Today is day 12 of my 3 week skim milk pre-opt diet and I meet with my surgeon on Monday for my pre-opt workup and I'm scared to death he is going to say I haven't lost enough. My surgery in on Feb. 19. I've cheated twice in these 12 days but just for one meal each time then I was right back on the wagon. I was just wondering how much everyone has lost and if anyone has ever been turned away because they didn't lose enough?

I was only on a 1 week pre-op diet and I lost about 4.5 pounds but my surgeon never weighed me again after the first time that we met to discuss surgery. I hope all goes well! Let us know.

My doctor asks patients to do a 1-2 week preop consisting of 2-3 low carb Protein shakes and one "lean and green" meal. It is for the purpose of liver shrinking.. he does not care about the weight loss.

Personally I'm trying to lose a total of 40 pounds prior to my surgery in order to avoid the "high bmi" $500.00 surcharge! 9 more pounds to go!

I decided to do my pre-op diet a week early. I did cheat twice but I have amazingly lost 20 lbs. I was last weight was on 11/11/12 and from that weigh in I have lost this amount of weight. But I think it may be more because I destroyed myself during the holidays and January. I am following the phase 1 of the Atkins diet - which was advise from someone on the message board. Met with my surgeon yesterday for the final visit and my surgery is on the 19th and he was extremely please with the progress. He explained about the liver and also said that if you loss weight prior to surgery your skin is still elastic and that helps him during the surgery. Hope that helps.

I think it will have a lot to do with whether or not your liver has decreased in size like they encourage. I am on day 3 of a 7-day liquid diet. When I was at the hospital getting prepped for the EGD, my sister and I overheard the doctor talking to a 19 year old next door that we had met earlier that day (1/24/2013) in the lobby. Her surgery was scheduled for 1/31/2013 and she was on the 3 week liquid diet. Apparently she had cheated quite a bit and the doctor asked her mom after the EGD about that. The doctor explained to her mother that without the liver shrinking, the surgery could be delayed. The liver appears to be the big deal here as it gives the doctor more visibility and access due to how it's positioned to the stomach. Good luck!!!

I know the diet is for the liver, I guess I'm just afraid the liver won't shrink enough. I know I'm just being paranoid. Just started this process a year ago and don't want anything to go wrong.

Good job serendipityhappens your almost to your goal. Keep up the good work.

Susansoon-Where are you getting your surgery done. I'm in Vancouver, Wa with Dr. Dally.

You will be fine. Paranoia is quite normal when preparing for something as big as this.

I was on three weeks of protein shakes and protein bars for my pre op diet. I lost 23lbs which was not enough to get me below a bmi of 50 so I had to pay extra. My Dr told my wife after surgery that they could tell I followed the diet as my liver was really small.