So i started my liquid diet on jan 4th my surgery is on jan 18th. The night before i had my last meal ( i wont even say what it was or your stomach would flip ) then day 1 in the morning wasnt as bad because of the night before. But man nighttime on day 1 the headache hit i felt weak im watching the clock like im back in school waiting for the bell to ring lol. Day 2 in the morning i wanted to give up, i thought i am insane for doing this to myself but i found the will power to push through it. Now its day 5 and its really amazing the difference from day 1-2 to now. Is it still hard yes, but only when i see and/or smell real food which is daily i have kids lol. Im on a 2 week liquid diet im allowed 5 shakes a day with water, broth, jello ( their were other options but those work for me best) in between the shakes. This is literally the longest 2 weeks of my life lol. Anyway just wanted to share my journey so far im also new to the board, oh and im getting the sleeve in case i forgot to say! So far ive lost 10 pounds on this liquid diet which i know is probably water weight but im already feeling lighter. Anyone else on the liquid diet who wants to share their experiences?

Edited January 9, 20242 yr by Raevor85

My god 3 more days seems like a lifetime away! Today i had a literal mouthwatering craving for one of my favorite foods. It came out of no where honestly and it took all my will power to tough out that episode. Thankfully it was also close to my next feeding ( thats what i call my "meals" lol ) and that definitely helped kick out that craving from my mind whew! But it was definitely a close one let me tell you. Also had to switch broth flavors because the same old really DOES get old after a while. How is everything going with those of you who are currently in your diets? How did those who have done it feel at this point in yours if you can remember back? Lol.

9 minutes ago, Raevor85 said:

How did those who have done it feel at this point in yours if you can remember back? Lol.

Honestly 3 days out I was in the zone! ? I missed chewing things, and other people's food smelled amazing, but I had a variety of shake and broth flavors, prus flavored waters, so I was doing pretty good! I was nervous about the surgery but excited! I was working on getting my house in order for post op life and I spent a ton of time pinning recipes for the post op phases. ? You are almost there!! Good luck!!

9 hours ago, ChunkCat said:

Honestly 3 days out I was in the zone! ? I missed chewing things, and other people's food smelled amazing, but I had a variety of shake and broth flavors, prus flavored waters, so I was doing pretty good! I was nervous about the surgery but excited! I was working on getting my house in order for post op life and I spent a ton of time pinning recipes for the post op phases. ? You are almost there!! Good luck!!

Thank you so much! Yes i had to give myself a bit more broth than i usually sip on the help reset my mind lol. I wish i could just sleep until the 18th. A side not i keep getting sharp nags ( i wont say pain really its like a minor pinch ) in my right side. I wonder if its the effects from my liver shrinking or i just need more water lol.

So surgery is tomorrow still waiting to find out the time ( the hospital calls the day before to inform you here in illinois, not sure how other states work? ). I am anxious but DEFINITELY ready to get it over with lol. This 6 month plus journey was crazy long but it will be worth it in the end im hoping just trying to keepba positive mindset. Last day of this pre op liquid diet. Wish me luck you guys when i come back youll see me in the post op sections! Take Care.

On 1/15/2024 at 3:26 PM, Raevor85 said:

My god 3 more days seems like a lifetime away! Today i had a literal mouthwatering craving for one of my favorite foods. It came out of no where honestly and it took all my will power to tough out that episode. Thankfully it was also close to my next feeding ( thats what i call my "meals" lol ) and that definitely helped kick out that craving from my mind whew! But it was definitely a close one let me tell you. Also had to switch broth flavors because the same old really DOES get old after a while. How is everything going with those of you who are currently in your diets? How did those who have done it feel at this point in yours if you can remember back? Lol.

Thanks for that laugh! I still crack up thinking about calling our meals “ feedings”! I’m gonna steal that for sure.

Yeah the pre-op diet was no joke. I missed solid food like crazy, and I was definitely "hangry" during that time, but I'm happy with the results. I had some health issues going into it which caused a lot of excess fluid retention, and from that I lost over 20 lbs from the pre-op diet. I was excited, but my doctor took me down a peg and said it was pretty much all weight from fluid and inflammation, and I had only lost about 3lb of actual fat. I'll still take it though.

Definitely recommend upping your electrolytes during that time if you're having headache and fatigue.

The pre op diet is so hard! I could only drink milk , I don't know how far your in but after day 5 it gets easier and day 10 i didn't feel hunger at all, good luck you've got this !

5 hours ago, Star1234 said:

The pre op diet is so hard! I could only drink milk , I don't know how far your in but after day 5 it gets easier and day 10 i didn't feel hunger at all, good luck you've got this !

I start my 2 week liquid diet on Feb 7, but if I had to drink milk, I don't know what I would do . I can't stand the stuff! I haven't had a glass of milk since I was about 8. Thankfully, I can have protein shakes, yogurt, pudding, broth, and jello. If I start to feel grumpy about it, I'll remind myself I could be stuck drinking milk!

Im only on day 2 of liquid diet… sleeve surgery on the 12th of Feb. So this is all new, I read some of the comments, and they say ? it gets a lil more tolerable as the days go by. My thing is how do you develop the strength. When everyday your cooking ?, or someone else is cooking ?. I can't complain, cause they can't stop just cause I chose my path.The shakes are constipating me, and the pain is a b***h sometimes. I can handle the water, but the shakes are causing this to be intolerarable, and its only day 2. Can someone suggest a better shake ?(on the equate shakes from Walmart) Nurse said a lot of patients like them and are affordable, but they're just doing the above that I mentioned. Any suggestions, definately wanna get through this 2wks.

2 hours ago, lewalt818@gmail.com said:

Im only on day 2 of liquid diet… sleeve surgery on the 12th of Feb. So this is all new, I read some of the comments, and they say ? it gets a lil more tolerable as the days go by. My thing is how do you develop the strength. When everyday your cooking ?, or someone else is cooking ?. I can't complain, cause they can't stop just cause I chose my path.The shakes are constipating me, and the pain is a b***h sometimes. I can handle the Water, but the shakes are causing this to be intolerarable, and its only day 2. Can someone suggest a better shake ?(on the equate shakes from Walmart) Nurse said a lot of patients like them and are affordable, but they're just doing the above that I mentioned. Any suggestions, definately wanna get through this 2wks.

You should be able to take a stool softener or Miralax to relieve the constipation. It isn't unusual for people to have some digestive issues on the shakes, they are heavy in protein and low in fat and fiber, two things that usually help regulate our stools. Make sure you are getting in at least 64oz of water daily.

Some surgeons have strict rules about the shakes you can use pre-op, others just give guidelines. Premier Protein ready made shakes are the only ones I was allowed to have pre-op (or Bariatric Advantage, but they are AWFUL). I like their Cafe Latte the best, though the vanilla and caramel are good too... I've had just about every flavor they make out of boredom on the pre-op diet and they were all passable, though I recommend you drink them cold. My least favorite are the peanut butter chocolate and the winter mint.

If you can drink whatever shake you want, Ghost makes some tasty protein powders! I also like the Syntrax line in general, just pay attention to getting the correct whey your doctor wants. I love Seeq, they sell sample packs on their website and they taste like juice! I think the watermelon one is the best... I also like Genepro powder, it is tasteless and dissolves into just about anything so you could put it in sugar free liquids. And Fairlife does ready to drink shakes that are pretty delicious! They mess with my stomach for some odd reason, but I know a LOT of bariatric patients that buy them by the case. You can usually get them individually at Target or some grocery stores.

As for the cooking, I'd just excuse myself as much as possible... Yes, this is your path, and yes, it is your struggle, but I think asking our partners to have empathy is important too, they may not understand how hard it is... Electrolytes once a day help a lot with cravings, be sure they are sugar free. Having a variety of shake flavors helps too. And just being honest with your family if you can and saying "Hey, this is hard for me, and I might be grumpy around you when you are eating food or I'm having to cook you food. It isn't personal, I'm just hungry!!" LOL

56 minutes ago, ChunkCat said:

And just being honest with your family if you can and saying "Hey, this is hard for me, and I might be grumpy around you when you are eating food or I'm having to cook you food. It isn't personal, I'm just hungry!!" LOL

I start my liquid diet a week from tomorrow, which is why I will be spending some time this weekend buying things my 15 and 12 year old daughters can cook for themselves, and prepping some stuff ahead for them to put in the freezer so I don't have to deal with food prep for the next 4 weeks or so. After that, I should be able to make some foods that we'll all be able to eat, hopefully. Luckily, my kids are self-sufficient for breakfasts and lunches, but they are still really limited on dinner skills. I guess I need to work on that with them (along with teaching them to do laundry).

5 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

I start my liquid diet a week from tomorrow, which is why I will be spending some time this weekend buying things my 15 and 12 year old daughters can cook for themselves, and prepping some stuff ahead for them to put in the freezer so I don't have to deal with food prep for the next 4 weeks or so. After that, I should be able to make some foods that we'll all be able to eat, hopefully. Luckily, my kids are self-sufficient for breakfasts and lunches, but they are still really limited on dinner skills. I guess I need to work on that with them (along with teaching them to do laundry).

That is a smart solution, way to think strategically!! I think it is perfectly reasonable to do this with children old enough to cook or use a microwave. And they get to support you in a tangible way, which makes most kids feel really good!

I don't have kids but I live in an open floor plan apartment so there is no avoiding the kitchen or cooking smells. But my partner would take food to their office to eat if I was having a hard day. And if they wanted something elaborate, they went out to a restaurant to have it. LOL This really helped for the pre-op diet/early post op period. I also made a rule that they have to keep their junk food in their office. ? That way I don't have to see them eating Reeses cookies!!

For the most part though I didn't mind others eating around me or cooking around me, the 6 shakes a day plus water, sugar free popsicles, and broth gave me enough variety. I was constantly drinking something! I'm so excited for your surgery, it is getting close now!!

4 minutes ago, ChunkCat said:

I'm so excited for your surgery, it is getting close now!!

Three weeks from today I should be checked into the hotel with my mom and trying to get a good night's sleep before surgery! Crossing my fingers there are no further delays. The hospital is only an hour away, which would normally not be a big deal, but rush hour traffic is bad and I'm not sure how early I'll need to be there in the morning, so we decided to go the night before. My mom wanted to be able to stay and visit into the evening but doesn't like night driving, so she felt better about being in a hotel the night I'm in the hospital. Luckily, there's a Courtyard Marriott about 5 minutes from the hospital. Sadly, no hot tub

OMG a hot tub soak before surgery would have been heavenly!! Unfortunately my surgical team wouldn't have let me do that anyway. They had me using this special antibacterial soap for days before surgery and the night before surgery I had to bathe with it, sleep in clean pajamas, and in clean sheets. Then use it again the morning of surgery!! Their antibacterial game was strong. ?

Being close to the hospital will really help!! No need to stress over traffic on top of having surgery on the brain. It is really nice your mother will be with you. My partner slept in the room on a convertible plastic couch thing--that's love man. LOL Having someone there with you helps ensure you get the care you need while you are in the hospital and makes the time pass a little quicker.

Crossing my fingers and toes you have no more delays!!

18 hours ago, lewalt818@gmail.com said:

Im only on day 2 of liquid diet… sleeve surgery on the 12th of Feb. So this is all new, I read some of the comments, and they say ? it gets a lil more tolerable as the days go by. My thing is how do you develop the strength. When everyday your cooking ?, or someone else is cooking ?. I can't complain, cause they can't stop just cause I chose my path.The shakes are constipating me, and the pain is a b***h sometimes. I can handle the Water, but the shakes are causing this to be intolerarable, and its only day 2. Can someone suggest a better shake ?(on the equate shakes from Walmart) Nurse said a lot of patients like them and are affordable, but they're just doing the above that I mentioned. Any suggestions, definately wanna get through this 2wks.

If you can find them, look for the Fairlife shakes. I drank those for my pre-op and post-op, and my surgeon was happy with the results. They have different varieties with 26g, 30g (most common), and 42g of protein and are generally 150-200 calories per bottle. These taste more like a Nesquick chocolate milk to me, and don't have that chemical taste that Premier Protein or Muscle Milk have. Check at Sams Club or Costco, if you have one nearby. They sell out fast, so you may want to check online each morning and place a pickup order for that afternoon before they're gone. My local one usually gets a pallet in weekly.