Tips for surviving the pre-op diet

[catwoman7 10,922]

2 minutes ago, GivinItMyALL said:

I tried looking for SF popsicles the other day in Walmart, and didn't really see anything. Are there particular brands I should look for?

not really. As long as they're really low cal (and most are 15 or 20 calories). There's one brand I like better than others (I think it's North Star?), but it might be a regional brand (I live in Wisconsin)

[Danelle619 9]

I am so glad you put this topic up. I start my liquid diet on the 21st. And I too feel like I'm going to starve..lol i am grateful for any advice.

[ImSweetJane 10]

5 hours ago, GivinItMyALL said:

I haven't yet looked for the SF jello... I get a nearly instant Migraine from aspartame, so if it has that in there, I'll have to skip it. All the other sweeteners, I'm okay with. I tried looking for SF popsicles the other day in Walmart, and didn't really see anything. Are there particular brands I should look for?

I love SF Popsicle brand the best. It’s been hit or miss on finding them though

good luck! My pre op diet starts in a few weeks 😜

[futurefinemama 163]

Ice helped me...when I absolutely needed something to crucnch on, I would eat shaved ice.

[GivinItMyALL 169]

Well, I found the sugar free popsicles at Walmart, but they have aspartame in them as the sweetener, and aspartame gives me a nearly immediate Migraine, so... nope. Starving and a migraine doesn't sound like a great combo [emoji1787]

[Deb9386 110]

I'm currently on day 4 of the pre-op diet and starving hungry. Not just head hungry! I've never done an 800 calorie diet - I used to be able to lose on 1400 calories - so am finding it very challenging. The thing that's getting me through is the thought that I only have another 15 days of it. Also my surgeon told me about a patient he had who didn't shrink his liver enough - they had to close the surgery without doing the op. I definitely don't want to be in that position.

[sunshine1313girl 3]

What pre-op diet is everyone talking about? Mine has plenty I can eat and not all liquid. Can someone post theirs?

[dal101 62]

Mine has many options. Is varys to liquid diet to solid diet, you can change it per day. I am going to try 1000 cal diet option where its bascially 1 slice bread, 2 x eggs, veg for every meal with yoghurt as a snack.

[colormehappy 123]

4 hours ago, sunshine1313girl said:

What pre-op diet is everyone talking about? Mine has plenty I can eat and not all liquid. Can someone post theirs?

On mine I could only do 3 Protein Shakes a day, plus calorie free Clear Liquids. broth, sugar free popsicles and Jello, etc. It was rough. Lots of people get to do Proteins and veggies though.

[GivinItMyALL 169]

7 hours ago, sunshine1313girl said:

What pre-op diet is everyone talking about? Mine has plenty I can eat and not all liquid. Can someone post theirs?

I can't seem to find my paperwork at the moment (grrrr!) but mine allows some food, just WAY smaller amounts than I am used to (1 egg, with like 1/2 c fruit, as opposed to a 3 egg ham and cheese omelet with toast, for example), and some meals Protein Shakes. My body is going to go AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGH! 😂

[Deb9386 110]

15 hours ago, sunshine1313girl said:

What pre-op diet is everyone talking about? Mine has plenty I can eat and not all liquid. Can someone post theirs?

I've copied mine below. I've been told to stick to 800 calories per day and couldn't do this if including a carb at both lunch and dinner, so dropped the carb in the evening meal. I asked the dietitian why the diet isn't shakes - she said that they find that people get very fed up with the shakes if they have them both pre and post-op and also that this is designed to get you into the habit of 3 small meals and 2 Snacks. Hope this helps.

"The diet is designed to give you approx 100g of carbohydrate per day. Try to opt for complex carbohydrates as these will help to fill you up more than refined or white bread, rice and Pasta etc. The diet is low in fat and moderate in Protein and low in calories, providing approx 800-1000 kcal.

Breakfast: (15g carbohydrate) : 3 tbsp (20g) of Branflakes^TM or fruit & Fibre^TM or 4 tbsp (15g) of Cornflakes^TM or Rice Krispies ^TM or 1 Shredded wheat^TM or 1½ Weetabix^TM or 5 tbsp (35g) of All Bran^TM or 25g of porridge oats or 1 slice medium sliced toast with scraping of spread

Lunch: (15-20g carbohydrate): 1 slice medium slice wholegrain bread or toast or 2 ryvitas/ wholegrain crackers or ½ bagel or ½ pitta bread or ½ bread roll or ½ Chapatti

with: 2 eggs or 50g (1½ oz) cheese (no more than 3 portions per week) or 8 wafer thin packet slices of ham/chicken/ turkey or 100 g (4 oz) chicken, e.g. a chicken breast without skin or 100g (4 oz) meat or 100g (4 oz) fish or 100g (4 oz) Quorn,/tofu, or pulses or 100g (4 oz) pulses (including chickpeas, Beans and lentils)

with plenty of vegetables and salad (with fat free dressing if required)

*limit root vegetables to 80g maximum per meal e.g.: turnip, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, swede etc.

*limit sweetcorn to one tablespoon per meal whilst following this pre-operative diet as this is high in carbohydrate.

Evening Meal: (20g carbohydrate): 180g potatoes (boiled/mashed/roast) or 3 egg-sized (180g) new potatoes or 60g / 2 tbsp cooked rice/pasta

with: 2 eggs or 50g (1 ½ oz) cheese or 8 wafer thin packet slices of ham/chicken/turkey or small chicken breast without skin or 100g (4 oz) meat or fish or 100g (4 oz) Quorn, tofu, or pulses such as lentils/beans/ quick peas

with

plenty of vegetables/salad (with fat free dressing if required)

Additional allowances throughout the day (40g carbohydrate): two portions of fruit or one portion of 150ml fruit juice, 1/3 pint (200ml) of semi-skimmed milk for drinks and Cereal OR (one small pot (125g) low fat/low sugar yoghurt per day (diet or ‘lite’ varieties), aim for at least 2 litres a day of free fluids i.e. Unlimited Water, tea, coffee, low-calorie squash, low-calorie fizzy drinks

Fruit portions list

A serving of fruit is 80g: 2 small fruit e.g. plums, apricots, satsumas 1 medium fruit e.g. apple, orange, banana 1 slice of very large fruit e.g. melon, pineapple ½ a grapefruit/avocado 1 cupful of berries e.g. strawberries, raspberries or grapes 3 heaped tbsp fruit salad (fresh or tinned in fruit juice) or stewed fruit 1 tbsp of dried fruit e.g. raisins, sultanas"