I went through all the preop test which I also had to have my gallbladder taken out. I lost the required weight before my surgeon would schedule the test. However, since my insurances took FOREVER for approval, my surgery is not scheduled until Jan 15 2009 due to my work schedule. I have now started eating what I want now "while I can". Does anyone know if that is right? Well, it may not be right but is it wrong???? I called the doctor to ask but they set me up for a dr visit but not until next month. Just curious if anyone is having to wait awhile for their surgery and what you are doing in the meantime!!!!!

My surgeon required me to lose 20lbs because I had laproscopic surgery and he had a BMI limit of 45-50 for it. He also explained that if you do not keep your weight down, your liver will be inflated which is very close to your stomach and it is harder to operate. The more you eat the more your liver becomes imflamed. I had my surgery rescheduled three times for various reasons and so after I lost my 20 lbs I tried to keep it off and then my surgeon asked me to go on a liquid diet again for one week before surgery so my liver would be nice and small. It worked out really well in the end. I know how hard it can be to keep on a low cal diet but maybe you can limit your intake a little bit and then really go full force in losing weight closer to your surgery date.

Helen

My surgeon's program requires its patients to follow the South Beach Diet before surgery and to work with a nutritionist to get it right. They also required a support person to attend the appointments so that we had help at home as well.

My insurance approved me fairly quickly. I actually waited only four months between my orientation and my surgery date. It would have been scheduled a little sooner but I wanted to wait until after my brothers wedding since I didn't know how I would be feeling.

One week prior to surgery I was required to go back on phase 1 of the diet....the most strictest phase so that my liver had some time to shrink. When you eat carbs and sugar your liver helps to digest that and when it does it becomes larger. If my liver was not small enough they would not be able to do the surgery Laproscopically and would have to open me up instead....that scared me enough to follow the diet until the end.

Good luck with your surgery!!!!

Low fat, low calorie the week before and liquids two days before. That's it.

For me its better to try diet first before surgery.Discipline is very important when you are seriously undergo with diet.

Yes, you are referring to "Last Supper Syndrome". That is when you want to indulge or overindulge in all your favorite foods before the pre-op diet kicks in. We get to thinking that we might as well eat this food now because soon we won't be able to. Of course we both know it is not really the right thing to do but I did the same thing and many others have to.

I don't know if not doing that would have made things different for me. I followed my two-week preop diet to a T it was hard especially for the first week but I did it. My surgery went fine, my liver was very pink and normal...I was given pictures from my surgery so I saw it for myself! My weight loss has been steady since surgery.

Keep in mind that you will be able to eat all of these foods again, you just will be satisfied on small servings of it. Try not to overdo it but don't stress out too much.

MY BMI WAS 69 so I was told I had to do the liver cleansing diet of 2 protein drinks a day and a low fat healthy dinner. I was told to do it 4 weeks before surgery. Now I have followed it pretty good except the weekends are hard on me becuase I am not on a schedule like during the week when I am at work . Now I am scheduled for surgery Dec 10, 2008 and I am back on my post op diet again. I am hoping that my flop on Thanksgiving is not going to effect my surgery. I think my liver will be fine if I stick to this "diet" until the surgery? Do you think so?

My doc had me lose approx 20 lbs prior, for all the reasons mentioned by others above. I didnt have to do the 2 week liquid diet before surgery just had to have clears the day before.The biggest scare for me was the fact that your liver holds on to fat and if it is enlarged pre op it can get in the way of the doctor banding you. :cursing:

To eat out of control until January would for me, make it even harder to get on track and follow the regimen post op. I followed weight watchers, and got into an excercise program 3x a week and actually ended up dropping the entire 20 lbs which surprised the heck out of me. I also felt great going into surgery and now 1 week after having the band placed, I am looking foreward to getting back to the gym & feeling better.:wub:

You should see a nutritionist as sson as possible and remember, it's not like you can never eat again as long as you live, the band is a tool to help you lose weight not a cure all.:thumbup:

Just be careful with what you eat and make sure you get back on track before surgery. I went into surgery after a two-week pre-op diet (I didn't really do too well on it :cursing:) and my liver was too big for my doctor to properly place the band, so they closed me back up and made me go home and do a 6-week low-carb diet to shrink my liver and then I had to have a second surgery to actually get the band in.

It's super-hard to stick to something like this, but just try to remember that this little bit of "suffering" now is going to help make it possible for you to get through the rest of your life in good shape and (hopefully!) happiness.