Pre Gastric Sleeve Op Liquid Diet: 13 Days To Go. Why Do I Have To Do It For So Long?

[Torrid 0]

hello fellow sleeved. i am 5'4", 240 pounds, i meet the minimum BMI required for surgery but i am getting sleeved on october 26th.

i have been put on a horrendous 800 calorie diet that makes me cry just thinking about it. FOR 2 WEEKS! i read the posts of other pre-op dieters and no one was subjected to 2 full weeks. most of them had to follow this diet for 6 or 9 days!!! am i the only one put on 2 weeks?

my head is hurting, i cant use it to work, i am tired... HELP!

torrid

[bikerchick519 202]

I see a lot of different pre and post op diets on here. Mine is also 2 weeks. 7 days of 2 Protein Shakes a day with chicken and veggies for dinner, then 4 days of just shakes (3 or 4 a day), then 3 days of Clear Liquids. I start it next Friday. It does seem like a long time to me but if it makes the surgery and recovery easier it will be worth it. I see some only have a week pre op or none at all and don't understand why.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

There are several reasons that Docs put us on pre diets. The main one is to shrink your liver, which makes the surgery much easier. They don't have to lug as much of our liver around to get to the stomach. A low carb diet for a couple of weeks really helps this.

Second... and this depends on your nutritionist and Doc, is to see if you CAN follow orders for a short time. This surgery demand that you follow orders for a LONG time. After surgery you will be eating much less than you will be the two weeks before surgery. It can get VERY boring at first. If you have headaches from a few days of cutting carbs... better now than then, when you will have other challenges to get over.

Third is this is a chance to get used to keeping track of everything that goes into your mouth, writing it down or using an on line tracker like fitday or myfitnesspal.com. and chewing everything, sipping not gulping, and drinking before, not with or soon after eating. You are going to go through big changes in many ways. preferences, behavior, looks, health and energy. Get your head in the game now, and it will make it better later. In a year or less you will be able to eat pretty much anything you want in moderation. Until then, just believe the Doc has his reasons, ask him why when you see him if you don't understand.

I had to write down everything I ate for two weeks before, even though I didn't need to lose any pounds before surgery (I was a low as I could be and still qualify) They wanted to make sure I could track Protein and Water. Most others in my center had to lose weight over two weeks before the Doc would perform surgery. Some insurance companies demand proof or they wont cover.

[butterfly73 0]

No, your not alone! I'm also in the same boat as you! My surgery is on the 21st. By the third day I couldn't function or think clearly. I havn't been really hungry because my stomach has been so upset from all the liquid and my body detoxing. I ended up calling my doctor because I have to be able to work and not make mistakes on my job! They told me to go ahead and have a lite meal once a day (grilled skinless chicken breast/broccoli etc.) to see if it helped. I am going to go back on straight shakes/liquids maybe on Monday, I hate not being able to just do the whole 2 weeks! I wish you all the best!

hello fellow sleeved. i am 5'4", 240 pounds, i meet the minimum BMI required for surgery but i am getting sleeved on october 26th.

i have been put on a horrendous 800 calorie diet that makes me cry just thinking about it. FOR 2 WEEKS! i read the posts of other pre-op dieters and no one was subjected to 2 full weeks. most of them had to follow this diet for 6 or 9 days!!! am i the only one put on 2 weeks?

my head is hurting, i cant use it to work, i am tired... HELP!

torrid

[Thomas CPA 496]

I wasn't even on a preop diet, just had to stop eating the 12 hours before and have absolutely nothing morning of surgery.

Part of it is to get you used to post op diet. You are going to be on liquids for 2 weeks and mushies for another 2 weeks. If may be easier post surgery as some lose their hunger or don't want to see food.

Forget worrying about carbs, you want to avoid fatty foods. You can eat a lot of things with low carbs and high fat.

the weight comes from calories. Just hang in there, the date is in site, you can do it.

[GetInMyBelly 80]

I'm on the same diet for 2 wks n without clear direction from my doctor I got so frustrated today after they didn't call back to answer my question that I just ate a whole bunch of junk. I wish someone could tell me how many damn grams of Protein I need per shake if the doctor says drink 6 a day. Each one of my drinks has 30g of protein n I don't know if this will b too much in one day. #{%?!^£!!!!!!!!!!

[RickM 1,753]

I can certainly understand the rationale for a pre-op diet in reducing calories, improving liver condition and getting used to the post-op hi Protein routine, (though my doc never used one,) though the logic of the extensive liquid pre-op diet still escapes me. I can see more negatives to it than positives.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

I'm on the same diet for 2 wks n without clear direction from my doctor I got so frustrated today after they didn't call back to answer my question that I just ate a whole bunch of junk. I wish someone could tell me how many damn grams of Protein I need per shake if the doctor says drink 6 a day. Each one of my drinks has 30g of Protein n I don't know if this will b too much in one day. #{%?!^£!!!!!!!!!!

That does seem like a lot! If you had half a shake per meal, then that would be closer....

[GetInMyBelly 80]

:0) thanks for the tip

[lessofme2010 25]

:0) thanks for the tip

Mine is the same as bikerchick...Dr. Kelly on Nov. 10th..

[hirskobrn 0]

Hey Torrid, I too had a two week preop diet that actually turned into a 3 week. I wasn't given the best of direction when it came to what I was supposed to eat for my diet. Just to follow my post op diet (clear and full liquids) Let's just say that didn't work at all. To much leeway there. I went in the Thursday before my surgery and I had lost a whopping 1 pound. My surgeon sat me down and explained the shrink the liver thing ( works best if done right before surgery) to me and wanted to post pone my surgery a week. He said he would still try if I wanted on my regular day but if he couldn't move the liver out of the way then I may wake up with a bunch of hole in my stomach and no VSG! Needless to say I opted to wait. I came on this site and go some great advice from "Mr. Smith" to whom I will always remember for making my surgery possible. He said 500 cal a day, at least 60 grams Protein, no more then 10 grams of carbs a day and drink, drink, drink, Water. With some moderate exercise and this advice I lost 18 lbs in a week!! My surgery was a success and as much of a pain as it was at the time it was all worth it. I know it stinks but when your done I bet you will think so too!

YOU CAN DO IT!!!:high5:

[Torrid 0]

hello everyone! thanks so much for your helpful comments & encouragement. this forum is amazing.

news is that i did make it - so far. so it's been 4.5 days. i am no longer feeling the hunger at all. i just have a hard time sleeping normally. but the headache is much less intense now.

sorry to inform you that NO, i am not even allowed BROCCOLI OR chicken OR ANYTHING! they wouldnt let me have the broth with some light vegetables in it! nothing!

i just have 3 slimfast a day with some fat free milk, and the rest is splenda tea, SF soda, SF Jello, Water, broth. that slimfast tastes pretty good i must say.

what i dont understand is why does it have to be an 800 calorie liquid diet, not 800 calorie vegetable diet for example? what is the benefit from the liquids?

[Kaywieny 2]

I'm being sleeved on October 31st. Yesterday I started a 1200 calorie diet, 3-300-400 calorie meals and one very light snack. I have prior to surgery....2 days of Clear Liquids. I am allowed one 'cheat' day. I completely understand that it's an effort we need to make so we can exhibit control and we can shrink our liver. But right now due to my stress level, I am looking at the next two weeks as pure torture, so I can't imagine how some of you with a more restrictive pre-op diet must feel. We will get through it!

[Sweetybabs 13]

I know what you mean..isn't a calorie a "calorie" no matter what it is..or how it is consumed?

[RickM 1,753]

what i dont understand is why does it have to be an 800 calorie liquid diet, not 800 calorie vegetable diet for example? what is the benefit from the liquids?

That baffles me, too. I wish someone who has a doc who does this would ask them and post the answer. Ditto for the extensive post-op liquids - I can see a short time on liquids (tho some docs don't even do that,) but the stomach is muscle and while it does need some rest to heal, it also needs exercise to heal as well like the rest of our bodies. My suspicion is that this harkens back to RNY practice, where the structure and function of the remnant stomach is quite different.