Did anyone stay in liquid diet long term post-op?

[Chrysalis77 66]

Hi! I am scheduled for surgery on July 18 and I am planning to stay on a liquid / Protein shake diet for several weeks if not months after surgery. I have cleared this with my doctors and NUT. My thinking is the more time, space, changes I can put between me and my old relationship with food, the better. I want to take full advantage of the honeymoon period and since I have done a medically supervised liquid diet for several months before I know I can handle it.

Has anyone else tried this? What was your experience? Not looking for naysayers, just wondering how many people have tried staying liquid for longer than usual.

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[KristenLe 5,980]

I think you should reconsider. Post-op is the best time to develop a better relationship with food. Use this "honeymoon" period to learn to eat in a way that's sustainable. If you're just going to have shakes/liquids - why bother with surgery?

I'm not trying to be rude - I just think it's best to eat real food as soon as you can.

[singinshell 13]

It is definitely about having a better relationship with food. I'm still learning about not eating fast or drinking too much liquid with my meals. Learning constantly. liquids postop in the beginning but not forever.

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[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I know you don't want "nay-saying," but I've had some experience with what you are thinking of doing that I'd like to share with you.

Twice in my lifetime I did long (4-6 months long) Optifast diets. Those are diets during which you drink Protein shakes 3 times a day, while eating no solid food at all.

I lost a lot of weight both times (50-70 pounds).

And when I started eating food again I gained weight faster than you could believe it was possible to regain weight.

For me, there was something about there being no transition between the two kinds of eating plans that spun me out of control within 24 hours each time.

In contrast, one aspect I loved about the WLS post-op weight loss eating transitions was that I went gradually from liquid to purees to soft to chewing food. Those transitions back into "real live eating" were just perfect for me. I didn't feel deprived during any of those phases.

My two cents' worth.

Good luck to you.

[Tssiemer1 549]

I was on liquid diet for 6 weeks post op because I was so sick.

[erp 2,016]

I was on liquids post op for 3 weeks as part of my program. It was a learning curve to reintroduce food so going slow is fine but no food for months doesn't sound optimal for health. You potentially miss a lot of micronutrients that come from eating a well rounded diet if all you consume are Protein Shakes.

[Chrysalis77 66]

Thank you for your feedback. In talking with my NUT she said the key to this is A: using prescribed Meal Replacement shakes- not just any Protein shake so I can get all my nutritional needs met and B: I will still have to follow the same reintroduction to food - purée, soft, full diet. I would just start that on week 12 instead of week 2.

Good point around using more of the honeymoon period to develop better eating habits though. Perhaps mentally I am still stuck in what has worked for me in the past. I am great at losing weigh. My plan was to use the WLS tool to help keep it off.

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Edited June 30, 2016 by Chrysalis77

[Shrinkinqtpi 202]

@ Chrysalis77

Thank you for asking this question and posting your Nut's answer. I have thought this question many times as I will be going back to work as a teacher very fast after surgery. 1/2 time at first... shakes would make the transition much easier.

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[bini120 163]

Thank you for your feedback. In talking with my NUT she said the key to this is A: using prescribed Meal Replacement shakes- not just any Protein shake so I can get all my nutritional needs met and B: I will still have to follow the same reintroduction to food - purée, soft, full diet. I would just start that on week 12 instead of week 2.

Good point around using more of the honeymoon period to develop better eating habits though. Perhaps mentally I am still stuck in what has worked for me in the past. I am great at losing weigh. My plan was to use the WLS tool to help keep it off.

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One thought: you might want to provide some room for your tastes changing after surgery and discuss a contingency for that with your nutritionist. Many people have discussed this here and it happened to me, where I enjoyed shakes just fine before the operation but find I'm barely able to stand their taste post-op: they are suddenly and almost universally too cloying and sickly. I've spent a lot of money trying different types and cannot wait to get them out of my diet entirely.

Just something you may want to consider.

[composed 26]

I'd think again. I did Alizonne diet for 7 months and lost masses of weight. Got a crazy sweet tooth on all the aspartame / sweetneres. And up I went yet again. I believe that it's much healthier to work towards a new, well proportioned use of healthy foods and get all the enzymes etc that are missing from 'cardboard compounds.' They have their place but for me it's going to be short term.

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[Chrysalis77 66]

@@bini120 good point. I do need a plan B

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[Chrysalis77 66]

@@Shrinkinqtpi please please please check with your doctor and NUT to see if that may be a good idea for you. I can only speak to what I was told :-)

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[Shrinkinqtpi 202]

@@Chrysalis77 I will!

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