Ugh, questions about liquid diet --- I was supposed to start Tuesday, 12/15, and I didn't start until Friday, 12/28. On Thursday I had a lot of garbanzo beans and peanuts and raisins (chick peas in vinegar & lemon w/ some olive oil is like, my favorite thing), and even last night, after starting, I had some blue cheese (basically thinking "oh, it's melting in my mouth"), and nutella! The nutella was bad... because it is insanely high in fat and I had a lot of it... and I think the liquid diet is less about liquid and more about low fat/sugar. But I can't get the straight dope on it from my doc, and I was scheduled for surgery in October but I got an upper respiratory infection and couldn't, and I was doing fine on my liquid diet, so I know I can do this just fine, but my surgery is scheduled for JANUARY 8 and it's now the 29th and I had freakin' blue cheese and nutella in the middle of the night! If I am strict for the next 11 days, am I cool? It seems so many doctors give out so many different diets, and honestly I would be OK if it were solid but just low fat/sugar, I'm a vegetarian anyway, so what I crave is broccoli and carrots and peppers and beans and fruits (which can be high sugar). Usually I would admit what has gone on to my doctor, but they were very upset when I postponed before, and I am sure about the surgery, and I don't want them to be like, that's it, we're not doing it.... what do you guys think?? Thank you so much in advance, I'm glad I found this forum!

Under no circumstances would a Dr say its ok to eat before a surgery!!!!!! The reason is yes you might vomit but the problem is NOT for cleaning up the mess but for the fact you WILL aspirtate if you vomit while under anesthesia. I have been a nurse for over twenty five years and never once have I heard that eating a light meal before surgery is ok. NPO means nothing by mouth PERIOD and only a very small sip of Water for VERY neccesary drugs. This is major surgery, and its not a joke, there is no cutting corners here. Its hard. GOD knows its the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, Please everyone this is the time when you can short change your health, your life may depend on it

Jo Ann

Ok tonight i received my approval.. I call tomorrow to sch. to sch surjery. my initial appt was in oct.. they wanted me to start the diet. But in that time I received a denial.. so its now 2 months later and yes i could have lost weight but i felt so helpless so I have not started any diet. I know my dr will be pissed but whatever. I start tomorrow of 2-3 Protein shakes a day and I light meal. I'm a little nervous of what hell say but i can handle it. :paranoid

BMI 40

Have no idea what i weigh.. have not recently. not been very happy or motivated...

Michelle

If you can't/don't want to follow instructions, you should postpone the surgery and re-evaluate why you wanted to get it done in the first place.

I agree that it is crucial for you to follow your doctor's recommendations as closely as you can to avoid possible complications. None of us are perfect though, so don't waste your time and energy "beating yourself up." Just focus on getting back on track to ensure that you have the best surgical experience possible.

Remember that the most critical part of the bandster journey is working on "rewiring" our minds so we can change the habits that made us overweight in the first place. It's a long journey and you will face more difficult times along the way (trust me)! :biggrin1:

First up is the post-op diet which varies from surgeon to surgeon. For me, it was several weeks of liquids only, then soft, mushy foods for several weeks, then a gradual introduction of solids that took another couple of weeks. This is followed by the bandster "hell" period that lasts from the time the stomach swelling goes down until you have had several fills. It's not called that for nothing! For me, it took about three fills and around 6-7 months until I had a decent level of restriction. This varies according to the fill protocol used by your doctor of course.

I've read a lot of posts lately where people are "surprised" that they are hungry about 4-8 weeks out from surgery. There is an abundance of information on this site about the same issues that are posted over and over again. People who follow the nutrition guidelines provided by the lap-band manufacturers and certified surgeons seem to reap the best results with the fewest complications.

You may find these links helpful as you begin your journey:

Lap-Band Surgery FAQs and References - Lap Band Talk Forum - The largest forum for Lap Band Surgery Discussion and Lap Band Surgery Support

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f13/how-lap-band-actually-works-fills-refills-41738/

food - Lap Band Talk Forum - The largest forum for Lap Band Surgery Discussion and Lap Band Surgery Support This thread has information about each stage of eating and recipes.

LAP-BAND® - ALB Life After Surgery (I don't know what type of band you're getting, but there's a wealth of information on this site as well).

Good luck--I hope all goes well for you! :clap2:

To CrackedPepper: I think you "get" that so many people have said no eating past a certain time the night before surgery and yes, it is because aspiration caused by the anesthesia. * I am one of those folks who does get sick and does throw-up from it* so I always tell the anesthesiologist that I do get nauseated. There is something they can give you before surgery to help with that and liquid Anti-nausea worked like a charm for me when I got home.

I am banded since April 17th and weighed in at around 360 at the time of my surgery. I did do a pre-op diet, I was very good, I did eat solids but it was healthy, grilled chicken and salads type things...low fat. The idea is to shrink the liver.

*even though I did well prior to my surgery, my liver was still large and floppy..yes it shrank but the doctor said it was floppy* He got my band in and doggone it got that stitch in there too. No problems.

I hope that no one is afraid to call their doctor. The first surgeon I went to locally actually made me afraid and told me if my husband did not agree with the surgery he would not do it (that should have been a sign to me) As it is, I ended up self pay with a grand doctor.

Best wishes to you.

Shoegirlia----People have died from LB Surgery?? Have you seen this in the literature? My Dr told me that not one person has died from this....perhaps that's just in his experience. I haven't come across any literature with any death so far.