Cat B

This is day 8 for me with my Pre Op diet. In the beginning my stomach protested vehemently against not getting any food! It took a few days for it to settle down. The smell of food kicks it into high gear and I have had to do a mind over matter type of thing. If you can imagine that broth you are drinking as your coffee, that sf Jello as something else you would rather have, it just may help you along. This has helped me. I hope that makes sense. STAY STRONG AND COMMITTED! REMEMBER YOUR WHY!

The issues regarding alcohol and WLS are the following:
Healing - alcohol is corrosive to the raw stomach tissues that have been exposed during surgery, so we need to keep away from it while the stomach heals. Surgeons differ in their opinion as to how long that should be, from a few weeks to a few months.
Liver health - starting out obese or worse, our livers are often in pretty poor shape (hence the "liver shrinking" pre-op diets that some surgeons impose). Further, our livers are further stressed by their role in metabolizing all that fat that we are losing, and doesn't need any further stress from ingesting a liver toxin like alcohol (that's not a moral judgement, just basic physiology.) Surgeons vary widely as to how much this bothers them depending upon their backgrounds and WLS philosophies (short term vs. long term.) In my doc's program, we are under contract to not drink as long as we are in a weight loss phase (call it a year, though ideally forever) - with his "sideline" as a liver transplant surgeon, he doesn't want any of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table.
Transfer addiction - to the extent that we are/have been addicted to food (a very individual thing) that we can no longer satisfy, courtesy of our WLS, we can be prone to transferring those addictive tendencies to something else - alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, etc. So, a casual drinking habit pre-op can (and often does) morph into full blown alcoholism.

HI SueGrace,
The only advice I can really give is to take what you read with a grain of salt as your own nutritionist will give you the diet plan she or he wants you to be on, which (in my experience) is individualized according to your unique situation. For example, some people have said they can have alcohol later down the line, others say they were told not to drink ever after surgery. When I went to my pre-op instructional this week, each of us in the room had different pre-op plans. Mine wanted 4 Meal Replacement shakes + a bariatric meal (dinner entree) for 2 weeks pre-op. Others in the room had 3 shakes a day and no meals, or 3 shakes a day + 1 meal, etc. It varied based on the person.

As far as the plan of action for foods POST op, I was told for me that when I'm discharged I am on full liquids, then everything changes in 2 week intervals. So, 2 weeks post op I can move to puree, then 2 weeks after that soft foods (assuming I can tolerate it, etc). My nutritionist said if I feel I can do it sooner, that's fine, but it's a base 2 week plan. but again, that's individualized for me. If your nutritionist or doctor said to go a certain route I'd ask questions if you're unsure, but ultimately go with the treatment plan they advise.

Good luck in your journey!

Don't worry or focus on differences, pretty much every doctor, every surgery, every nutritionist, everywhere has a different way of doing things. The biggest thing to remember is, follow what YOUR team has set for you. Because at the end of the day, they are the ones that have dominion over your surgery, no one else. So if you don't follow their rules, they *could* deny your surgery.

Again, don't worry too much about differences, they don't seem to really make a difference at the end of the day, but it's your surgery, do what your surgeon says.

Well I did it! Had my surgery. Now in room
getting ready to get up and walk. Went very well per surgeon.

I'm curious, what kind of food, can you show us?
But in the end you have to learn to consult your team for changes not this site, or you'll be here after surgery looking for alternatives to your plan, meds, etc. Instead of going where you should...
If you are going to trust your team with your life, trust them.
VSG2017 HW 249 SW 238 CW 167

Ok... first and foremost if you are having an issue with your prescribed pre-op diet, the **ONLY** people that are going to be able to give you answers or approve adjustments are the people that are in control of your surgery. Yes, everyone seems to have different diets both pre and post-op. But no one here on this forum is going to cancel your surgery because you didn't follow some instructions. Your surgeon however, can.

So if your pre-op diet is giving you issues, then talk to them and ask if they can make changes. If you make your own changes, and your doctor isn't aware of them... there is a chance that your doctor postpones or cancels your surgery because you didn't follow their guidelines.

You say you are mentally ready for this surgery. Well, part of this whole process is dealing with felling "starved, angry, emotional" at least until your body sorts stuff out. The pre-op sucks. But you REALLY REALLY REALLY need to follow your doctors instructions and no one else's. How horrible would you feel if you took someone's advice here, followed a different diet than what was approved and then you had some complication or had your surgery canned because of it? Not worth the risk. Talk to your doctors, let them know you are having issues with the food and let them give you different options.

Definitely premiere Protein shakes— blended with ice cubes to make them last longer and more filling . sugar free popsicles tame the need for sweets ! Still do post op :)

You’ve got this— it’s amazingly worth it!

@Herewego2018 Congratulations! I remember how excited/terrified I was when I finally got the call to start my two week pre op. I too had a very limited diet that consisted mostly of Protein Shakes with a few sugar free additions, like Jello and popsicles. Shopping this weekend is a great plan!
Drinking more Water can definitely help. I blended my Premier Protein shakes with a few cubes of ice to make it thicker. I set times for when I would eat to make sure it was spaced throughout the day so I was not super hungry at night. I did not go out to restaurants during the two weeks and tried to leave the room if my husband had any super yummy smelling food. I also tried to find other activities to help fill my time, like chores, video games, boardgames, puzzles, short walks, naps, etc. If you are doing mostly Protein shakes, you may want check and see if you can take Colace or something similar for Constipation. Not everyone has that issue though.
My want to cheat did not go away, but I made a commitment to myself to just make it through this meal, make it through today, make it through tomorrow, make it through this week, and so on. It can be difficult at times, so stay strong, YOU GOT THIS!! Everyone says it, but it really does go by faster than you think.

I will be having my surgery sometime in mid May. I am really enjoying everyone's post in talking about their experiences. It is helping me to have an idea of what to expect. I had my first approval appointment with my PCP. I was very nervous about it. Thought I was going to really have a sermon with him on the reasons I felt having this surgery is so absolutely mandatory to me! To my amazement, he was in agreement with me having the surgery!! I just have to have a cardiac stress test first because of all the medications I am on. No problem with that. I am super excited and nervous about this journey I am embarking on. I am starting to buy some of the things needed. I am moving forward with hope of being able to do things that I can't do now. It's like my total outlook on life has completely changed and I am slowly moving to that light at the end of the tunnel!! Everyone keep moving forward and don't give up!!!

I am a Cook in a restaurant. If anyone is in the food service biz, how long did you take off from work? I am planning to just take 2 weeks. The goal is to keep moving at all times. I can definitely do that at work.