I know that this topic has been around - how many times I'm not sure, but I'll bet it is plenty - but maybe this is a question that no one has asked before and it has been on my mind for several days.

My daughter and I are having VSG surgery on November 12th. We had to do a 3 month low carb diet for insurance purposes and now we are supposed to be on a two-week high-Protein diet consisting of meats, green veggies, eggs and cheese ONLY, staying under 20 grams of carbs per day. We started a day early (THAT was a mistake! LOL) but have been religiously following it since with the exception of having a Protein shake (Premier Protein with 30 grams of protein) for lunch instead of one of the listed solid foods. Tomorrow will be one week.

My question is - what would it harm if, after the pre-op visit (which takes place 3 days before surgery), we went out and had a nice dinner and possibly dessert? I am soooo hungry for fajita nachos, I can't stand it, and that is something that I might never be able to eat again simply because of the bulk of the chips, lettuce, peppers, onions, cheese and chicken.

I know that, if someone goes to Mexico to have surgery, the surgeon makes them follow a two-week liquid Protein diet and then they get to have whatever they want to eat the night before surgery. So, what would it hurt to have one meal a couple of days before the surgery? Our livers can't possibly get slippery or large again that quickly, can they?

Please don't slam me with the, "you aren't taking this surgery seriously enough...you aren't ready if you can't follow the diet..." and so on. Believe me, we are definitely ready for the surgery. My daughter has lost 34 pounds in a little over 3 months and I have lost 18 (she weighs more than I do and is a lot younger). It is just that fajita nachos are my most favorite thing to eat (with the exception of pizza), and I can't understand how two days before surgery could impact the liver all the much. I'd ask my doctor but I kind of don't want him to tell me no and then be suspicious the day of surgery that we may have cheated.

Does anyone know if the liver can change that quickly? Did anyone cheat just a couple of days before surgery with any consequences?

Thanks.

Marilee

Hello Marliee,

I don't know the answer to your question but I am also currently on the liquid diet and I feel for you! My daughter's birthday is Nov. 8th and I promised her that I would eat a small dinner with her and have a piece of cake. I started the liquid diet early so that I could hopefully make up for the birthday dinner. I do not think you are less serious about the surgery just because you want one last meal. I think everyone is going to have to deal with this differently. I would hope that one meal wouldn't be the end all if you have done what you were supposed too. I am sure that you doctor would also understand, you might give him a try. Chances are you won't want to eat that much anyway. I started the liquid diet about a month ago when I was going to have the lapband and when I decided to switch to the sleeve the surgeon told me to go eat and not to think about the diet again until we got everything set up. I spent the next 3 days feeling like a mental case! I had just spent a week on liquids only and now I could eat? Should I be careful? Would it mean I wasn't serious if I didn't keep it up? In the end I decided that I have the rest of my life to worry and be careful so I took my surgeons advice and ate when I was hungry. I had Thanksgiving with my family a month early (just to make sure that I got some because at the time we were not sure when they would be able to schedule the surgery). I hope you talk to your doctor, I would really hate for it to be something that would mess up all of your hard work. All the doctor's are so different! Mine is fine with it because it is just one meal. Good luck!

I ate a huge steak dinner with potatoes, spinach artichoke dip, and big fat ass dessert from Applebee's the night before surgery. My liver was perfect after a week of low carb before that, while I'm not saying it's cool to cheat, my surgeon told me to enjoy my "last food funeral" and I did just that.

You'll do fabulous, and best wishes to you and your daughter.

By the way: chips, peppers, onions, lettuce and Beans, fajita meat (I typically eat the steak) all slide just fine post-sleeve. I eat nachos all the time. I don't eat a huge order, but I can eat them and enjoy the hell out of them ! ! !Chili's nachos ROCK. . . So, don't write them off your list because chips, and the veggies turn into mush, the steak is what fills up my sleeve the quickest ! ! !