OH WOW! :tt2:

i just got my surgery date. Feb 25th! :thumbup: i meet with my surgeon on the 16th and the anesthesiologist on the 17th.

ive been trying to get a band since November 2008!

as of now on a 2 week fat free, sugar free, liquid diet, plus Protein shakes. this consists of Protein Shakes im mixing myself (the surgeon recommended Carnation Instant Breakfast but its not sugar free or low carb, so i chose a different one), fat free low sodium chicken broth, Water.....um....im open to other suggestions! is the occasional sugar free Jello a no-no during the pre-op diet? how about V-8? i need more choices i think.

how much did you lose during the pre-op diet? :thumbdown:

anyways, im excited and a bit nervous but im definitely looking forward to this! the hubby is apprehensive, due to so much change happening in such a short time but hes being supportive and understanding.

I AM SO EXCITED!

My WLS has everyone on Medifast for a minimum of a month prior to surgery. I'd lost 10 lbs of the 10% required on my own and hoped to only have to do the "MF" for the two weeks prior to my surgery date (3/10) but NOooo...

It's basically 4 MF shakes a day, 1 cup of low sodium broth(if desired - anybody "desire" something that smells like dog food?), 5 oz of protein(chicken/fish) and roughly 1.5 cups of low carb veggies. After one week it turned out I had an allergy to the soy in the MF. Since I live about an hour away from my WLS, the nurse suggested a find a product comparable to MF (100 cal/13/Carbs/15g Protein) and recommended Slimfast Lo Carb or High Protein. She told me the goal is 70+ grams of Protein, < 65 grams of carbs and around 500 calories. I found Jillian Michaels Whey (100cal/7carbs/18gm Protein) and Top Care (Price Chopper's store brand) with (110cal/4 carbs/20 grams Protein). I make and freeze it then throw it back in the blender. I am not having a problem with my carbs, but I am with getting enough protein and keeping my calories under 500. I am not losing at all - it feels like my metabolism is in revolt. I guess I could go to just 5 shakes a day but God help me I live for that one meal!:thumbdown: When in doubt check with your doctor's office or the nutritionist! Good Luck

I think Carnation does have a no-sugar Instant Breakfast--but like you, I'd choose another; it doesn't have the same amount of quality Protein as many of the shakes available. (My favorite are Inspire shakes from Bariatric Eating.)

My preop diet consisted of 2 shakes a day (they recommended Atkins, I went with Inspire) and one meal consisting of four ounces of lean protein and 1/2 c. nonstarchy veggies. We could also have 2 servings each of broth, SF Jello, and SF popsicles, if we wanted.

I didn't lose a tremendous amount--about 7 pounds. I'd already pared down on carbs, so my liver didn't have much of of a glycogen store to let go. (That carries with it a ton of Water, too).

But the preop diet's not really geared primarily for loss---it's more of an overall prep....gets the liver in good shape, de-bulks the bowel contents, gets you in a good eating-less postop place, etc.

ETA: I'm surprised to see that doctors are still recommending soy-based protein; it's not as readily absorbed, and so many of us have allergy issues!

My doctor did not require me to do a preop liquid diet; but suggested a special liquid diet so I could loose more weight before the sugery (and thus leading to a lower eventual goal weight). After speaking with my nut I decided to wait on starting a liquid diet until I at least have a sugery date (It is also 500 calories which I just think is too low.). The diet he recommend is sold online and at the hospital (45 minutes away) I want to do a liquid diet that I can buy locally. I wonder if you were not loosing based on the number of carbs per searving. EAS Carb control and muscle milk are 4 carbs per searving; with protein at appr. 25 grams.

Betsy, the only CIB that i found was the regular and the "no sugar added", which still had more sugar than i should be having. ah well, i found a good high Protein powder at my local grocery store so im using that. :thumbdown:

im jealous of the people whose surgeons let them have lean meat and veggies! im gonna be starving on just liquids for 2 weeks, but i have to follow my surgeons instructions.

sugar free Jello isnt a no-no? because that would be awesome.

It's a little late to be recommending this for you but if someone else reads this and they have time I would recommend the Atkins induction plan. I had 3 weeks prior to my surgery. The nutritionist at the OCC said she would prefer 4 weeks with the plan but I told her I could do it. I had 12 pounds to lose before surgery and I lost 14! Omlettes, cheese scrambled eggs, and bacon cheeseburgers, steak and salad are much easier than Protein shakes however I did drink the Atkins Dark chocolate Royale shakes too. 20 carbs a day or less is not easy for some people but for me it was a breeze never hungry and I felt great right before surgery.

That said I knew I had the backup of the one week of protein shakes prior to surgery if it did not work. It did (I knew it would as I had done it before) and then some.:thumbdown:

Since surgery Feb 4th I've lost another 8! Wahoo!! I'm on my way to a healthier me!!

my diet is 5 Optifast shakes & 2 Optifast bars a day and yes I am allowed SF Jello along with SF popsicles (no fruit chunks) and FF broth

carmen,

thanks for commenting with this! it makes me feel so much better about the sugar free jello and popsicles i bought last night!

Your diet sounds really similar to the one I was told to go on - on mine I was also allowed one cup of non starchy vegetables as well as sugar free jello and popsicles. For my protein I elected to go with Boost and Ensure high protein energy drinks. Good Luck.