Hi I'm due to get my gastric sleeve done at Ross hall and just looking for advice of what to expect and if anyone can tell me more about liver reduction diet

I had gastric sleeve 3.5 years ago and It went really smoothly. I remember being so super anxious but the best thing I did was to just tell the staff so they were all patient with me and did an excellent job of distracting me throughout the process of getting me prepped. When I got there the first thing they asked me to do was a pregnancy test (urine sample). Turns out I couldn’t pee so they rushed a blood test so no big deal. Then they had me change into a gown and hospital socks and put an iv into my hand. They asked me a bunch of questions about allergies and when I last ate and drank and all that stuff and the anesthesiologist came in and asked some questions about medical history. The surgeon popped in to say hi and then I was off to the operating room. Last thing I remember is them saying to take a couple deep breaths and then I woke up in recovery. I did freak out a bit then because no one told me I would have a nerve block in my stomach which makes it feel impossible to sit up and I wasn’t expecting that when I woke up. Of course the nurses are sitting right there and one explained what was going on right away and I was fine. They had to wait for a room for me so I was in recovery a little longer than normal so they had me up walking while I was still in there. After that I drifted off to sleep again and woke up in my room. Honestly I felt fine. Other than my stomach felt like I had done a bunch of crunches. Not pain, just sore when I tried to sit up. I didn’t have any of the gas pain that some people describe. They were a little concerned that my bladder didn’t wake up quite as quick as they expected so they put a basin in the toilet to measure it and when I did go and said they may have to put in a catheter if I didn’t go soon but I went shortly after and my output was normal So that wasn’t an issue. They gave me little medicine cups to drink water out of and again I was lucky and had no issues drinking small amounts. Then I think it was dinner time they brought a tray with broth and jello if I remember correctly. And crystal light. They brought in my daily meds and I asked them to take me off the pain meds because I didn’t feel I needed them. My husband showed up after work and we took a couple walks and then I went back to sleep. The next day I went home shortly after lunch. The whole time I was there they were pumping me full of fluids via IV.

as far as the liver shrink diet mine was pretty lenient. Basically low carb it was a shake for breakfast and lunch and then lean meat and veggies for dinner. One thing I did to make it a little easier was to stop all carbs the week before so I could go through all them carb cravings while I could at least have as much of the other stuff as I wanted. I was also allowed some “free foods” like pickles, lettuce and jello which helped me feel like I was getting something. The dr did tell me afterwards that he could tell that I did a really good job on the liver shrink diet so I guess it really does make a difference for them to make the surgery safer.

I had to do the diet when I had the sleeve surgery 2 years ago AND when I had the revision 1 year ago to bypass. Some surgeons require 2 weeks, some require 1 week, and some only 2 days. Just depends on your weight, bmi, and surgeon preferences.

My first time, I had to do 2 weeks. It was all liquid. I was on protein shakes, bone broth, protein pudding, jello, Propel drinks, protein gatorade, smoothies. I was 421 pounds when I started it and 388 the day of surgery because of that diet. It sucked, but was very effective. Thank goodness it wasn't anything I would need to do long term, because no way, no how lol

My 2nd time was for a week. It was slightly less strict. Same liquids except I could also have things like 1 meal of ministrone soup, protein yogurts with fruit in it, or hummus, avocado spread, and cottage cheese. This one was much more tolerable, and while I did still lose weight o it, it wasn't as much and it wasn't as bad. Still sucked, though. But at least I knew it was for a very limited amount of time.

Both times, I knew it was worth it to make my surgeries as safe as possible. That was the most important thing to me.

Thanks so much. How much now after the surgery can u eat in a day?

I'm further out, so what you will be able to eat right after and what I can eat now are pretty far apart. What I can eat now, 1 year post revision surgery, is what I consider a normal amount. For example, last night for dinner, I had 2 chicken drum sticks, 1/2 a cup of french cut green beans, and 1/2 cup sauteed squash. It was delicious and I was satisfied and between comfortable and full. I ate that at 6pm and had my final snack at 9pm, which was a small handful (maybe 12 or 14) of lightly salted almonds and 7 colby jack cheese cubes. And I went to bed at 10pm.

For breakfast this morning I had a 2 egg omelet with colby jack cheese and half a sliced avocado with my mushroom coffee. For my first snack of the day, I'm having strawberries and blueberries (about a half a cup of each) and a vanilla protein smoothie (mostly just because I find them yummy for a snack sometimes). For lunch I'm having a salad with cucumbers (3 sliced cut in half), bacon bits (just a small sprinkle), sliced grilled chicken (3 strips cut in half), spinach and romaine lettuce (about a cup), about half a handful of chick peas (aka garbanzo beans), and 4 tbsp of ranch dressing.

No idea what I'm having beyond that today. But that gives you an idea of what is normal for me. Everyone is different, though. You have to see what will end up working for your body, your lifestyle, and your needs. It'll come in time, just be patient and trust the process.

Thanks so much for the info xxx

On 6/30/2024 at 7:10 AM, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

I'm further out, so what you will be able to eat right after and what I can eat now are pretty far apart. What I can eat now, 1 year post revision surgery, is what I consider a normal amount. For example, last night for dinner, I had 2 chicken drum sticks, 1/2 a cup of french cut green Beans, and 1/2 cup sauteed squash. It was delicious and I was satisfied and between comfortable and full. I ate that at 6pm and had my final snack at 9pm, which was a small handful (maybe 12 or 14) of lightly salted almonds and 7 colby jack cheese cubes. And I went to bed at 10pm.

For Breakfast this morning I had a 2 egg omelet with colby jack cheese and half a sliced avocado with my mushroom coffee. For my first snack of the day, I'm having strawberries and blueberries (about a half a cup of each) and a vanilla Protein smoothie (mostly just because I find them yummy for a snack sometimes). For lunch I'm having a salad with cucumbers (3 sliced cut in half), bacon bits (just a small sprinkle), sliced grilled chicken (3 strips cut in half), spinach and romaine lettuce (about a cup), about half a handful of chick peas (aka garbanzo beans), and 4 tbsp of ranch dressing.

No idea what I'm having beyond that today. But that gives you an idea of what is normal for me. Everyone is different, though. You have to see what will end up working for your body, your lifestyle, and your needs. It'll come in time, just be patient and trust the process.

Those drumsticks sound so freakin good LOL yummo!

Don’t think the small amounts you eat in the beginning is how much you’ll eat forever. After surgery your stomach muscle is very tight so it can’t tolerate much. But as it heals, and you start to introduce more foods, it slowly starts to soften (not stretch) & is able to tolerate more.

I was told, though I began with 1/4 - 1/3 cup from the puree stage, by about 6 months I’d be up to about a cup. Which was pretty accurate for me. I’m 5 years out & from about 2 years, I was pretty much eating a recommended portion size. Check the nutrition panel of processed pre prepared foods and google recommended portions of other foods or ingredients to give you an idea. Generally about 3-4ozs of protein & a cup of vegetables, 2 eggs, a small apple, etc. Some days I can’t/not interested in eating that much, other days it’s the perfect portion.

The liver shrink diet is not to actually shrink the liver but the fat around the liver. This is to allow your surgeon to have better vision of & access to your tummy during the surgery. This diet does differ surgeon to surgeon, patient to patient. Generally it’s two weeks of a shake three times a day. However, some are four shakes, others two shakes & one lean protein & steamed vegetables meal. Others are only for a week or a couple of days. Mine was keto for two weeks (I started a couple of days earlier). Some people lose seemingly a lot of weight, others only a few pounds. It’s one of those things linked to how much weight you carry.

It can be tough as you may experience withdrawal like symptoms (from stopping/reducing sugar, carbs, caffeine) for about 5 days. Apparently my surgeon’s patients who did the two week all shakes called the first week hell week. While tough, remember it is only for two weeks and the big picture benefits & wins makes it so worth it.

All the best with your surgery.