Hello everyone! I have surgery scheduled for 7/17/18. When I went to my nutritionist visit she suggested that I start practicing my eating by taking small bites (she said small like the tip of my pinky) and chewing the heck out of it. I still have my preop diet class that I will be attending in a couple weeks where they are going to be giving more detailed information about pre op and post op eating and of course my pre op appt (which is only 1 week before surgery). But I am wondering what those of you who have already had the surgery would suggest to prepare for the drastic change to our eating habits. I still don't know what kind of preop diet I will be required to do, if any (other than the day before surgery). Also, I started taking a daily PPI (Protonix) at my surgeon's request and they want me to continue this after surgery as I do get acid reflux a few times a week. Am I going to be able to take that in pill form in the first few weeks after surgery? Does it even come in a liquid form? The pill is pretty small and thin but I have seen a lot of folks talking about taking liquid forms of medications for the first month or so after surgery. Thank you all in advance for your advice and input, I appreciate it!

On 6/1/2018 at 5:03 PM, madscientistmommy said:

If you have acid reflux, did you talk to your doctor about bypass over sleeve? Sleeve can make acid reflux worse, that’s what my doctor told me.

My dr thinks the bypass is too agressive for my BMI. Even if it wasn't, I am self pay and the sleeve costs half as much so my hands are tied there. I have read that reflux increases after the sleeve so I am aware of the risk there. I have a hiatal hernia so I am hoping that getting that repaired coupled with my weight loss it will not be any more severe than it is now. It's very well controlled right now and I notice it is much less frequent when I am eating "normal" portions as opposed to huge portions. I am just hoping that my new lifestyle will improve it or at least prevent it from becoming worse.

On 6/1/2018 at 9:37 PM, BurBur said:

I quit sugar and simple carbs 5 months before surgery. If I had any carbs, it was oatmeal, whole wheat and so forth. I also started counting every calorie I ate and keeping track. This because I knew I over eat and I needed numbers in black and white to keep me straight and honest with myself. I also quit caffeine and anything carbonated. Just let all that go. It really made the transition after surgery so much easier for me.

My tip for after surgery would be to cook "wet" dishes. Since you cannot drink during a meal time, you don't want to try to struggle with eating dry meat or veggies. I did things like make spaghetti sauce with ground turkey mixed in. No NOODLES of course. I make a lot of different Soups and I blend up a lot of veggies so they are easy on my stomach. Try exploring some wet dishes you can make now so you have some ideas for post surgery.

Thanks for the tips! I have been eating a more low carb diet to prepare. And I can see how eating "wet" meals will help. I was trying to practice eating without drinking and there are a couple things I have found that were really dry feeling and I had to sip some water to comfortably get it down.

On 6/1/2018 at 8:37 PM, BurBur said:

My tip for after surgery would be to cook "wet" dishes. Since you cannot drink during a meal time, you don't want to try to struggle with eating dry meat or veggies. I did things like make spaghetti sauce with ground turkey mixed in. No NOODLES of course. I make a lot of different Soups and I blend up a lot of veggies so they are easy on my stomach. Try exploring some wet dishes you can make now so you have some ideas for post surgery.

I really like this idea. I feel like I will struggle with the no drinking rule a lot.

I actually did the lifestyle. I had my consult Jan 22, 2018. Jan 24th I began getting 90 grams of Protein in each day (mostly with Protein Shakes and lean meats). I started taking all supplements my Dr. required for after surgery. I quit smoking cold turkey. I kept my calories at about 1000. I eliminated carbs and tracked every bite that went in my mouth. I wanted to make sure my good habits were in place for pre-op and post op diets and for long term success. Sounds harsh but it’s a life commitment.  My surgery was May 17.

11 hours ago, Screwballski said:

I actually did the lifestyle. I had my consult Jan 22, 2018. Jan 24th I began getting 90 grams of Protein in each day (mostly with Protein Shakes and lean meats). I started taking all supplements my Dr. required for after surgery. I quit smoking cold turkey. I kept my calories at about 1000. I eliminated carbs and tracked every bite that went in my mouth. I wanted to make sure my good habits were in place for pre-op and post op diets and for long term success. Sounds harsh but it’s a life commitment. My surgery was May 17.

That’s great! I plan on doing something similar starting Monday!

On 06/09/2018 at 09:30, Chunkysoup said:

That’s great! I plan on doing something similar starting Monday!

Using the “Lose It” app helped me track everything. It let me organized and accountable. Perhaps it will help you, too. Best wishes for great success!

I had 2 Days prior mush next Day was liquid then of course NPO .Im going on my 4 Week post Tomorrow I feel awesome.I bought a Baby Spoon and small 4 oz container.I set my Phone 30 min chew at least 30 times then Waite 30 sec .Reset Phone another 30 Min till I’m able to Drink .

On 06/10/2018 at 14:14, Darci kendall said:

I had 2 Days prior mush next Day was liquid then of course NPO .Im going on my 4 Week post Tomorrow I feel awesome.I bought a Baby Spoon and small 4 oz container.I set my Phone 30 min chew at least 30 times then Waite 30 sec .Reset Phone another 30 Min till I’m able to Drink .

That’s exactly what I do! :)