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What Will Happen If I Don't Follow The 2 Week Preopp Diet?



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I am miserable. I can't sleep, and all I can think about is eating.

If I eat during these two weeks, will I still be able to have the surgery?

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Fortunately, I didn't have to do the 2week pre-op diet, but from what I can gather, much of it depends on your surgeon. If you are having to do the liquid diet, the surgeon likely told you it is to help shrink your liver to help make your surgery easier. They say that if you shrink your liver, there is less chance of the surgeon nicking your liver during surgery (aka lessen complication issues). I know there have been plenty of people who cheated some and still were able to have their surgery. I would just find out how strict your surgeon is because I have also heard some surgeons (albeit few), that threatened to cancel their surgery if they didn't do the pre-op diet.

Sorry I wasn't more help. Maybe others have other input.

I am miserable. I can't sleep, and all I can think about is eating.

If I eat during these two weeks, will I still be able to have the surgery?

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My doctor explained that the pre-op diet is designed to shrink your liver. If you have a fatty liver and cannot get to the stomach lapriscopically they will completely open you up. (much like a c-section.....ouch!)

Not worth it in my opinion, but ask me in 2 weeks when I am on pre-op!

My advice would be to drink more Protein shakes or have an extra bar or two. That way you can feel a little fuller to sleep, but not completely ruin your diet.

Good luck!

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Most surgeons won't even open you up - they'll send you packing and tell you to repeat the diet' date=' but with even stricter terms.

For the record, tons of us were on high Protein, moderate fat diets and did fine with the surgery. Your surgeon's practices may vary, but as long as you're not consuming carbs, your liver should shrink.[/quote']

I was going to say the same thing. I had a rather different two week diet. The first week was 100 grams of Protein and less than 80 carbs. The second was liquids. I did cheat because I needed to chew. I had 1-3 ounces of meat, chicken, turkey meatballs most days. My surgeon was surprised as my liver had shrank very well. He typically does 5 incisions but he wound up only making 3 incisions.

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I'm not here to judge...cause God know's and I know that the pre-op diet is extremely difficult. But ask yourself this. The pre-op diet for me was the ultimate test. If I could not get myself to comply with the 2 week diet then why in the world would I make this life-long commitment.

I have now been post op for less than a week....and let me tell you something....the hunger does not competely go away. My stomach might be full but my brain wants to keep eating.

Make sure you are ready to make this commitment.

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I am miserable. I can't sleep, and all I can think about is eating.

If I eat during these two weeks, will I still be able to have the surgery?

Describe your pre-op diet?

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The diet is difficult but it is to prepare you for a new way of eating. In the begining stage we must get out bodies and taste buds used to eating mostly liquids and low carbs. It is also the time to shrink your liver so your Dr. can have more room to work and see better in the tummy. Many of us struggled with the pre-op diet but we did it because we wanted a good start with our new sleeve. It is a challengee but you got this. Fight, Fight, Fight that food craving for what you want....to get healthy.

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It is kinda like a test. It forces you to examine your relationship with food. I am on day six. I am on no solids. It has made me feel more committed to this journey.

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I am a week into my 2wk pre op! Date is June 27th. My surgeon has me on a 1200 cal. diet until 2 days before, then all liquids. Some days I know I am not getting 1200 cal and a few days I know I've gotten more than 1200. It's been hard somedays. Tonight my husband and I made homemade pizza, I made a very very thin crust for myself, loaded up with tomatos, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and olives, spinkled it with cheese and had very little sauce. I was soooo full!!! I know I consumed quite a few more calories than my usual dinners have been but I'm hoping since I had so many veggies on there that they were good calories : /

My mind is definitely hungier than stomach though...Good luck! I hope it gets easier! Pretty soon we'll have no choice, which I am really excited about : )

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I made it through the night without driving to Taco Bell, so I guess that is a win. I did have a scrambled egg before bed, because I felt so hungry. I am going to keep trying to just do the liquids, and only eat solid Protein if I really need it. I am committed to not having any fatty foods, or carbs, so I should be ok. I wasn't ready for what I felt yesterday, my body was screaming for carbs, and put me all out of sorts.

Thank you all for your advice!!

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I went through the same thing. The carb withdrawal was a real shock.

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Kind of (a lot) depends on what your two week diet consists of, and what the purpose of it is.

I am miserable. I can't sleep, and all I can think about is eating.

If I eat during these two weeks, will I still be able to have the surgery?

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My question is this: If you can't make the two week pre-op, are you really ready for the change of life that will come after surgery? Don't forget. That you will be on liquids for a while after surgery. And at that point if you cheat, it could be disasterous. The pre op diets are meant for a physical and a medical reason. Yes, but they also serve a higher purpose in helping us break the food addiction that got us all here in the first place.

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Dr. Hoehn has you on a 2 week pre-op diet? Can I ask your BMI?

He has done both my WLS surgeries (2006 & 2012), and a few non-WLS surgeries too. Both WLS required 2 day pre-op diets of sugar free liquids. I didn't even know he used 2 week diets. He never used to.

I made it through the night without driving to Taco Bell, so I guess that is a win. I did have a scrambled egg before bed, because I felt so hungry. I am going to keep trying to just do the liquids, and only eat solid Protein if I really need it. I am committed to not having any fatty foods, or carbs, so I should be ok. I wasn't ready for what I felt yesterday, my body was screaming for carbs, and put me all out of sorts.

Thank you all for your advice!!

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We need to give him a little slack though here. To compare the difficulty of being on liquids before surgery and after surgery is almost night and day. Prior to surgery, we are relying soley on our own willpower and well, let's face it, if that's all it took- none of us would need surgery. Post surgery, our entire body has gone through shock and physically most people don't have that same sensation of hunger. I won't say everyone is like that, but I think that is most.

Anyhow, just do the best you can on this and understand that if your surgeon is really strict on the pre-op diet that you risk having to reschedule your surgery. Probably not unless you really blow it, but it's something you want to look into.

My question is this: If you can't make the two week pre-op, are you really ready for the change of life that will come after surgery? Don't forget. That you will be on liquids for a while after surgery. And at that point if you cheat, it could be disasterous. The pre op diets are meant for a physical and a medical reason. Yes, but they also serve a higher purpose in helping us break the food addiction that got us all here in the first place.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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