2 week pre op diet - I'm starving!

[dnunzo51 0]

I have just completed day 5 of my pre op diet and I am STARVING! The only thing that is keeping me going is the fact that I can drink boulion and the fact that I am already down 9 lbs. Today was extremely difficult We went to our local sports bar to watch the Daytona 500. They had a free food spread which consisted of Chili, Bratwurst, Burgers, chips, Potato salad and Queso. I wanted so bad to eat something but did not. I feel that part of the pre diet is also to build mental strength. Anyway, off to bed and hoping that tomorrow will be easier. I stll have 10 days until surgery.

[Megg40 0]

I am not even on the pre op diet yet, but wanted to tell you to hang in there and that you and others who have gone before are an inspiration to me.....I am cheering you on.

Take Care,

Meg:thumbup:

[BetsyB 9]

Your liver will thank you! Truly, your surgery will be as uneventful as possible because of your dedication to your preop plan.

But it SUCKS. Totally.

The good news is that you will reach a point where food just becomes ...well, lots less interesting. You'll be hungry, but (dare I say?) defeated! It just won't have the same allure.

And then--THEN---you get the band! The prize! So, there is a light at the end of the stomach-growling tunnel

Truly, the preop diet is the hard part :hurray:

[kll724 3,055]

I have just completed day 5 of my pre op diet and I am STARVING! The only thing that is keeping me going is the fact that I can drink boulion and the fact that I am already down 9 lbs. Today was extremely difficult We went to our local sports bar to watch the Daytona 500. They had a free food spread which consisted of Chili, Bratwurst, Burgers, chips, Potato salad and Queso. I wanted so bad to eat something but did not. I feel that part of the pre diet is also to build mental strength. Anyway, off to bed and hoping that tomorrow will be easier. I stll have 10 days until surgery.

Good for you, will power( I often call it won't power) is the key to the whole thing. You can do it! And, yes, I also, lived for the boullion, loved beef. Hang in there.

[BetterMeCourtney 0]

Oh man, I completely understand where you are coming from. I am on day 3.

Day 1: My in-laws made a surprise visit. My surgeon is allowing 2 Protein shakes and a light dinner consisting of 4 oz of lean Protein, a cup of veggies and a cup of fruit. My in-laws insisted on taking us out to dinner (they're not aware of my surgery) and it was really hard to find something on the menu I could eat... but I managed. After dinner my MIL stopped and picked up a small cake to Celebrate my son's birthday that is this week. AHHH.... so I made myself busy and drank a hot tea to keep myself occupied while everyone chowed down. Day 2: everyone had danishes for Breakfast, and mcdonalds for lunch (birthday boy got to choose). I had hubby swing me through smoothie King and picked up a Gladiator to "eat" while they chowed down on their bigmacs and happy meals. LOL. I didn't realize how much it really bothered me not being able to eat what others were eating until this. Our family REALLY uses food to Celebrate. I think I'm lucky that my in-laws are so obsessed with my children because they really didn't notice what I was/wasn't eating. Family gatherings with my family will prove to be a lot harder, I'm sure.

Oh, and what KILLED me was re-watching Lost with my husband last night. We always pop in a season to re-watch at night after the kids go to bed and we snack on random stuff. He naturally got out his normal snack stuff (keep in mind he is military and fit) and I of course couldn't tell him not to do that around me.. so I sat there and suffered/ate my chewable vitamens and pretended they were something awesome. haha.

Anyway, sorry to write the book but I agree that this is helping to break the mental habits we've created for ourselves. I didn't realize how much snacking at night was such a major part of our evening routine until I was forbid to do so.

Good luck! We can struggle together... haha.

[mmh205 0]

It's Day 1 for me... I've done an Opti-Fast diet before so I thought that'd I'd be an old pro by now. I remember the first few days being tough but I have to say, my tummy is grumbling.

I am on a strictly Protein shake diet. There were options as to which one I could choose, so I went with the easy route and chose the sugar-free Carnation Instant Breakfast. If I'm still hungry, I am permitted to have some cooked or raw veggies and some low sodium broth. I'm thinking that I'll run to the store and get some broth.< /p>

Other than that I'm drinking a ton of Water and trying to keep myself occupied. (I'm scared to go to the mall for fear that I will buy out the whole place. haha) I know this is going to benefit my health and make the surgery so much easier.

Anyway, keep it up! Knowing that there are other people out there going through what I am is making this a little bit easier.

[spowers7 0]

Today is day 1 for me!!!!!!! I have surgery on March 1st.... I am excited about having the band done and what the outcome will be later... However i have reciently quit smoking so i am finding that i want to smoke with out food.... they tell me i must be smoke free when i have the surgery... so i will suffer to get threw the surgery with out any problems... i think the key is to stay on track with your goal and the reason that you are doing the diet.... the shakes are ok, but not great....

[nessa259 19]

OH I totally hear you! I am on day 2. Surgery 2/26/10. I am not doing well on this. I am cranky and I have already apologized 92372197 times to my family for being so.

I can't deal with all of this sweet stuff. My PreOp consists of 4 Protein shakes per day, plus choosing five of the following:

1/2 Cup low fat cream Soup, strained

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 oz sf pudding

6 oz light yogurt w/out fruit

1/2 cup plain cream of wheat

UGH. I am a salt craver to begin with, so obviously this is torture. BUT light at the end of the tunnel. Please tell me it gets better....:biggrin:

[Laura Lane 0]

be patient be patient, keep being strong, it'll all be easier after your surgery. goodluck and keep it up!!!:biggrin:

[thebandedgirl 0]

Keep it up! Just another week, you're halfway there!

[Catherine55 43]

Yikes -- that sounds like torture! During my pre-op diet, I felt so anxious (kind of in a panic, sort of) being around people eating normal food. It helped me to bring boullion and to have it when others were eating.

Still -- if you can avoid situations like that, it would be good! One of the best things about the band is that you don't feel deprived if others around you are eating more than you! So, you don't need this type of hard core training that much!

Good for you for hanging in there in that tough situation. If you waiver, think of your liver slopping around during surgery . . that was enough to keep me on the straight and narrow. This is going to be SO WORTH IT. You absolutely can do it!

Best wishes for your success,

Catherine

[Woodstock girl 0]

Don't know if your surgeon told you, but you can eat up to three servings a day of watermelon and other fruits, but no bananas. Also, you can have cream of wheat. The surgeon told our group that if we have to have something, eat some very, very, lean meat such as turkey, but don't pig out on it. I didn't eat the meat, but the fruit definitely helped.

I developed a great deal of bloating and diarrhea before surgery. Apparently I was lactose intolerant and all those Protein shakes made with milk caused it. I switched to unsweetened almond milk after the surgery and that helped a whole lot.

By the time you have your surgery, or shortly afterward when you are on the liquid diet again, you may have a bitter funky taste in your mouth that you can't get rid of. This will mean that your body is in ketosis and you will lose weight much faster. Ketosis is the stage that people on low carb diets try to get to, though I've heard that its not good to stay in that stage for very long. When I reached that stage, I was losing a pound a day! It can make you nauseated, and I didn't like that feeling, so I ate a can of potato Soup to take myself out of ketosis.

I hope this information helps you.

[Woodstock girl 0]

Yikes -- that sounds like torture! During my pre-op diet, I felt so anxious (kind of in a panic, sort of) being around people eating normal food. It helped me to bring boullion and to have it when others were eating.

Still -- if you can avoid situations like that, it would be good! One of the best things about the band is that you don't feel deprived if others around you are eating more than you! So, you don't need this type of hard core training that much!

Good for you for hanging in there in that tough situation. If you waiver, think of your liver slopping around during surgery . . that was enough to keep me on the straight and narrow. This is going to be SO WORTH IT. You absolutely can do it!

Best wishes for your success,

Catherine

WOW, look at you!!!! Absolutely gorgeous!! I can't wait till I'm there too.

[~amy~ 1]

Aw MAN! You're a braver soul than I was. I didn't attempt a night out until my 9th day pre-op. It was UNBEARABLE! I cried all the way home because I was starving, and everybody else had the NERVE to eat in front of me...hey, I didn't say I was a totally rational person on that diet.

Forget one day at a time - you have to literally take that diet one second at a time. I can't tell you how many times I almost cheated but made myself stop. The biggest motivator for me was knowing that my surgeon would definitely be able to tell if I had cheated. And that would eat me alive.

My surgeon allowed me a small garden salad (no cheese, etc) in place of one of the 3 Slim Fasts I was having. I was also supposed to have a Protein shake, but I couldn't tolerate them, so I skipped them most of the time....not good for the energy levels.

I would definitely stick to the plan YOUR doctor gave you though - he knows what size liver is normal for the plan he has devised - if yours is bigger than what he wants, or if you haven't lost enough weight before surgery, your surgery may get postponed - and that would SUPER SUCK!

Hang in there!!! I'm 7 days post op, and I've lost about 30 lbs already - 25 of that was pre-op!! You can do this!! Good luck!

[carmen74 10]

I hear ya, I'm on my 8th day and it's been very difficult!! But I too am down 9 lbs so that makes it a little better! :-) For Daytona I was around the best tacos in the world and resisted, I "cheated" with some lettuce lol broth definitley has been my saving grace, I was dying for something that wasn't sweet!

The 2 main things that keep me from cheating is 1) that it just the 1st step in my journey to not being fat :-) 2) i do NOT want to be one of those people who wake up in recovery without the band because my liver was too fatty