Well, I started my pre-op diet today (my surgery date is near the end of the month) . . . I know some of you must have been on a pre-op diet already! I am just wondering what some of your experiences are.

This is the diet plan I'm on:

Breakfast: 1 HMR shake

lunch: 1 HMR Shake

Midafternoon Snack: 1 HMR Shake, 1 fruit serving

dinner: 1 Protein serving, low-starch vegetables (they are unlimited), 1 starch serving, and 3 fat servings.

Evening Snack: 1 HMR Shake

Plus 8 cups of Water per day.

Calorie total of the diet is about 1,010-1,060.

(HMR is the package of shake mix sold at the weight loss center I'm going to, as directed by my dietitian . . . HMR: Health Management Resources.)

So far I've had a couple of shakes, and they taste good, and when whipped up in a blender with some ice, are really quite filling. I have vanilla and chocolate, plus a booklet that has recipes to change the flavor of the shakes (adding extracts and sugar-free fruit Gelatin mixes).

So . . . it's all very tasty and such . . . but my body knows the difference!!! I can feel the hunger and desire for food already . . . this is gonna be rough! I'm gonna tough it out and do my best to shrink my liver before surgery (I don't want any complications!) . . . but it sure points out how much food was a part of my life. I was one who thought I wasn't eating that bad, making healthy food choices and all (my waistline says differently though! lol). Now I see how bad I was. This is a good learning experience! And I know I'll be much healthier for it.

I would love to hear what other pre-op diets my fellow Victorious Valentines are on (plus get to meet some of you, I'm kinda new here) . . . and what your experiences are, and how you are feeling!

<---- trying to convince by body of this right now, lol! :eek:

My surgery is scheduled for Feb. 26th. I have to start my pre-op diet on the 12th. For mine...I can have NO bread, Pasta, or rice. Basically no carbs. I've been doing LOW carb for the last month....getting my body use to not having the high carbs it's use to. So far it's worked in my favor....17.5 pounds down!!!! WoooHOOOO!!! Just think what will happen when I go to NO carbs....YEAHHH!!! I look at it as a small jump start on my new journey.

Good luck to everyone on their journeys!! WE CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!

Wow Amie, congratz to you on your weight loss, that's excellent! Today's only my second day on the diet, and I think I'm going through what Angie said . . . major carb withdrawal. But I'm sticking to it! STRAWBERRIES are my friend, lol. One fruit serving is 2 1/4 cups! I had one cup for Breakfast and I'm saving another cup for later today. A good way to break things up!

Keep up the awesome work Amie (and everyone)! I'm hoping to get my ticker to move soon! I'm gonna go make myself move and do some time on my treadmill. Way to cold & snowy outside (although mall walking is fun too).

StLouisGal - Very Lucky you! Did your doctor say why you didn't need a pre-op diet? (I'm just curious.) My weight loss doctor (I have a surgeon' date=' weight loss doctor and dietitian) said that if I had lost 5 or 6 pounds, I wouldn't have had to do the pre-op diet either, because my BMI would be 45. She said I'm "right at the border with a BMI of 46". Well, I didn't lose the 5 pounds, lol . . . but honestly, I kinda wanted to do the diet before surgery . . . I think it might make me feel better losing a few pounds before, and this diet is easy enough to follow. But maybe that's why you don't need the pre-op diet? I see your BMI is 45. I wonder if anyone else with a BMI of 45 needed a pre-op diet?

[/quote']

I don't have any clue what his thinking is. I had lost 10 pounds since my first visit to the office for my Psych exam. I have been doing two Protein shakes a day and one reasonable meal. I think that is what accounts for the 13 pounds I have lost. I plan to continue this plan for the next two weeks. Even though he doesn't require it, I think the more I lose before the surgery the better off I will be. Several of the other folks in the pre-op class do have to do pre-op diets so it obviously isn't that he doesn't think they have value. I really didn't question it because even though I am doing a pre-op diet of sorts, I like it better when I am determining the degree to which I am following it.

Good luck to everyone. It's going to be an interesting journey.

I gotta say, today is day 5 and I feel GREAT! Lots of energy, not hungry, no headaches. Whew, glad I survived that! LOL

The next 8 days should be no problem!

Well it's getting kinda hard for me ... probably cause I am out of the best shake ... the chocolate!! But I am glad to say as of 2day 15.5 pounds down! 13 more pounds and I will be in the "2's" Hope I make it by Wednesday but I doubt it ... I am going to do alot of workout videos and she what happens ... but at the rate I am going Wednesday I will be 305! The more I loose now the closer to goal i will be post band!

Woo hoo! That's awesome!

I'd like to lose another 4 pounds before my surgery (9 days) just so I can be in 60s for pounds to go!

Just found this site today...this post really hits home. My doctor requires 4 weeks of Optifast prior to surgery. The reason they gave is to make the liver healthier and smaller which makes it easier for the surgeon and also helps to promote weight loss after surgery. I start my pre-op diet tomorrow and my surgery is scheduled for March 4th. Any suggestions of how to get thru this will be appreciated!

Hi all. I'm new to the site, being banded on Feb. 12. My pre op diet is two weeks low carb, high protein (Or I could've had a week liquid) I prefer to chew my food. :-) The first three days were awful! Headaches, cravings... wow, it hit me so hard. At work they bring in food almost everyday, donuts, burritos, yummy stuff... I cheated on Friday, felt REALLY bad. I had this thought in my head that if I cheat I'm going to have some huge complication and so when I cheated I felt awful... until of course I read a cheating thread and I calmed down. With that one cheat behind me, I'm moving on to the last week.

I gotta say, today is day 5 and I feel GREAT! Lots of energy, not hungry, no headaches. Whew, glad I survived that! LOL

The next 8 days should be no problem!

Way to go Angie! Today is day 3 for me, and I am feeling pretty good too . . . I'm VERY surprised how my energy has improved! That alone makes this all worth it! However I have had some hunger, and some headaches. I just took some motrin and told my stomach to shut up, lol. It's getting much better, though . . . this morning after my shake for Breakfast, I was satisfied with it, and didn't feel sleepy afterwards!

We can do this! I'm so glad for all this support!

Best of all, I made my weight loss ticker MOVE! :biggrin: I'm down 6 pounds already . . . in 3 days? I'm using the same scale, and it's a brand new, high quality one . . . I sure hope it's not lying on me, lol. I bet most of that weight loss is Water weight, but it's SO nice to see the numbers changing!

Just found this site today...this post really hits home. My doctor requires 4 weeks of Optifast prior to surgery. The reason they gave is to make the liver healthier and smaller which makes it easier for the surgeon and also helps to promote weight loss after surgery. I start my pre-op diet tomorrow and my surgery is scheduled for March 4th. Any suggestions of how to get thru this will be appreciated!

Hi Kelly and Heidabear, welcome!

I'm not sure about the Optifast diet, is it all liquid Protein, or are you allowed some foods? Bigmarathoner gave me the best advice . . . to mix up some of the foods I'm allowed during the day. For example, I'm allowed one fruit serving per day . . . This morning, I added 1/3 cup of pineapple chunks (a half of my daily fruit serving) and some coconut extract (no fat or calories) to my vanilla shake. I added some ice, blended it all together, and got a very creamy pina-colada shake! It was delicious . Being creative with my meals for me has helped me to stick to my diet . . . I'm not feeling deprived. Try and make the diet as much fun as you can! You can do this! Another thing I do is to try and focus why I'm doing this . . . whenever I feel hungry, or desire something I shouldn't have, I just think about wearing smaller sizes (I can't WAIT to stop wearing LB clothes! I'm tired of baggy and unattractive!), and having more energy to do the things I want. Learning to let go of the "head hunger" (craving foods you don't need) and replacing it with a healthier, thinner body, really helps too . . . I remember a saying from one of the many diets I've been on in the past . . . there is no food that tastes so good that's better than how great you feel being thin . . . uhhh, ok I probably just hacked that line up, lol But I hope I got the idea across!

Good luck to you, I'm sure some of these wonderful people here also have some fabulous advice far better than mine. It does get easier the longer you are on it . . . I've only been 3 days, but I'm loving the energy increase. That right there is helping me to stick strictly to my diet plan! But don't beat yourself up if you slip . . . just get back on track! (Thanks again Bigmarathoner! You've had some terrific advice).

Please continue to let us know how you do!

You betcha Rhapsody!! You are doing awesome and passed along great advice to Kelly and Heidabear!! In the words of the great Dory the Fish *wink*.....Just keep swimming!!

In the words of the great Dory the Fish *wink*.....Just keep swimming!!

ROFL :biggrin2: Thanks for the laugh! I just love that movie. My son likes to watch it over and over, but I admit I'm a kid at heart, and I enjoy watching it with him! heh

Tomorrow is your special day! Good luck to you, I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers! Looking forward to hearing how you did. If you get nervous going into surgery, just smile and remember all the wonderful people here thinking of you! And ya just gotta smile when you think of Dory . . . I think I have P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney imprinted on my brain . . . I'm about as forgetful as she is too :wink2:

Best of luck with your journey into Bandland! *cheers*!!

Thanks for the great advice...Unfortunately, the Optifast is all Optifast products. I can choose from shakes, bars and soups. Not a lot of variety, but I'm determined to stay focused on today and trying not to think about a whole month of this. One day at a time...Good luck to you.

My 10-day pre-op diet is as follows:

First 8 days

-EAS Protein shakes 3x day

-sugar-free Jello, pudding, popsicle, and non-carbonated sugar-free drinks

-Pacific Foods organic non-chunky Soup as needed (have had 2 serv./day so far)

-Herbal teas

Last 2 days

-Clear liquids only, H2o, broth, some Crystal Light drinks, herbal tea, and jello (If you can see through it, you can have it.)

My understanding is the pre-op diet shrinks the liver, thereby less chance of damage when they lift and hold it during surgery. I don't mind this pre-op and have not cheated once and do not plan to becuase of this.

The worst part so far was the caffine withdrawls. I think they are gone now. And, I caught myself a little cold. Yesterday I went 1st thing to my PCP for a strep and flu test which were both negative. He put me on antibotics anyway just to be safe. If I don't get rid of the green nose by surgery day, I will have to post-pone it, and that is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! =)

This is a great thread. Do you think people with higher BMI do the pre-op diet? I know mine is 43.