How's it going guys? This is my first post to the forum, so please bare with me here. It was relieving to see the guys have a forum at their disposal. I have read through some of the discussion boards and found that there are still some who still choose to enter the guys room, which makes me cringe a little bit.

I am diving in with both feet on this sleeve procedure. I start the liquid diet tomorrow for 10-days prior to surgery. My doctor told me if I follow his instructions, the procedure will be easier for him, easier on me, and a quicker recovery will follow surgery. I am 90% excited and 10% nervous. I've stocked the pantry with beef, chicken and veggie broth, Protein powder, Atkins shakes, Slim fast shakes, sugar-free Jello and yogurt and plenty of water; some to be mixed with sugar-free tea. Any advice is appreciated. The more I can learn from others successes and struggles, the better prepared I will be as this life-changing event unfolds. I will share my experiences as they unfold.

Thanks, René

I never cheated on the pre surgery liquid and had no pain. I tried not to think about food and didn't do a countdown to surgery and the two weeks went quickly. My NUT said I could have cream based Soup mixed with skim milk. The net was about 13g Protein and was a good break from all the sweet shakes. I strained the chicken out of the cream of chicken and the mushrooms out of cream of mushroom. I love hot sauce so I added Franks Red Hot or Tapito to the soup. Sometimes I added Italian seasoning to the tomato. The warm soup was satisfying. Post-op I again followed the Dr orders and sipped protein liquid every 15 minutes for the first three days. I had no bad effects.

I am 9 week post now and still losing quickly but the urge to snack is back, and a do feel hungry every now and then. I keep protein at work like greek yogurt and string cheese to have a mid-morning and mid afternoon snack. It really helps make good choices at home for dinner.

The mistakes I make are eating too fast and taking big drinks of Water. The discomfort goes away quickly and helps remind me the sleeve is there and working.

I was an exercise nut when I lost 170# (which I gained back which explains why I had a sleeve) and now I know they tell us to exercise but I have not felt the urge to go back yet. I am losing 5# a week and figure I will go back when I hit a stall. I do try to keep active, otherwise if I am home I start to snack.

When did you find out you needed to do the liquid diet prior to surgery?

I found out at the first informational seminar with the surgeon. Also from reading online.

MegaBob,

Appreciate the feedback. I am day 5 and have had no issues to speak of. You shared some great ideas which include hot sauce. I'm a tabasco chipoltle fan. It's good to hear it can be tolerated. I'm doing the countdown because I am pumped about the change coming down the road. My weakest time is coming home after a days work and the family sitting down for a meal. I have learned to preoccupy myself during these times to avoid the temptation. I was a fast eater, so I can see where I might have the same issues you experience with eating and drinking too fast. I exercise at the gym three times per week. I just purchased one of those Proform hybrid machines; recumbent/elliptical trainer. I plan to do cardio at home after the surgery. I have a gym membership, so I plan to lift weights to maintain muscle mass at the 6-week post-op as the doctor instructed.

I haven't tried the strained cream Soups yet. My liquid diet consists of slimfast, atkins drinks, daily powder Protein shake, chicken bouillon (Bariatric Choice), sugar-free Jello, popsicles and greek yogurt. I also drink the Nestle flavored Water every now and then to break the monotony of regular water. I made a schedule to intake fluids every hour of the day and have had no hunger issues to speak of. Hitting a Protein Drink every three hours has helped sustain energy levels very well. I'm currently in-taking 1035 calories and 125 grams of protein per day. Like I said, so far so good.

SportCub,

My doc told me about the liquid diet the very first visit. He has kept me informed and even quizzed me (on paper) on everything he directed prior to scheduling the surgery to make sure I fully understood what I was getting into.

Thanks for the responses guys!