Hi all,

I'm one week from surgery and was not given any strict liquid diet or anything like that to follow. My instructions were not to eat after 7pm the night before.

I've been booked in for a bit over a month for this surgery and since the booking I have been eating like there is no tomorrow. I used to watch my consumption but in the last few weeks I have been going nuts and have put on extra weight!

Just want to know if the lack of pre-op diet is unusual? And if other people have been on a food free for all prior to surgery?

I think I've turned myself of pizza for life!

I did the same thing, up until my preop diet. Not sure what your BMI is, but I would suggest taking this last week to try your hand at low carb. You might even want to low carb slim fast for 2 meals a day and a lean/green for the 3rd.

The preop diet is intended to shrink your liver. Your liver is very slippery and the more overweight you are, the larger your liver. They have to lift it up and out of their way and if you diet for a week, it'll help shrink it up and make for a safer surgery for you. I've even heard of people waking up from surgery to learn that they didn't get their band becaue thier liver was in the way.

I thought I'd never be able to live without pizza. It used to be a Friday night staple and I looked forward to it all week. Surprisingly, I rarely even think about it now.

Best of luck to you and congratulations on the big changes coming in your life.

liond,

I have a bmi of 36 and was not given instructions to go on a pre-op diet initially, so I called my Dr's rooms and asked if I should be on one. They said because my BMI wasn't that high, to not worry about it, but I asked the nurse to check to make sure. She came back and said that it wouldn't hurt to replace 2 of my 3 daily meals with Optifast until I had my pre-op appt on the 23rd. I did in fact start replacing 2 of my meals with Optifast since that phone call last week and have lost 3.5kgs so far.

I suspect that at this rate, I probably won't need to do any more pre-op dieting before my actual surgery (or a minimal amount) but it's good to feel like I'm doing something, like my journey has already started, and to try to get a handle on the 'head hunger' before hand, IYKWIM. Coz if I can make it through the pre-op diet, then I reckon once the band is in, it'll be a breeze.

In the end, I suppose it's up to you. I am still having lunches so am having my 'farewell' tour of my favourite foods too, but after having Optifast most of the time, I find I'm struggling to eat more than a plateful at lunch anyway now.

And remember the band doesn't mean you'll never eat any of your favourite food ever again, it just means you won't eat as much of it.

Hi Liond,

I agree with lellow, just because you have the band does not mean that you have to give up all your favourite food. I know my husband loved pizza etc and he is still able to eat it just as lellow says it is the amount that you eat changes. John used to eat a whole pizza to himself now all he can eat is 3 slices. The only thing so far that he can't eat is bread and that is not a bad thing.

Sam

Thanks for all the replies.

I realise that I will still be able to have most things, just a reduced amount. I guess I'm thinking that I also want to be fairly responsible with my eating habits myself anyway. (hopefully)

As for the pre-op diet, I think it must be because I have a lower BMI. It's just under 40, so that must be it.. I should have asked the surgeon! Mind you after putting on 6kgs in 2 weeks, I think that it may well be above that now. :wub:

I'm just getting excited now. Can't wait to feel like myself again.

Liond:

I was not put on a Pre-op diet prior to my original date, and after reading so much about the possibility of having a liver that was too big, I cancelled my surgery. (My BMI 50.2)

The doctor has now put me on a Pre-op diet, in preparation for another surgery date. I hope it works because I would hate for them to put me under and then decide I was not ready, because of a fatty liver.

Hi Anne,

I think I will start restricting my intake this week. I sure as hell don't want to wake up with the news that they couldn't do the banding because of the size of my liver... I wouldn't be pleased...

It seems like most people get put on pre-op diets.

It cant hurt to take it easy and be kind to your liver, one of the risks is that when they retract the liver, and it is too fatty, you have a much greater chance of getting a tear,in your liver, or a bleed, the more fatty your liver is, the more soft and spongy it is, a healthy liver should be firm and dark in colour. good luck with your journey