Just recieved my pre-op diet.... REALLY similar to post-op!

As I said, I just recieved my pre-op diet. The short version is:

LIVER-SHRINKING DIET PLAN

There are NO CALORIE LIMITATIONS on the LIVER-SHRINKING diet. You may eat/drink as much as you wish of the allowed things to feel satisfied, although we suggest reasonable limits to assist your weight loss. This does not have to be a liquid diet. Start a low carb (30 grams or less daily), high Protein (minimum 60-70 grams daily), keep a close eye on the fat intake (don't over do it) and at least the minimum required daily amount (64 ounces) of plain Water intake diet prior to surgery.

If you chose to drink a Protein shake. Please read the labels. You should get at least 15 grams of Protein & less than 6 grams of total Carbohydrates per serving. Protein shakes are NOT required, but are very convenient.

You may have low fat yogurt, lean meats, grilled chicken, green vegetables. We recommend checking the carb content on your food. You can find a very useful carb counter on Atkins.com

It says the point is to put you in a *temporary* state of ketosis, but with the post-op diet being so similar is it really temporary? If not, whats different, other than the obvious, post-op that makes it different? I kinda like the idea of the whole high protein thing, because it will give me an excellent excuse to try out some protein shakes and other things lol. As far as the "plain water" part, does that mean I can't even use sugar free-flavor packs? Water and I don't get along, tap or bottle- doesn't matter, it ALL tastes "rusty" to me. I always thought I could use diet, sugar-free packs. Is the plain water things JUST b4 surgery or after too? I think I can suck it up and do it for a week... but for the rest of my life is a much bigger commitment. Not that I wouldn't do it. My life is more important than flavored water. But I know myself. I am MUCH more likely to get in the recommended amount of aqua per day if I can flavor it. So, this is a point of interest for me.

I do gotta say its nice to know I won't have to starve on a liquid diet like some people I have seen on here. I felt SOOOO bad for them reading their posts. No matter how good a reason its HARD to be hungry and not get something to eat. My kudos go out to each and every person who did a liquid diet and stuck with it! You've got bigger cojones than I do