It's time to start a six week pre op phase 1 low carb diet before surgery. I need to start by Monday.

My daughter just had a planned major back surgery today and is in the hospital. I am home with the others. Wife is at hospital.

I am having a difficult time this week making better food choices in light of this. A tight summer budget does not help either.

Need some insight on where to start and some support.

Thanks in advance, Chad

Try to stick to Protein as much as possible. Tuna, chicken, pork and hamburger are all cheap options for food. Peanut Butter is also good. Eat mainly unprocessed foods (no hamburger helper or frozen meals). Avoid potatoes, but there are plenty of cheap veggies available now at the farmer's market that you can have on a low carb diet.

Drink Water or iced tea, avoid sodas and try not to drink caffeine. They do make decaf iced tea.

I hope your daughter's recovery goes well. It's tough to deal with that stress while you're doing the pre-op diet, but you need to find something else to do to deal with stress, like exercise, maybe?

I'll keep your family in my prayers.

Try to stick to Protein as much as possible. Tuna' date=' chicken, pork and hamburger are all cheap options for food. Peanut Butter is also good. Eat mainly unprocessed foods (no hamburger helper or frozen meals). Avoid potatoes, but there are plenty of cheap veggies available now at the farmer's market that you can have on a low carb diet.

Drink Water or iced tea, avoid sodas and try not to drink caffeine. They do make decaf iced tea.

I hope your daughter's recovery goes well. It's tough to deal with that stress while you're doing the pre-op diet, but you need to find something else to do to deal with stress, like exercise, maybe?

I'll keep your family in my prayers.[/quote']

Thank you, feeling a little lost. I can work on the better protiens and no soda/caffiene. That would be a good start before Monday.

Exercise??

Chad, A little walking won't hurt you. If you're totally unused to it, try walking up and down the hallway in your house. I could barely walk pre-op...out of breath between my front door and the car. I started walking up and down the hallway, literally. By three weeks post-op I walked 1/4 mile around the lake in my apartment complex. I was so excited you'd have thought I completed a marathon!

You CAN do it! Every little tiny bit of exercise helps. Lift a can of peas in each hand a few times twice a day... If that's all you can do, it's still exercise.

BTW, I now do between 1/2 and full hour on the elliptical or the recumbent bike 3-4 times a week, with circuit training and/or weights every other day. I'm 10.5 months post op. You should see my biceps and my thigh muscles! They are KILLER!

Yes, I agree on the exercise. I used to walk, do spin and strength training and ran for a bit. I can wait to return... And not hurt like I do now.

Congrats on the killer muscles!

I have had great success on the South Beach diet when I need to cut carbs and focus on Proteins, veggies and such. Good Luck to you!

I sure hope your daughter recovers quickly. I know how family stresses can make staying focused difficult. Hang in there!

I have had great success on the South Beach diet when I need to cut carbs and focus on proteins' date=' veggies and such. Good Luck to you!

I sure hope your daughter recovers quickly. I know how family stresses can make staying focused difficult. Hang in there![/quote']

Thought about that, I have done weight watchers but not south beach or adkins.

What I loved about South Beach is after the first 2-3 days I was no longer hungry. Just wish I could stick with it forever, unfortunately, I need the restriction of the sleeve to help get me where I need to be in life. Also, South Beach has approved foods you can buy in the grocery store for convenience but there are no special foods to buy.

Here's one of my favorite proteins. And for me..it's cheap. That's my everyday lunch with a fruit or vegetable du jour ..it's a perfect portion ..3 ounces of tuna and I leave the crackers alone that come with it..leave those for coworkers may want to nibble on something. They also have a Thai Chili and Tomato Basil that isn't bad either..very flavorful..cheap, nutritious, & delicious (although the Thai Chili burned my face off)! $1.58 at Walmart..Target had them for $1.56.

And these don't come with the Mayo or pickle relish packs so it's lower fat as well..I don't miss the mayo anyway! It's are just tasty!

Low carbing can be tricky - but you can have an omelette for Breakfast, perhaps a salad for lunch or a Protein style burger, fish or chicken for dinner with veggies, or make some fajitas without the tortilla...who can pass up on grilled onions and peppers with some good steak, or how about something on a skewer, like beef with cherry tomatoes, onions & peppers? Taco salad is good, seasoned ground beef on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes and cheddar on top with some salsa.

Snacks....beef jerkey, pork rinds, cheese sticks

So many options...don't stress, you can do this!!

Low carbing can be tricky - but you can have an omelette for breakfast' date=' perhaps a salad for lunch or a Protein style burger, fish or chicken for dinner with veggies, or make some fajitas without the tortilla...who can pass up on grilled onions and peppers with some good steak, or how about something on a skewer, like beef with cherry tomatoes, onions & peppers? Taco salad is good, seasoned ground beef on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes and cheddar on top with some salsa.

Snacks....beef jerkey, pork rinds, cheese sticks

So many options...don't stress, you can do this!![/quote']

Thanks for this!

Low carbing can be tricky - but you can have an omelette for Breakfast, perhaps a salad for lunch or a Protein style burger, fish or chicken for dinner with veggies, or make some fajitas without the tortilla...who can pass up on grilled onions and peppers with some good steak, or how about something on a skewer, like beef with cherry tomatoes, onions & peppers? Taco salad is good, seasoned ground beef on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes and cheddar on top with some salsa.

Snacks....beef jerkey, pork rinds, cheese sticks

So many options...don't stress, you can do this!!

And eating something like a pork rind will make you feel like you are getting away with something, which always makes me feel better. LOL All good wishes to your daughter.

Robbie