It didn't seem to go so well.

Good GOD, I was hungry. I started off with a big honkin' mug of tea (2c. worth), thinking that would at least stave off any hunger for a while. I then moved onto my first of three permitted Optifast chocolate shakes. I was satiated for only about two and a half hours before getting really hungry again. Unfortunately, I was out running errands and didn't have my lunch shake with me, so I figured Water would have to do the trick. I drank about a half liter (didn't help that I had to do some food shopping for the kids.

).

I got home, had a big mug of chicken broth (2c.), waited an hour, then had the second shake and took a nap. I went to the bariatric surgeon's support meeting (it just happened to be tonight), where I drank another 1-1/2 liters of water before finally giving into my 3rd shake.

At this point, it was only about 7pm. I started driving home around 8:30 and was still utterly starving and was getting the nauseous shakes. I had a Muscle Milk Light shake with me (I showed it to the Dr. to compare to Optifast and he OK'd it as an alternative). I decided to bite the bullet and just drink the damn thing... *sigh*

Once I got home, I put the kids to bed, took a shower, was STILL hungry, and gave up and had three slices of lunchmeat turkey (they told me I could have lean meat if I couldn't take it anymore). I then threw in a 1/2 liter of Crystal Light Iced Tea for good measure. Oh, and to be completely honest, I had a strawberry and a half while making the kids' lunches for tomorrow.:wub:

So much for sticking to the program. I really feel like a failure, and it's only day one.

My main concern, though, is that the Optifast shakes only have 14g of Protein to them. So, ostensibly, if you're having three a day (as the doctor has instructed me), that's only 42g of protein a DAY. That's pretty freaking low for two weeks, no? I'm really worried that my hair is going to fall out. (I started taking Biotin tonight, btw.)

To top it all off, I'm having some major gastric upset. Complete auto-eject with some extraordinarily loud and angry noises coming from my stomach. What's up with that?! I finally had to take some prescription Lomotil because I was afraid to leave the house otherwise. I have classes tomorrow till 3pm, there's no way I can do this and sit through lectures if I have to keep running to the bathroom.:eek:

-m

Dancing Lamb,

I am Laura. I see that you are on liquids, and you are hungry. We can't have that, so I want to offer a recipe that my husband made for me during my pre-op and post-op liquid weeks. It is pumpkin Soup, but you can substitute butternut squash if you don't like pumpkin. Now don't think pumpkin pie, this is a savory soup with an excellent flavor that will not remind you of pie. The greatest thing about it is that it is full of Fiber so it really fills you up.

Pre-op, I could eat a bowl and it would last me about 2-3 hours. Post-op, I could eat 6-8 tablespoons and I was full for 3-4 hours. it really is very tasty and very filling. I don't know what I would have done without it!

Also, check with your doc about having Protein shakes. I use American whey (my doc sold it in is office), it is lactose free so it cuts down on the gas and it is sugar free and has no artificial sweeteners. Each scoop has 20+g of protein and I use two scoops in each shake. I started them when I was pre-op and I still drink them now (2 a day because I work out so much), so I get 80g of protein every day no matter what else I eat or don't eat. I just had my blood work done and everything was perfect, especially my protein. I put two scoops of vanilla Protein powder, then two teaspoons of Hershey's Cocoa, then four ice cubes, and then the banana. I fill the mixing cup (Hamilton Beach personal blender holds one serving) the rest of the way with 1/2 Water and 1/2 milk (I just started the milk thing to get more natural Calcium in). Blend and drink, it tastes like a chocolate milk shake from Friendly's! So good, and there is no reason that you can't have that right now as there is no solid food to digest, it is all liquefied. The purpose of the liquid diet is to shrink your liver to avoid damage during surgery, and every doc that I know of says that if you can get it through a straw, you can have it.

The first days are tough, but I cannot believe that they expect you to live on three little Optifast shakes per day alone. I was allowed to have Soups and shakes etc., as long as they passed the straw test. I would ask for clarification from the doc. Soups and shakes are a lot more effective at shrinking the liver than lean meats. Anyway, this soup is awesome. If you are allowed, I hope you will try it.

Remember the goal and keep your eye on the prize! You can do this!

Laura

Pumpkin Soup

1 Large Can of Whole Pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin Pie Mix)*

1 Cup of chicken Stock

2 Cups of Fat Free Milk or Fat-Free, Lactose-Free Milk

2 Tbsp Sugar or 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup

6 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

6 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

3 Tbsp Mild Curry (Optional)

Salt

Pepper

In a large pot, stir the pumpkin, milk, and chicken stock while heating on low. Add the sugar or syrup and stir. If you like curry, add the curry and stir. Tie the fresh rosemary and thyme together with a string and place it in the mixture. Cover the pot and simmer slowly for an hour. Afterward, add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the rosemary and thyme or store the pot in the refrigerator with the herbs still in the pot. The soup will be even better the next day infused with the herbs.

* You can substitute a large baked Butternut Squash for the pumpkin if you prefer. Just cut a large squash in half length-wise. Place face-down on a cookie sheet and bake at 350˚ until soft, about 30-45 min. Scoop out the squash and substitute for the pumpkin.

Hang in there. I cheated here and there during my pre-op diet and did end up losing 13 lbs before surgery. What I did was sub 1 of the 4 medifast shakes ( personally I liked the medifast) for a 12 oz nonfat sugar free latte, and I actually froze the shakes- (some of them say DONT FREEZE!) but I did anyways and when they came out it was like icecream and more satisfying. Sometimes Id have a lipton 90 cal tomato instant soup- and drank LOTS of crystal light. You just gotta tell yourself you are worth it and sooner than you think itll be over. Youre doing it to help minimize surgery risks, and getting a jump start. I felt lost, angry, cranky, and soooo hungry the first couple days. Then I got into the swing of things and kept my cal intake around 800-1000 a day and the lbs started to come off. I did bitch a lot to my fam and coworkers lol and they did a good job of placating me. Even the good people of LBT were so supportive. You can do it! And PS- I did have to pee a lot more lol but told my boss to back off nicely when she hinted that my butt needed to be in my cubby hole a little more.

Yeah, I'm having a rough time with the liquid diet too. I'm dizzy and lightheaded and really hungry. I gave in and had an egg this morning, and just having that little bit of food in my stomach really helped. But I'm trying to just stick with the liquids. I'm retaining Water like crazy, probably due to taking in more sodium than I'm used to. But I have lost 6 pounds since Friday, and have been able to cut my insulin back to 1/3 of what I usually take.

Only 3 more days of this...

Protein protein protein! That is the secret to staving off hunger. I am 5'1 and need 70-75 grams of protein per day, I do protein first before anything else.

Tea is actually a matabolism booster! and if it's not decaf it will count against your liquids, so you have to drink enough Water to cover it in addition to your 64 oz. If you are still having problems, add protein to your water, or get the special k protein water.

Well, today I decided to switch it up and do the Muscle Milk shakes instead of the Optifast ones since they have 20g of Protein (Optifast has 14g). It really seemed to help a bit.

I did a shake at 10:30, followed by a 1/2 liter of Crystal Lite. Then another Crystal Lite at 11:30, a second shake a 1pm with about 1/4 liter of Water, then 1/2 liter of Crystal Lite at 3:30 with 8 quarter-sized sesame crackers.

I started to get the nausea thing again, so I had 1tbs. of chicken mixed with yogurt and celery (kind of a chicken salad), and another 1-1/2 liter of Crystal Lite. I feel like my teeth are floating.

The Muscle Milk is definitely making a difference, as is the incredibly disturbing quantity of water/Crystal Light. I am going to do an Optifast for dinner since, well, I have a freakish quantity of it and I can't return it.:drool:

I really thought I would've been able to stick it out and do the diet as instructed, but the low protein is just killing me. Has anybody tried adding unflavoured protein to the Optifast shakes? I'm thinking about swinging by GNC tomorrow to see about picking up some Isopure. Maybe that would do the trick?

One other thing, I've absolutely noticed a direct correlation between my stomach not being upset and not drinking the Optifast. :frown:

I did buy some cucumbers and celery in case I really feel like I need to chew something, but will try and hold off as long as I can. I also think that being out of the house today and in school certainly helped.

Gonna be home tomorrow, though. Waiting for the Sears guy to come fix the washing machine, so I'll be kind of hostage till he shows up. I will *not* be a happy camper. *sigh*

-m

Dancing Lamb,

I am Laura. I see that you are on liquids, and you are hungry. We can't have that, so I want to offer a recipe that my husband made for me during my pre-op and post-op liquid weeks. It is pumpkin soup, but you can substitute butternut squash if you don't like pumpkin. Now don't think pumpkin pie, this is a savory soup with an excellent flavor that will not remind you of pie. The greatest thing about it is that it is full of fiber so it really fills you up.

Pre-op, I could eat a bowl and it would last me about 2-3 hours. Post-op, I could eat 6-8 tablespoons and I was full for 3-4 hours. it really is very tasty and very filling. I don't know what I would have done without it!

Also, check with your doc about having Protein shakes. I use American Whey (my doc sold it in is office), it is lactose free so it cuts down on the gas and it is sugar free and has no artificial sweeteners. Each scoop has 20+g of protein and I use two scoops in each shake. I started them when I was pre-op and I still drink them now (2 a day because I work out so much), so I get 80g of protein every day no matter what else I eat or don't eat. I just had my blood work done and everything was perfect, especially my protein. I put two scoops of vanilla protein powder, then two teaspoons of Hershey's Cocoa, then four ice cubes, and then the banana. I fill the mixing cup (Hamilton Beach personal blender holds one serving) the rest of the way with 1/2 Water and 1/2 milk (I just started the milk thing to get more natural calcium in). Blend and drink, it tastes like a chocolate milk shake from Friendly's! So good, and there is no reason that you can't have that right now as there is no solid food to digest, it is all liquefied. The purpose of the liquid diet is to shrink your liver to avoid damage during surgery, and every doc that I know of says that if you can get it through a straw, you can have it.

The first days are tough, but I cannot believe that they expect you to live on three little Optifast shakes per day alone. I was allowed to have soups and shakes etc., as long as they passed the straw test. I would ask for clarification from the doc. Soups and shakes are a lot more effective at shrinking the liver than lean meats. Anyway, this soup is awesome. If you are allowed, I hope you will try it.

Remember the goal and keep your eye on the prize! You can do this!

Laura

Pumpkin Soup

1 Large Can of Whole Pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin Pie Mix)*

1 Cup of chicken Stock

2 Cups of Fat Free Milk or Fat-Free, Lactose-Free Milk

2 Tbsp Sugar or 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup

6 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

6 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

3 Tbsp Mild Curry (Optional)

Salt

Pepper

In a large pot, stir the pumpkin, milk, and chicken stock while heating on low. Add the sugar or syrup and stir. If you like curry, add the curry and stir. Tie the fresh rosemary and thyme together with a string and place it in the mixture. Cover the pot and simmer slowly for an hour. Afterward, add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the rosemary and thyme or store the pot in the refrigerator with the herbs still in the pot. The soup will be even better the next day infused with the herbs.

* You can substitute a large baked Butternut Squash for the pumpkin if you prefer. Just cut a large squash in half length-wise. Place face-down on a cookie sheet and bake at 350˚ until soft, about 30-45 min. Scoop out the squash and substitute for the pumpkin.

Laura, I have a very similar recipe for Butternut squash, pumpkin and carrot soup that absolutely rocks. I'm planning on using it post op. I don't think that I can use this now pre-op. It's too far off the path from the clears/protein only from what the surgeon has asked me to do.

Thanks for the recipe, though! :frown:

-m

Hey

This is the end of day 2 on liquids. It's really not bad that bad, I was expecting the worst. I have to have at least 80mg Protein each day and less than 50 calories. Suprisingly, I haven't been as hungry. My surgery date is April 16th. Stay encouraged and good luck!

You hang in there! You are NOT a failure, you are human! Just keep trying, you'll be fine...

This is a rugh period but it will get easier. Another drink I found was Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein drinks. 10g of protein per 8 oz serving. The flavors are mocha latte, vanilla chai and another coffee flavor. They are about 150 calories. Good luck!

Today was Day 5. I'm down 6lbs (woo hoo!), and am nowhere near as hungry as I was in the beginning. Honestly, those first two days really were the worst. It was like some sick game show.:thumbup:

I have it down pat to three Optifast shakes, about 2.5 oz of turkey, one slice of low-fat/low carb muenster cheese and a freakish quantity of Crystal Lite iced tea (40-80oz depending on how often I feel like peeing:thumbdown:).

Today I threw in some sesame rice crackers and some Swanson's chicken broth because I think I feel a potential cold coming on and I really suspect it's directly related to the huge drop in food intake.

The Bolthouse stuff sounds good, but I'm only allowed Clear liquids other than the shakes. *sigh*

Almost there, almost there, almost there, almost there.........

-m

ETA - I do have to tell ya, I was SOOOO proud of myself today. We were in Target and my 5yo wanted one of those big honkin' hot pretzels. I didn't have even one nibble. Do you know what kind of restraint that took?! I SWEAR. I heard it calling me. Really.

Marisa - You are doing wonderfully!! I am on day one of liquids and wow, I had no idea what REAL hunger was! After church we all went to my parents house. I sat at the table with my entire family drinking chicken broth. They had egg bake, toast and fresh strawberries. I was fairly impressed with myself, I even cut up some strawberries for my 17 month old. I can't wait to be past these first couple of days.

Marisa - You are doing wonderfully!! I am on day one of liquids and wow, I had no idea what REAL hunger was! After church we all went to my parents house. I sat at the table with my entire family drinking chicken broth. They had egg bake, toast and fresh strawberries. I was fairly impressed with myself, I even cut up some strawberries for my 17 month old. I can't wait to be past these first couple of days.

Yes, I really feel it's hardest when I'm around my kids' food. My biggest downfall has always been picking off their plates. But I found out the other day that strawberries are actually pretty low in calories (28kcal/cup, have no carbs *and* have Protein value (2g) to them. So, maybe they aren't so evil after all!:smile2:

-m