I was supposed to begin a 2 week pre-op diet 4 days ago. Since then I have been drinking most of my requirements but I've also been sneaking very small solids (thin slice turkey breast, 1 pc baked fish, 3 bites sauted chicken). But I have lost 6 lbs since beginning the diet.

I feel such guilt when I eat solids but I feel so desperate without them. It's not just a hunger, its completey unsatisfaction. The diet is making me very touchy and even weepy. I have a house full of regular eaters and smelling their catfish and shrimp frying makes my head spin. I am crying right now as I eat my little pc of fish. The unsatisfaction is driving me nuts. But the guilt is even worse.

Any advice for me?

Any ideas or tricks I could use to help me get through?

Should I just try to slowly get into this liquid so that by the 2nd week i'm not eating any chunks at all?

HELP!!!!

I felt the same way when I was supposed to start my 2 week preop diet. I flat out binged on fast-food the first 3 days (not saying this to encourage you to do that). But it was just hard for me too. I finally started my liquid diet for 1.5 wks and lost 10lbs before surgery this past Tuesday. Mentally I was exhausted. Good luck to you, so far it seems worth it when you get to the other side!

I didn't have to do a 2 week liquid diet pre-op. I had to do liquids the day before. Maybe it's because I didn't have a fatty liver, I don't know. It would definitely be difficult fore to be in the same house with the wonderful smell of food being prepared. It might be a good ideal to leave when the family sits down to eat if at all possible. Just a suggestion to make it easier for you.

Cottage cheese has saved me. Can you have cottage cheese on your liquid diet? That's the closest "solid" thing allowed on mine. If you're allowed milk, some low fat cottage cheese might help you. Also, Greek Yogurt has a lot of Protein vs regular low fat yogurts, and that has helped.

If you ever get hungry, have a Greek Yogurt or a Protein Drink. If you let yourself feel like you're starving you'll get desperate and want to binge....

Remember to stay hydrated. Good luck.

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Ur in a hard stage but stick with it, it'll get easier the next few days. U will adjust and bam, it's not so hard.

When your family sits down to eat, go for a walk...get out of the house and think about what life will be like after surgery. I mean I personally had to cook for my family of 5 after surgery even when I wasnt eating. I still make them cookies, brownies, ice cream, cakes etc but I dont eat it...It is hard to get used to this but you can. It's ok to be emotional about not having the food, it is a greiving process. Your doctor gave you guidelines you need to do what you can to follow them. I wouldnt suggest you wait until 1.5 weeks is past to do it. Do it now.

The diet is meant to shrink the size of your liver so that the stomach can be accessed more easily. Cottage cheese and greek yogurt are good choices. I did a 9 day protein shake diet. The first 3 days were horrible but then I was fine. The thing that kept me going was not wanting any complications during the surgery. I was terrified.

Try and stick to the diet as best as you can. I know my surgeon was really strict he said if he opened me up and saw that my liver had not shrunk- he would sew me back up and send me home. I stuck to it- it will really prepare you for what's to come right after surgery. Is your post-op diet after surgery liquid as well?

I'm allowed to have 2 boiled eggs and 2 pieces of string cheese each day until midnight the day before surgery so I think a little cheating won't be a disaster, but be very careful. I'm not advising you to go off the diet but, if you do, do it wisely and do it minimally. You may have to do a significant bowel prep prior to surgery to make sure you're cleaned out, but then I've heard that many doctors don't even require this. There is no consistency in the medical community about pre-op diets so it's hard for us to understand the necessity of it all.

Hello,

I just wanted to send you some encouragement. For one thing, the goal of the preop diet is to get your liver as small as possible. There is a huge range of pre-op diets, including no diet at all. In my case, my surgeon does not recommend a Full-liquid diet, but a 1000 calorie diet for two weeks. I too found it challenging at times to stay on the diet (I gave an oscar party in my home during those 2 weeks and I cooked and offered lots of higher calorie foods). I did the best I could do and was thankful I could eat solids!

In addition, I struggled with the medically-supervised 3 months before the diet because I had just come off of losing 50 pounds the previous year and it took me over a year to lose the 50 pounds on a medically-supervised diet--i am a very slow loser thanks to Hypothyroidism, PCOS, diabetes and Lipomatosis. I was at a plateau for almost a year and really struggling when I went to the surgeon for the surgery. That pre-op period was one of the most unhappy times in my life! I gained over the holidays (preop November, December and January) and really in the end maintained instead of lost. I think my previous success is what helped get me approved--after all I was going to the surgeon because I had hit the plateau and could not lose anymore. I even went to a weight loss spa last summer and did not lose!

So, just take heart and do your best. You have lost weight which is the goal of the diet! I am now 2 and 1/2 week post op and I have lost 11 pounds. I am thrilled! While I won't win any weight loss races, I am going the slow and steady route. The surgery is a tool that forces you to learn to eat slower, eat less and be more mindful in your eating. I am thrilled with this tool I really need! I wish you the best!

All great advice! I am right there with you - I only have to do a one-week liquid diet and it has been HARD!!! Like Strawberry Blue, the closest thing to solids I can have is cottage cheese and greek yogurt and I have been using them but it is still a struggle. I keep thinking about how worried I am about complications and I know that every time I resist something I want so bad, I am doing everything I can to ensure my safety during surgery. I have lost 9 lbs during my liquid diet and have two days to go so I am happy with that I also know the difficulty of having a house full of regular eaters - the hardest thing for me has been having to make my kids (3, 5 and 7) meals and be right there in front of food and not eat it. Hang in there, make sure you are well hydrated and come to the boards any time you need support! We all know what you are going through and are here to be your cheerleaders!

Thanks to you all. Today has been less emotional and a little easier. I have a detailed list of the things I can eat right now. Cottage cheese wasn't on the list. On Monday, I'll call the office and see if I can. I almost bought some (small curd) yesterday but I think I should get advice before hand. So far I've lost 7.3 lbs. My particular surgeon does not require a bowel prep (YAY!!).

Like Candace, my surgeon warned that if my liver doesn't look right he will sew me back up without performing the surgery.

I've noticed I am more tired than usual on this diet which doesn't work well for me. I have children of my own and I have recently opened a daycare business in my home.

I'm hanging in there...thanks again for your support and help.

Cynthia

Keep up the hard work. You can do this and every pound gone now should be gone forever. I wad tired for weeks, but it gets better quickly after surgery. It's so worth it! You got this.

I know this stage is hard, however, you can do this!!! You are making a lofe long choice that is going to take you on an amazing dream filled journey. After your surgery u absolutley!!! Can not cheat without risking a leak. Your head will still want solids, u might as well beat it into submission now. On another note, an added benifit of this preop os that it will remove most true solids from you digestive tract which will reduce the risk of a nick to your intestines during surgery as well as make certain bathroom visits easier right from the get go after surgery. I had cottage cheese and yogurt on my diet until three days out an then it was only liquid and then at 48 hours out it was clears only. Everything was smooth for me. :-)

I didn't have to do a 2 week liquid diet pre-op. I had to do liquids the day before. Maybe it's because I didn't have a fatty liver' date=' I don't know. It would definitely be difficult fore to be in the same house with the wonderful smell of food being prepared. It might be a good ideal to leave when the family sits down to eat if at all possible. Just a suggestion to make it easier for you. [/quote']

Yeah I didn't have to do the liquid diet either but, a week post op the smells of food are getting to me makes me sick at times and, sometimes hungry. First thing I want my hands on once Im off liquids is a piece of salmon!

How are you doing today?