My surgery is on Thursday. I get the whole clear liquids while in the hospital. But I am going to be released on Saturday. How the heck can one survive for an additional 4-5 days on only clear liquids....no protein shakes or anything...no calories? How have people coped with that?

you can get calories from the clear, no sugar added fruit juices. Also, you are supposed to be getting Protein supplements through Liquid Protein or unflavored Protein Powder like unjury. You will get calories there. You can also have sugar-free Jello. Some calories. Granted, not many calories, but you don't really need them at first. You do need to stay hydrated, and the more protein you can get in, the better you will feel, and get the essential nutrition needed.

The protein is the really tough part for me...but I've been reassured by my surgeon's office to just do the best I can with this instead of beating myself up as I was at first.

It's no walk in the park, any way you cut it. But neither are the symptoms of overweight and diabetes... And one thing we know for sure - the post-op diet doesn't lower your life expectancy!

Best of luck!

Well, I wasn't officially on clear liquids but it ended up being that way because I couldn't (and still have difficulty) getting my Protein down. It really is fine. I felt a bit foggy headed and if I pushed myself too far i'd get a headache. I drank mostly Water but I also did some broth/bouillon.

You said it was 4-5 days after surgery? Does that include the day's you'll be in the hospital? Because if it does than it will only be 2-3 days at home and really you'll be so focused on just trying to get the liquids in you may even be glad you don't have to worry so much about the protein.

Good luck

My surgeon allowed protein shakes on clear liquids. For me, it was all broth, protein shakes, sugar free jello and popcicles for the week.

I was allowed protein shakes when I went home as well. There are some clear liquid protein options out there...might be worth looking into so that you can at least get a few calories. Fortunately, right after surgery most people are not hungry AT ALL. I had to make myself a little data sheet to keep track of the number of ounces I was drinking to make sure I got enough. I put 30 boxes on a piece of paper and checked them off after I finished each ounce of liquid. Right after surgery don't worry about calories, just make sure you're getting at least 30 ounces of liquid and you'll be good to go.