I am only on day 2 of my pre-op diet. The rules are as follows:

4-5 Carnation no sugar added Breakfast shakes

4-5 sugar free Popsicles/jello Snacks

Water

1 cup of milk per day

This adds up to just under 400 calories a day.

I have headaches and a STRONG desire to eat anything/everything in sight. I have also found that I'm exhausted despite sleeping all the time. I want so badly to have something salty. Could REALLY use some support.

Day 2 was the worst for me. Drink as much water as you can and power through. Seriously. By day 3 and 4 you will feel better. You might want to see if they'll let you do a G-2 Gatorade or something similar.

to cheat.....this is what we (me) did to get to the point to need wls..

if you cheat, its a moments pleasure that will turn to nothing but bring you down..

its not worth it........use your free foods....drink alot, take a bath, have sex, watch tv, take a walk, read..

you CAN do it if you WANT...hang in

Just my opinion but if I had to live on Carnation Instant Breakfast, I'd want to cheat too! Not the best quality Protein. I used Bariatric Advantage and powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Protein shakes for my pre-op. Both avail on the web. Get some good quality protein shakes, Soups and I'll bet you will see a huge difference.

Also what is your plan for post op? Again, get some good quality protein shakes. You're going to be them for awhile.

Finally, add some broth into your day. You can use the salt. It will give you energy and help with Fluid intake.

Good luck on your journey. It's going to be amazing!

I agree with CindyMg.......ask about other Protein drink options......I was allowed 3 Bariatric Advantage shakes and a cup of plain, nonfat greek yogurt a day.........water, SF pops.....I varied it a little by switching out the bariatric advantage with Premier Protein RTD shakes because they were easier to grab and go for work.

I never understood when people cheated on the preop diet.....I mean, I do understand, and I may have wanted to cheat, but never did.....my thoughts are: we worked so hard to get to that point, why mess it up?

To the OP......I hope you'll post a follow up and tell us what you did to stay on the diet rather than cheat.....Best wishes!

I agree with Cindy. Something with more Protein will probably be more fulfilling - and ask if you can chew gum. It might seem stupid, but I know I'll have a problem with not chewing anything. My nutritionist said I can chew sugar free gum up to the day before my surgery, but not the day before because it can cause gas. Major relief to me...and now I just need my damn surgery date.

Be strong, dar'lin. This is temporary crap and soon you're going to be shopping for smaller clothes and jumping for joy.

An update: I cheated. Sort of.

I contacted my nutritionist the day after posting this. She basically told me there was nothing I could do--stick to my carnations and I could add 1/2 low fat skim milk. In the first 5 days of pre-op I had lost 11 pounds. I wasn't functioning.

So, against my nutritionists wishes, I added a Protein shake to my diet. I immediately began to feel better. It's amazing what an extra 20 grams of protein will do.

Thank you everyone for your support. I felt like a crazy person--why is it so hard to kick bad habits?

Do I feel bad about the Protein Shake? I guess. I feel bad that I couldn't follow exact orders. Starting Monday (1 week and 1 day before surgery) I'll go back down to just my Carnations. For now, while I study for my last set of exams at school, I'm gonna stick with the extra protein.

I've never heard of that. My surgeon said as a last resort to use carnation but it was imperative to use the higher quality and higher protein drinks. Maybe instead of asking your NUT you should call your surgeon and ask him.