Hi there!

I hope some of you could enlighten me. I am potentially having surgery next year, and my bariatric nurse recommended I do the Liver Shrinkage DIet for 2 weeks to add favour to my referral to the surgeons.

I am 9 days in and I have only lost 0.6kg (just over 1 pound). Prior to this, I was eating "normally"-carbs, and treats when appropriate as part of a normal lifestyle and I was losing around 2-3pounds a week (just under 1kg).

I feel really deflated and feel like I won't hit my weight loss for the surgery referral, and that this diet is just not working. I've read other forums, and people have said they're losing 21 pounds in 2 weeks! I really don't understand why I'm losing LESS than I do on a normal diet.

Typical intake:
-Breakfast: 2 pieces of fruit or meal replacement shake
-Lunch: Soup with a side of poached egg or a piece of fruit.
-Dinner: Salad (Lettuce, cucumber, onion and spring onions. Small amount of added vinegar and light salad cream) with some protein of choice eg chicken, ham, beef etc.
-Drinks: Water, diet Pepsi (one a day) and 1-2 cups of tea with sweetener and milk.
All of these are done to the portion recommendations, and free foods and allowances.

Please note I am using Orlistat every day and have been for the past half a year.

Hope someone can relieve some imposter syndrome! TIA x

Looking at your typical intake, I wonder if you're getting in too many carbs and not enough protein? How many grams of carbs and protein are you getting in.

1 hour ago, xKirstenx said:

Hi there!

I hope some of you could enlighten me. I am potentially having surgery next year, and my bariatric nurse recommended I do the Liver Shrinkage DIet for 2 weeks to add favour to my referral to the surgeons.

I am 9 days in and I have only lost 0.6kg (just over 1 pound). Prior to this, I was eating "normally"-carbs, and treats when appropriate as part of a normal lifestyle and I was losing around 2-3pounds a week (just under 1kg).

I feel really deflated and feel like I won't hit my weight loss for the surgery referral, and that this diet is just not working. I've read other forums, and people have said they're losing 21 pounds in 2 weeks! I really don't understand why I'm losing LESS than I do on a normal diet.

Typical intake:
-Breakfast: 2 pieces of fruit or Meal Replacement shake
-Lunch: Soup with a side of poached egg or a piece of fruit.
-Dinner: salad (Lettuce, cucumber, onion and spring onions. Small amount of added vinegar and light salad cream) with some Protein of choice eg chicken, ham, beef etc.
-Drinks: Water, diet Pepsi (one a day) and 1-2 cups of tea with sweetener and milk.
All of these are done to the portion recommendations, and free foods and allowances.

Please note I am using Orlistat every day and have been for the past half a year.

Hope someone can relieve some imposter syndrome! TIA x

I cant believe in yet another version of the diet. Have you tracked it calorie wise. Mine was 3 weeks and didnt get more than 800 cals a day If you have lost weight in this run up then you will already have lost your water weight. Some people dont loose weight and their liver has been reduced enough for surgery. You should have gone with bricks in your pockets to bump up your weight and gained a big loss when you needed it. It seems brutal that you are being asked to do the pre op before you need to put yourself through it for real

11 minutes ago, summerseeker said:

I cant believe in yet another version of the diet. Have you tracked it calorie wise. Mine was 3 weeks and didnt get more than 800 cals a day If you have lost weight in this run up then you will already have lost your Water weight. Some people dont loose weight and their liver has been reduced enough for surgery. You should have gone with bricks in your pockets to bump up your weight and gained a big loss when you needed it. It seems brutal that you are being asked to do the pre op before you need to put yourself through it for real

Yes I'm roughly having 800 cals a day! I lost 5 percent of my weight just prior to this diet so yeah I get what you mean. I'm really hoping next week I will see a result but if not I'm concerned.

I guess it is slightly brutal but I will do anything to get that surgery!

Thanks for replying x

17 minutes ago, gabbykittyvsg said:

Looking at your typical intake, I wonder if you're getting in too many carbs and not enough Protein? How many grams of carbs and protein are you getting in.

Hi

I am on a low/no carb diet so I'm literally eating the above meals which will he very low in carbs. As for protein, my meat is free so I can have as much as I want. I will typically have three mini chicken breasts cut up into the salad. If I have eggs with anything I have 2 (poached) but eggs are not a daily intake. If I have cheese it's no more than 50g a day and is part of my allowance.

Thanks for replying x

1 hour ago, xKirstenx said:

Hi there!

I hope some of you could enlighten me. I am potentially having surgery next year, and my bariatric nurse recommended I do the Liver Shrinkage DIet for 2 weeks to add favour to my referral to the surgeons.

I am 9 days in and I have only lost 0.6kg (just over 1 pound). Prior to this, I was eating "normally"-carbs, and treats when appropriate as part of a normal lifestyle and I was losing around 2-3pounds a week (just under 1kg).

I feel really deflated and feel like I won't hit my weight loss for the surgery referral, and that this diet is just not working. I've read other forums, and people have said they're losing 21 pounds in 2 weeks! I really don't understand why I'm losing LESS than I do on a normal diet.

Typical intake:
-Breakfast: 2 pieces of fruit or Meal Replacement shake
-Lunch: Soup with a side of poached egg or a piece of fruit.
-Dinner: salad (Lettuce, cucumber, onion and spring onions. Small amount of added vinegar and light salad cream) with some Protein of choice eg chicken, ham, beef etc.
-Drinks: Water, diet Pepsi (one a day) and 1-2 cups of tea with sweetener and milk.
All of these are done to the portion recommendations, and free foods and allowances.

Please note I am using Orlistat every day and have been for the past half a year.

Hope someone can relieve some imposter syndrome! TIA x

You should setup an appointment with a nutritionist. The nutritionist can direct you to the proper foods which will help shrink your liver and losing weight. Good luck to you.

Hi @xKirstenx , I was loosing weight with “normal” food, not shakes before the pre-op diet. I lost 73lb, 33 kg. I lost nothing during the pre-op diet! So, don’t beat yourself up about the shake stage. Talk with your dietitian. We found the shakes had too much carb for me. That’s just me.

I agree with gabbykittyvsg about protein. My usual real food, before and after surgery consists of 60-90 grams of protein per day. I suggest checking in with your bariatric center to review your personal nutrition plan because each person has a different protein/carb/fat goal based upon your gender, height, and build. And congratulations on your big loosing successes!

45 minutes ago, gabbykittyvsg said:

Looking at your typical intake, I wonder if you're getting in too many carbs and not enough Protein? How many grams of carbs and protein are you getting in.

Total carbs yesterday was 239.6g and protein was 65.4g. I havent been told the amounts I should have. Maybe the soup should be stopped and I should find an alternative?

Thanks! X

25 minutes ago, Lifestyle Changer said:

You should setup an appointment with a nutritionist. The nutritionist can direct you to the proper foods which will help shrink your liver and losing weight. Good luck to you.

Hi

Thanks for your advice. I'm actually under the tier 3 weight loss service and this is through them. I am following their paperwork. I will potentially seek out further advice very soon x

1 minute ago, xKirstenx said:

Total carbs yesterday was 239.6g and protein was 65.4g. I havent been told the amounts I should have. Maybe the Soup should be stopped and I should find an alternative?

Thanks! X

The carbs are probably too high for a pre-surgery diet. Try decreasing the simple carbs from the fruit and increasing protein. My program's dietitian recommends around 100-120 g of carbs per day, some are a lot less!

29 minutes ago, learn2cook said:

Hi @xKirstenx , I was loosing weight with “normal” food, not shakes before the pre-op diet. I lost 73lb, 33 kg. I lost nothing during the pre-op diet! So, don’t beat yourself up about the shake stage. Talk with your dietitian. We found the shakes had too much carb for me. That’s just me.

I agree with gabbykittyvsg about Protein. My usual real food, before and after surgery consists of 60-90 grams of protein per day. I suggest checking in with your bariatric center to review your personal nutrition plan because each person has a different protein/carb/fat goal based upon your gender, height, and build. And congratulations on your big loosing successes!

Thank you so much for making me feel normal. I really was wonder if something was wrong with me.

I'm considering dropping soup, and upping my protein intake. I will ask my team for a specific amount of carb and protein I should be having. I feel so hungry all the time, does a larger protein intake help with this?

I will be starting from tomorrow, and hopefully see more than 1kg loss in 2 weeks time!

Thank you, it has been hard but any loss is a good loss. It's hard to remember that. I'm trying to find like minded people to chat with too. I have no plus size friends who understand the hard realities of losing weight and Bsurgery. X

Just now, xKirstenx said:

Thank you so much for making me feel normal. I really was wonder if something was wrong with me.

I'm considering dropping Soup, and upping my protein intake. I will ask my team for a specific amount of carb and protein I should be having. I feel so hungry all the time, does a larger protein intake help with this?

I will be starting from tomorrow, and hopefully see more than 1kg loss in 2 weeks time!

Thank you, it has been hard but any loss is a good loss. It's hard to remember that. I'm trying to find like minded people to chat with too. I have no plus size friends who understand the hard realities of losing weight and Bsurgery. X

Yes, more protein should help. Also, healthy fats help with satiety (feeling of fullness). If you like avocados adding 1/2 to a full one per day may also help.

15 minutes ago, gabbykittyvsg said:

The carbs are probably too high for a pre-surgery diet. Try decreasing the simple carbs from the fruit and increasing protein. My program's dietitian recommends around 100-120 g of carbs per day, some are a lot less!

Oki doki I will give that a try. I only have 1 or 2 pieces of fruit a day anyway but I will try to keep then at bay for now. Would you recommend just having some protein as a snack replacement? Eg a chicken breast.

Thanks! X

A really good snack would be 1/2 cup sugar free Greek yogurt with some berries (frozen are usually cheaper-make sure they don't have added sugar). Look up low glycemic fruit and make your choices from fruit lower GI choices.

16 minutes ago, gabbykittyvsg said:

Yes, more protein should help. Also, healthy fats help with satiety (feeling of fullness). If you like avocados adding 1/2 to a full one per day may also help.

Excellent idea. I dont "love" avocados but I dont mind them with some egg. Thanks a lot x

7 minutes ago, gabbykittyvsg said:

A really good snack would be 1/2 cup sugar free Greek yogurt with some berries (frozen are usually cheaper-make sure they don't have added sugar). Look up low glycemic fruit and make your choices from fruit lower GI choices.

Thank you I will look into it. I've been having a greek yogurt with strawberry mashed on top for a sweet snack. Will see how I can improve this snack option x