Liquid diet to shrink liver question

[lauratro 67]

My surgeon is not requiring me to do a liquid diet before surgery. He just wants me to eat a low fat diet for a few weeks before surgery. I was going to eat around 1200-1500 calories a day that includes very lean meats and vegetables. I was thinking about putting myself on a liquid diet for 4 days before my surgery. Will that help shrink my liver to prevent complications, or do I need to do a longer liquid diet?

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[PhillyEagles 29]

It seems like most doctors have different criteria that they want you to follow. I would just do what your doctor says honestly and stick to the diet you guys discussed. I fish I had your diet haha I'm on day 9 of my liquid diet now and it suckssss.

[lauratro 67]

It seems like most doctors have different criteria that they want you to follow. I would just do what your doctor says honestly and stick to the diet you guys discussed. I fish I had your diet haha I'm on day 9 of my liquid diet now and it suckssss.

Yeah I couldn't imagine only having liquids for that long. But I guess I better start imagining because I will be there in a month

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[PatientEleventyBillion 851]

Low cals, low carbs, high protein.. pretty much practicing for post-op. Good to get in the habit now, and following this has a very high likelihood of shrinking your liver.. weight loss should come with it as well since liver shrinking (premise of pre-op, to make the surgery safer) and weight loss (premise of the surgery) are part of the same mechanism.

[The 147]

Hi Laura, I'm not on a liquid diet an day Op is on 12th July. The diet I am on is quite precise and very low fat and low carb - I'm eating a lot of fish, chicken and fresh vegetables. It;s making me more mindful of what I eat and I'm sure that will come in handy.

There seems to be a massive variation in Pre-Op diets. I can see why the liquid diet is used, I guess it's pretty black or white whether you follow it or not and that's probably helpful for people who, like all of us, have had issues with what we put in our bodies. I'm in the UK and from what I see it's less prevalent here, I would think that from any nutritional or physiological point of view that, if you were consuming the same calories and very little sugar or fat, there would be no difference in the effect on your liver.

[gryffen 176]

The unrealjohn

I'm UK too and diet was low carb, low fat and around 1000 calories a day. Unlimited water/sugar free squash etc. Milk was counted but we added a Meal Replacement shake to get Protein in as well as food.< br>
Lost 9kg with that and now I'm down 25kg.

What I found is Morrison's do a shake powder for under £4 and it's brilliant, asda do same but not as nice.

Good luck!

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[PhillyEagles 29]

It seems like most doctors have different criteria that they want you to follow. I would just do what your doctor says honestly and stick to the diet you guys discussed. I fish I had your diet haha I'm on day 9 of my liquid diet now and it suckssss.

[Navigating the Wilderness 824]

8 hours ago, PhillyEagles said:

It seems like most doctors have different criteria that they want you to follow.

Yup. It really depends on the skill and expertise of the doctor and how they deal with working around your liver. My surgeon had me do a 1 day liquid diet before surgery.

[Sadiebug 206]

My dr didn't require anything special leading up to surgery other than liquids for the day prior and nothing after midnight. I tried really hard to stick to a low fat/low carb diet but it was challenging for me (I had a horrible "last supper" mentality). Thankfully my surgery went perfectly fine but I will say that the first couple weeks after surgery were very rough for me. My head hunger was out of control and I was going through major sugar/carb detox on top of all the normal healing from surgery. So I'd say stick with what your surgeon recommends and don't do what I did!

[Daily Encounter 16]

I have been provided with my post-op diet already even though my surgery is still a few months out. I must say that I am glad that I have this information as I am working the diet backwards now so that when surgery time and post-op comes, my body is already prepared for it and I won't have as many withdrawals. Dealing with a major lifestyle change will be hard enough so I don't want to also have to include the adjustment to diet during that time. The emotional aspect of it all will be challenging enough.

What do I mean by backwards? Well, for many, the post-op diet is as follows...

Stage 1: Clear Liquids

Stage 2: Full liquids

Stage 3: pureed

Stage 4: Soft foods

Stage 5: Regular foods

Of course, regular foods is the norm, but, I am now focusing on Protein. Eating the protein and then veggies and then carbs, if I am still hungry. I don't drink 1/2 hour before or after dinner. I drink Water only and I make sure I sip my 64 oz. throughout the day.

I will then move to the soft foods: soft scrambled eggs, yogurt, refried Beans, Protein Shakes, tuna, for example.

After soft, moving to the pureed/soft foods. I don't look forward to this but yes, I will try the baby food for my protein and veggies. I would puree my own meet but I am not sure I can get it to the correct consistency.

Full liquids will be my protein shakes, creamed Soups, etc.

Finally, I move to the clear liquids: Gelatin, broth, protein soups, etc. At this stage I should be about a week or so out from surgery and should have no problem continuing this immediately after post-op.

Preparation will be important for ALL of us. Sure, it is easy to be happy about only needing 1 - 3 days of a liquid diet before surgery but it is best to consider the big picture and understand that this is a lifestyle change. Prepare for it as you WILL go through withdrawals of not eating what you were once used to eating.

I wish everyone well in their journey!

[jimp444 29]

I am on day 7 of 14 day liquid diet. Surgery on July 12. One of the meals I got was 7 servings of Tomato Basil Soup, which is so bloody nasty, that I refuse to eat it (tastes awful and the heartburn is bad). Substituting Trader Joe low sodium Tomato Soup plus unflavored Protein, which is way better taste-wise and has pretty much the same nutrients in it except it is much lower in sodium. Other than that I am following the diet for the most part. Kinda wishing I could have real low fat high protein food, but that's not the way it is to be.

Liquid diet itself is not as difficult as I would have guessed.

Good luck everybody and stay strong!

Edited July 4, 2017 by jimp444

[The 147]

It's swings and roundabouts @jimp444 !

Your puree stage will probably feel like a luxury, while I'll be cursing where all the textures went!

Stay strong with that soup!

J

[valkh 1]

Just starting the pre op diet from my surgeon... I drink a lot of Water already but I am going to have a problem reducing my water intake... they said not to drink more than 64 oz a day. I already drink way over that. Also they don't want me drinking anything a half hour before, during, and a half hour after eating! That's about an hour and a half with nothing to drink! I've found myself skipping eating so that I can be able to have my water! Any suggestions?

[travelergirl 142]

Set an alarm for Water. And set a schedule for eating. You need your Protein.< br>Baritastic app has timers you can use.

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[Daily Encounter 16]

I agree with travelergirl, set an alarm for Water. I also drink more than 64 oz of water currently. It is also difficult for me to not drink during my meals. The advice from my NUT is to sip (instead of gulp) throughout the day. I still have challenges with not drinking a half hour before through an half hour after meals, but I honestly practice this daily. I am getting there but I am not quite there yet. My surgery is still a month or so away (didn't schedule the date yet but we are aiming for August) so I still have time to practice!