Hello my Fellow Lap-Banders,

I am day 4 of my Pre-Op diet and I am beginning to question the purpose for a full liquid as opposed to high protein/ low carb diet. I am aware that the main purpose is to decrease the glycogen stores in the liver hence causing it to shrink. You are also suppose to loose some fat around the liver for a safer surgery. My issue is you can do the same without having to suffer such a limited diet the full liquid offers. My liquid diet allows me to have creamed Soup which has 4g of carbs and 160 calories, as opposed to a can of tuna in Water that I used to make a tuna salad using yogurt instead of mayo wrapped in lettuce leaves. That tuna salad meal was a total of 2g carbs and only 120 calories. Let me tell you, it tasted like a steak dinner after all the soup and broth consumed over the past 3 days. If I was allowed to eat like that for 2 weeks, the pre-op diet would be a piece of cake. You will also loose weight because your body will start to burn off its own fat stores when the liver's fat is used up. But to limit a person to all liquids for two weeks seems like a punishment, when there are more desirable choices that offer the same results. Why don't these doctors use the high protein/low carb diet as opposed to the full liquid? Is there another reason I'm not considering?

I've been wondering the same thing....

If you google "liver shrinking diet" you will see the foods allowed, mainly protein. But I think also the purpose is to clear the digestive system so all is quiet during surgery. So if you are eating solid food your digestive system would still be active....

Your digestive system just needs to be inactive the day of surgery. Nothing by mouth after midnight the day of surgery is sufficient for that aspect. The only reason I can see for the liquid diet, is to mentally prepare for drastic diet changes after surgery. Other than that, a high protein/low carb diet is more than sufficient for the requirements. But I'm going to stick with the doctor's orders. I would hate for anything to botch-up my surgery.

Yeah, I agree with you that a low carb/high protein diet would definitely be easier. My liquid diet is clear liquids only. and sugar free. So I can only have my 3 protein shakes a day, water, crystal light, broth, sugar free jello....and, well that's it. I WISH I could have cream soups.

The creamed soups have to be strained, but yeah your diet seems a bit worse. See there, just when you start to complain, someone comes along with a situation that will make you appreciate your situation a bit more.

I wondered the same thing. My pre op diet is 5 optifast shakes a day and its driving me crazy, day 6 for me but i have to be honest, I had a salad or two in between, I can't help it I was hungry.... no meat, just greens and it was yummy.

Hello my Fellow Lap-Banders,

I am day 4 of my Pre-Op diet and I am beginning to question the purpose for a full liquid as opposed to high protein/ low carb diet. I am aware that the main purpose is to decrease the glycogen stores in the liver hence causing it to shrink. You are also suppose to loose some fat around the liver for a safer surgery. My issue is you can do the same without having to suffer such a limited diet the full liquid offers. My liquid diet allows me to have creamed soup which has 4g of carbs and 160 calories, as opposed to a can of tuna in Water that I used to make a tuna salad using yogurt instead of mayo wrapped in lettuce leaves. That tuna salad meal was a total of 2g carbs and only 120 calories. Let me tell you, it tasted like a steak dinner after all the soup and broth consumed over the past 3 days. If I was allowed to eat like that for 2 weeks, the pre-op diet would be a piece of cake. You will also loose weight because your body will start to burn off its own fat stores when the liver's fat is used up. But to limit a person to all liquids for two weeks seems like a punishment, when there are more desirable choices that offer the same results. Why don't these doctors use the high protein/low carb diet as opposed to the full liquid? Is there another reason I'm not considering?

Just think about all the weight pre surgery you will lose:) thats the goal right.

I've been wondering the same thing..and jealous as hell of those that get to just do the low carb/high protein diet for their pre-op!!

Hello my Fellow Lap-Banders,

I am day 4 of my Pre-Op diet and I am beginning to question the purpose for a full liquid as opposed to high protein/ low carb diet. I am aware that the main purpose is to decrease the glycogen stores in the liver hence causing it to shrink. You are also suppose to loose some fat around the liver for a safer surgery. My issue is you can do the same without having to suffer such a limited diet the full liquid offers. My liquid diet allows me to have creamed soup which has 4g of carbs and 160 calories, as opposed to a can of tuna in Water that I used to make a tuna salad using yogurt instead of mayo wrapped in lettuce leaves. That tuna salad meal was a total of 2g carbs and only 120 calories. Let me tell you, it tasted like a steak dinner after all the soup and broth consumed over the past 3 days. If I was allowed to eat like that for 2 weeks, the pre-op diet would be a piece of cake. You will also loose weight because your body will start to burn off its own fat stores when the liver's fat is used up. But to limit a person to all liquids for two weeks seems like a punishment, when there are more desirable choices that offer the same results. Why don't these doctors use the high protein/low carb diet as opposed to the full liquid? Is there another reason I'm not considering?

I asked my doctors nurse what the 2 week liquid diet was for. I told her that i heard it was to shrink the liver. She told me it was because they didn't want the patients to gain any more weight before the surgery. I did the Protein powder twice a day and usually one meal was eating the protein out of a lean cuisine meal. I would leave behind the rice, potatoes etc. i lost about ten pounds in the process and I didn't feel like crawling the walls. It does help you get use to limiting what you eat. It is hard to go from a chicken pot pie one day to chicken broth the next day.