:confused:Hi all, does anyone know for sure how long do I have to go hungary before having the lap band surgery. I hear too many conflicting stories, I want the truth, how many days before the surgery do you have to stop eating? I keep putting off having the lap band done, due to the fact of being scared of dying from hunger prior to surgery. Please help!!!?

Thank you so much!

I kid you not, I met a woman at my last fill appointment who had been on the Optifast diet for 15 months.

She was on the public list, which in Australia means youc an get called anytime. The operation wont cost you anything, but you can wait for years. So she had to start Optifast and do it until she was called. She was cancelled about four times, and in the end lost 60kg (well over 130lb). She was about 450lb to start.

When she finally got banded, she promptly got a port infection and was 4 months into her banded life with NO fill. She'd regained 35kg in that 4 months.

So, lol, you can do that liquid diet for an awful long time and not die from it. It only feels that way. Its generally 2 weeks.

My DH failed miserably at it, as did I 3 years earlier. Doc gave him a knuckle rapping but said its less than 1% of patients who actually have livers too big to allow the surgery to go ahead anyway.

dont be too afraid. Do your very very best, it'll be had but its only a few weeks out of your life, for a very good cause.

I want the truth, how many days before the surgery do you have to stop eating?

The truth is that many docs have different feelings on this subject. Like Jacqi mentioned, the most common length is 2 weeks. I've talked to some who had a longer diet, and I've talked to some that just had to be NPO before midnight prior to surgery.

The truth is that only the surgeon can tell you with any certainty how long his preop diet is, if he even has one.

PS- I can't recall anybody dying from the preop diet.....they only wanted to, LOL

Hi, I was dreading it also but now I'm in the middle of my two week pre-op diet. I'm doing well. I have Protein and free veg meals at Breakfast, lunch and dinner and modifast vanilla (only allowed vanilla) for morning tea and afternoon tea.

Because I am a picky eater I am becoming bored with the same thing but if you eat lots of variety you'll be fine.

I haven't been hungry yet and the weight is falling off me although probably only fluid!!

Being banded 3rd February.

My doctor did not have his patients do a pre-op diet:lol: Only nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before surgery. Just call the office and ask, so you can go ahead and get your date.

Like a lot of people said, it varies from a few days, two weeks, to none at all on a pre-op diet. Now this is seperate than the 6 month diet and exercise that some insurance companies make you do to prove you can eat right and lose some weight. The 6 month diet IMO is a great tool to prep you for the band. No time better than to start eating right like a banded person and kick some old habits. I look at it this way, you may have a hard time with the reduction in food pre and post band, but think of the overall benefits in the long run.

I think two weeks is the most common. The pre-op and post-op diets are important for success. There are people who cheat themselves by not following the diet . . . but I am not sure if they find eventual success by being non-compliant in the early days. You will probably be hungry during this time but usually it is not too bad or too long. You can definitely succeed if you are committed.

However, if you are putting off banding due to fear of being hungry, are you sure you are really ready for banding? This might just be a sign that you are not ready and need a little more time to get in the right frame of mind.

:confused:Hi all, does anyone know for sure how long do I have to go hungary before having the lap band surgery. I hear too many conflicting stories, I want the truth, how many days before the surgery do you have to stop eating? I keep putting off having the lap band done, due to the fact of being scared of dying from hunger prior to surgery. Please help!!!?

Thank you so much!

It really depends upon what your doctor recommends for you. Each doctor is different and each patient is so different. My doctor might tell me one thing and your doctor might tell you something else. As for me, my doctor had me do a 2-week pre-op diet.

I'm on my pre-op right now and I will tell you it's not ideal, my idea of a great food day isn't 4 carnation instant breakfasts, an apple, some grapes and 4 oz. of chicken for dinner, but I will tell you, I'm not starving, I don't feel hunger pains, and my bmi is around 47, so I'm definitely accustomed to a lot of food.