12 days post op. Was going mental on the liquid diet plan my dr put me on. Noticed my wife’s post op plan from a different doctor had some significant differences.... so I googled a bunch of post op diet plans and hit the personal jackpot with the Mayo Clinic... puréed egg salad allowed... two small spoonfuls filled me up (first time I’ve felt full) and for the first time in since preop felt normal again.. stayed full feeling for well over an hour. it’s not like I picked one from Dr. Nick, so I don’t feel too cheaty. This was yesterday and today I’m back to liquids only but it really did a good job resetting myself mentally. No idea why I’m sharing this.....

Your surgeon or dietician didn't have their own post op food plan for you?

As you noticed, diet plans, both pre- and post-op, vary all over the map, and it isn't a bad idea to shop them ahead of time and consider them in choosing your program. Some programs will have their patients on steak while others are still on liquids., while pre-op, some impose liquids only for weeks ahead of time while others do nothing special until the day before surgery. One can draw implications from both on the surgeon and program, but on should follow your surgeon's instructions on both as we can't tell why they are telling us to do these things - are those with lengthy liquid diets simply behind the curve of other programs ("that's the way we've always done it...") or is there some reason for it - is there something about the way that they do the surgery that requires it, but other surgeons do things differently so they can use a different diet?

The safest thing is to follow your programs instructions, and for peace of mind, do as much research ahead of time, and take each programs' features and protocols into consideration in making your choice. Personally, I would avoid those programs with extensive liquid pre-op diets and favor those with more rapid post-op progressions, as from what I have seen over the years, those tend to provide more rapid recovery and better overall results.

I wouldn’t take the advice of anyone here regarding altering post surgery rules because they are not doctors. Logically though if your surgeon gives all his patients the same eating plans it makes things more simple to analyze when complications do occur. After surgery there is inflammation not just from cutting but also anesthesia. There are many reasons you start on liquids almost everywhere that I have read. Do not trust forum posters guesses with your life. Ask your doctor why they do it the way they do it

Edited August 8, 20205 yr by tarotcardreader

I was eating egg salad too on day 4 I’m almost a month in since my sleeve and I love egg and tuna doesn’t bother me a bit and I can’t eat much at a time anyway

It never occurred to me to "shop around" for pre- and post-op diets before choosing a surgeon. I figured they would all be pretty similar and was very surprised to learn how much variation there is. Mine is probably on the conservative side of average. I had a two-week pre-op liquid diet (the first week allowed one low-calorie meal per day), and post-op, the first 3 days were clear liquids, then full liquids until the end of the first week, then purees for the second week, and four weeks of soft foods before eating "normal" foods.

I don't mind it because I started with a high BMI and I carry my weight in my abdomen, so it probably was necessary for me to shrink my liver. I'm more than 3 weeks post-op now and still only eating purees plus cottage cheese and ricotta bake (which are kind of on the edge of puree and soft food). I haven't had any issues with purees, but I'm a little afraid to try anything more solid. I have no hunger, so I'm not particularly eager to advance my diet.