremely hard only for the first three or four days. After that, it seemed like my body adapted and it was much easier. I looked at it as a good test of my willpower for later on when I would really need to be disciplined about my diet. (Turned out that I wouldn't feel hungry again for months!)

[longhaul68 27]

great input from all of you- thank you! I’ll lean heavy on the Protein Shakes and do veggie dinners. I appreciate the reminder that it’s connected to the surgeon’s ability to do their job with best outcome…team effort. Thank you again…

[summerseeker 2,169]

I had the one with low carb veg too. 3 weeks.....

I roasted them, with and without spice

Made them into Thai style broths with Water noodles.

Made them into curry, lots of curries with cauliflower rice.

Made loads of veg Soups and vegetable dips

Had a great variety of salads with sugar/ fat free dressings

I wished I knew more veggie recipes. At the end I was so over it

[gojackets 14]

Be thankful you get anything besides shakes. I had 3 weeks of 3 Meal Replacement shakes a day. ( Could have SF Jello, broth and sf popsicles) but no solid food of any kind. To make matters worse, I work in an Elementary school and it was the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas break. There were treats in the teacher lounge - where I eat lunch - EVERYDAY! I used it as an opportunity to practice my self control. I also lost an additional 20 pounds leading up to my surgery! Drink plenty of Water and keep yourself busy.

[Roxane 8]

I wish you all the best on your journeys! I am an operating room nurse, and I've seen many of these surgeries. Thinking about surgery and doing your part to help is the best advice. Your surgeon and your team want the best outcome for your success, and you are a part of that team as well!

[cjones75 4]

You are lucky you get to have non starchy veggies. I can only have liquid and it really hard. You get sick of the sweet shakes pretty fast

[cjones75 4]

@gojackets omg that would so hard. I’m on the same liquid diet you were and I’m on day 2 and already sick of the sweet shakes

[gojackets 14]

18 minutes ago, cjones75 said:

@gojackets omg that would so hard. I’m on the same liquid diet you were and I’m on day 2 and already sick of the sweet shakes

On a few occasions I would order wonton Soup from a Chinese restaurant - just the broth.... it really hit the spot and offset some of the sweetness from the shakes. Good luck... you've got this!

[cjones75 4]

@gojackets great idea. Thank you

[tejada32@msn.com 2]

On 4/8/2023 at 6:32 PM, gojackets said:

Be thankful you get anything besides shakes. I had 3 weeks of 3 Meal Replacement shakes a day. ( Could have SF Jello, broth and sf popsicles) but no solid food of any kind. To make matters worse, I work in an Elementary school and it was the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas break. There were treats in the teacher lounge - where I eat lunch - EVERYDAY! I used it as an opportunity to practice my self control. I also lost an additional 20 pounds leading up to my surgery! Drink plenty of Water and keep yourself busy.

same here im on my 2 week and it killing me

[longhaul68 27]

On 04/07/2023 at 21:55, BigSue said:

The pre-op diet is one of the most difficult parts of the WLS process. It can vary greatly from one surgeon to the next, and even between patients for the same surgeon (for example, I've read that some surgeons require a more strict pre-op diet for patients with a higher BMI and/or who carry more weight in the abdomen), but remember that it is for the safety of your surgery, to shrink your liver so your surgeon has good access to your stomach. You are trusting your surgeon to cut you open and rearrange your digestive system, so it's important for you to do your part in getting your body ready for surgery.

As for tips and tricks, it depends on what's allowed on your pre-op diet, but sugar-free Jello and sugar-free popsicles are helpful if they're allowed (also for the post-op diet). A strategy I used during my pre-op diet was to get a lot of samples of different brands and flavors of Protein Shakes, so I had a variety and it helped me to figure out what I liked in preparation for using post-op (but be aware that many people report a change in taste after surgery, and after stocking up on Protein shakes they liked before surgery, they realize they can't stand the same shakes after surgery). Good luck!

Thank you for the thoughtful and helpful response! I did get some sugar free pops and Jello though my 13 yo already broke into them!