Hi everyone!!! I am new to this forum so I am sorry if this is not the proper way to do this, but I am curious to know if anyone has any tips or tricks on how to make the preop diet easier. I start it on 12/02 for my 12/17 surgery. So any advice is truly appreciated

For me, I got the greatest satisfaction from sipping warm broth. I heated it up with some herbs and added a tiny bit of bouillon to give it more flavor. The rest of the time I drank nasty Protein shakes and such.

Mine starts 11 30. Protein shakes and i bought unjury chicken soup for lunches. Then more protein Shakes i guess. I'm completely ready but would be lying if i didn't say ive had a few food funerals this week but next Monday gonna jump right into it, i stated this morning with having Shakes for breakfast and no more coffee. So ill have a head start.

what kind of diet are you on? My pre op diet was just a low calorie high Protein diet.

Oh I've been having quite a few food funerals so I understand that completely lol. It's terrible I'm trying to get it all in before but then I feel guilty because I'm making myself worse!

So am I to understand that the shakes just really don't get better with time, has anyone tried making them into smoothy type drinks .. Does it help?

Sophie - my doctor will have me on a complete liquid diet. Now it doesn't have to be clear liquids that's not until after surgery for me but protein drinks , full liquids like creamy soups and stuff like that.

Megtart - thank you for that suggestion . I actually enjoy warm broth so that is something I will definitely use!

Oh I've been having quite a few food funerals so I understand that completely lol. It's terrible I'm trying to get it all in before but then I feel guilty because I'm making myself worse!

So am I to understand that the shakes just really don't get better with time, has anyone tried making them into smoothy type drinks .. Does it help?

yes, after a week or so I couldn't stomach the thought of another Protein shake. So my parents had just given me a bullet blender and I put it to use. half a bottle of vanilla Protein Shake, a couple ice cubes and a handful of frozen strawberries, made a pretty tasty strawberry shake/smoothie. Or some vanilla protein shake with some ice cubes and a bit of instant coffee made a tasty blended coffee drink

Sophie - my doctor will have me on a complete liquid diet. Now it doesn't have to be clear liquids that's not until after surgery for me but Protein drinks , full liquids like creamy soups and stuff like that.

I only had to do liquids post op but I found that what made it easier was a variety. There was a sale on premade soups so I bought several kinds and strained them out to just have the broth.

Sophie - my doctor will have me on a complete liquid diet. Now it doesn't have to be clear liquids that's not until after surgery for me but Protein drinks , full liquids like creamy soups and stuff like that.

I only had to do liquids post op but I found that what made it easier was a variety. There was a sale on premade soups so I bought several kinds and strained them out to just have the broth.

That is such a great idea !! Thank you so much !!

Hi Kdelrosso,

Congrats on making it to the pre-op diet milestone! I will be starting the pre-op diet on Monday, November 30th. My NUT told me the best advice she could give me was to be sure to mix it up by making changes to the drinks (see below). I am to get in 5 to 6 Protien drinks each day, with 15 grams or more of Protein, 15 grams or less of carbs and between 150-200 calories persserving. I can also have the staple sugar-free Jello & popsicles, broth and lots of Water.

To mix up the Protein Drinks she recommends trying the following 3 things:

1. Change the flavor: Add baking extracts, almond milk, sugar free syrups, sugar free koolaid, or Crysal light to change the flavor.

2. Change the texture: Add ice to make it colder and thicker.

3. Adjust the Carbohydrate content: If my Protein drink/powder is very low in carbohydrates, I may add ingredients to increase the carbohydrate content up to 15 grams total per serving. She says to not go over 15 grams in total. Some things on the suggested list of add-ins were 1/4 cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt (8 grams), 1/2 cup raw raspberries (7 grams), 1/2 cupsliced strawberries (6-7 grams), 1/2 medium banana (13 grams), 1 (8oz) cup of coconut milk (6 grams).

I was told to change up the flavors and textures as much as possible. This will hopefully keep keep me from becoming bored.

I went to Super Suppliments and picked up single serving size packets of 7-8different brands and flavors. I didn't want to buy a huge jar if I wasn't going to like the taste or texture. My goal is to try them all this week and then go back and buy some more of the one's I liked.

Hope this helps! Once again, Congratulations! I would love to hear how your journey goes!

I had LapBand back in 2007 (out in 2011) and the pre-op diet was the same. I am having VSG 12/7 and started my pre-op diet a little early so I can let myself eat a little on Thanksgiving with my family. Whether you are doing high-protein/low carb/low cal or all liquids it doesn't really matter - the point is to 1) prove you are committed to a life style change 2) get you used to smaller portions and 3) lose fat around your abdomen and liver. Most obese people have "fatty" livers which can make abdominal surgery dangerous. My surgeon's pre-op diet was to drink 6-7 Slimfast shakes everyday for 2 weeks?! They have 160 - 180 calories each depending on the flavor so I figure he's looking to keep me in the 1000 - 1200 calories per day range. Since Slimfast alone doesn't work for me (and I think the product itself is crap), I have been mixing it up by making my own Protein shakes with Protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, and fruit (1/2 a frozen banana, blueberries, etc.). Just be careful not to get too crazy - the calories add up fast. Yesterday for example I had 3 shakes, small serving of soup at lunch, and a small plate of cut up raw veggies and berries - total day came in at just under 1000 calories.

Point is, don't beat yourself up if you need to take a few bites of food. Just make it a healthy choice.

I started my pre-op diet last Friday, I'm on mostly liquids with the exception of yogurt, Jello, pudding, and cottage cheese. Tomato soup has been my savior, it makes me feel like I'm still allowed food. The only advice I can give is to make sure you have food on your plan prepared and within reach. I'm fine one minute and then feel like I'm starving the next and a couple of times I've almost reached for things I'm not supposed to have. I have a cooler by my desk at work with jello and yogurt, at home I have containers of everything prepared. Popsicles have also been a great distraction, the sugar free tropical ones are super good and help with the head hunger. I'm down 5 lbs already, it's craziness!

" the point is to 1) prove you are committed to a life style change 2) get you used to smaller portions and 3) lose fat around your abdomen and liver."

The pre-op diet was the best thing I could have done to prepare for post-op life for the reasons above in 1) and 2). After the surgery, I wasn't suffering horrible withdrawal from food because I had done that already for two weeks pre-op. I was happy with my liquid nutrition in small amounts and content is the best word I can think of.

I'm lucky in that I never got tired of the Premier Protein shakes from Sam's club. I mixed in some other Proteins from time to time, but those have remained my staples. I still drink them for breakfast at four months.

Thank you so so much to everyone for your input !! I will take everything into account when starting my diet !!

Beef consumme and v8 spicy were a nice contrast to the many shakes cream and soups. French onion soup too. I also liked mixing a little sf pudding in my shake with ice in the blender.