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Pre-op diet starts tomorrow



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My surgery date is January 25th, for Gastric Sleeve Surgery in St. Louis. I started my two week clear liquid diet last Wednesday, im on day six. It's been rough, but getting through it. I've been adding lemon pepper to chicken broth, also two to three Protein shakes. I've been told not to add any red dye that's like Water flavors to drinks, was curious as to why not ?

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The dye stays in your system, xoats your organs, and can make it look like you are bleeding internally when you're not. Same reason they don't let you do red or purple stuff before a colonoscopy or EGD.

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Why are all the pre op diets so different?

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That has been my question as well. All the doctors seem to do it differently and I'm sure they are doing what they feel works... but why isn't it more "across the board", ya know?

Pre op diet is mostly a liquid diet to shrink your liver so it's not in the way during surgery. It's no crabs and no sugars

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Why are all the pre op diets so different?

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That has been my question as well. All the doctors seem to do it differently and I'm sure they are doing what they feel works... but why isn't it more "across the board", ya know?

Pre op diet is mostly a liquid diet to shrink your liver so it's not in the way during surgery. It's no crabs and no sugars

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Pre-Op Diet differs do to different reasons. Either BMI, past and current medical history. My surgery is Wednesday the 25th. I have been on clear liquid diet for two weeks. My BMI is 63, reason for two weeks of clear liquid diet. Higher the BMI and weight, longer the clear liquid diet. Surgeons basically want your liver and other organs to decrease in size, in preparation for surgery.

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Day 14. Finally here. Clear liquids day today. About this time tomorrow morning I'll be pulling into the hospital for my surgery. Hoping this day goes by quickly. Came in at 319.5 this morning, so that makes it about 16-17 lbs lost since starting the diet. Didn't feel like I'd lost much last week but now starting to feel the difference. Had a minor freak out last night, but ready to do this and move on to the next chapter.

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I'm ready for this liquid diet to be over with only like 3 more weeks :(

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Hang in there man. I know it's rough but it'll be worth it in the end. For myself I have to look at it as 30 some years that I've punished my body by being overweight, so a couple rough weeks to make up for all those years of neglect is my way of making up for it.

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Why are all the pre op diets so different?

Good question! I'm on 2-3 Protein shakes a day and 2 small meals of lean Protein and vegetables (for 3 weeks). However, I will only have Clear Liquids 3 days pre-op. I've been in contact with my nutritionist about what I've been eating so far, and she recommended staying above 1200 calories a day to avoid my body going into starvation mode. Which makes me wonder about extended clear liquid diets that some people have to go through. My BMI is not low...I am (or was) pretty close to 50, after which doctors often recommend bypass and/or it becomes much more expensive.

Here's my question about the liver shrinking part: do they measure your liver before you start your pre-op diet? How will they know that you've been successful? You might have a huge liver on the operating table, but maybe it was even bigger to begin with. I saw an episode of Fat Doctor on YouTube with 3 sisters - one had a perfectly normal liver, and the other's was huge (they didn't say about the 3rd). What was the difference? Compliance? The amount of drinking done in the years beforehand? The interesting thing too about the surgeon is that he recommends a milk diet for the pre-op phase, and I know others here can have dairy products as well, but I can't (because of the extra sugar). Why? Why!??!?! Doctors, please come up with something standard, or at least explain what your decision making is. I sort of feel like we are all guinea pigs for the surgeons who do bariatric surgery.

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Why are all the pre op diets so different?

Good question! I'm on 2-3 Protein shakes a day and 2 small meals of lean Protein and vegetables (for 3 weeks). However, I will only have clear liquids 3 days pre-op. I've been in contact with my nutritionist about what I've been eating so far, and she recommended staying above 1200 calories a day to avoid my body going into starvation mode. Which makes me wonder about extended clear liquid diets that some people have to go through. My BMI is not low...I am (or was) pretty close to 50, after which doctors often recommend bypass and/or it becomes much more expensive.

Here's my question about the liver shrinking part: do they measure your liver before you start your pre-op diet? How will they know that you've been successful? You might have a huge liver on the operating table, but maybe it was even bigger to begin with. I saw an episode of Fat Doctor on YouTube with 3 sisters - one had a perfectly normal liver, and the other's was huge (they didn't say about the 3rd). What was the difference? Compliance? The amount of drinking done in the years beforehand? The interesting thing too about the surgeon is that he recommends a milk diet for the pre-op phase, and I know others here can have dairy products as well, but I can't (because of the extra sugar). Why? Why!??!?! Doctors, please come up with something standard, or at least explain what your decision making is. I sort of feel like we are all guinea pigs for the surgeons who do bariatric surgery.

It's the food more than drink that causes a fatty liver. Unless they would go in prior to surgery there's no way to measure the physical size of your liver until your day of surgery. My guess is it is mainly experience and they can tell how well you did in your pre-op phase.

You have to remember every body is different and a doctor may feel that a certain diet plan is better for you compared to a plan for someone else. I simply look at it as being what they think is the best course of action for me. My doc has quite a few years experience doing this so I put my trust in him.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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    • bellaamey

      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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