Hey guys, my surgery is scheduled for March the 2nd, and I've been low carbing it since last Monday.

My dr said to just do strick to low carb (low fat) and drink a shake for a meal or two if I can.

My concern is that although I am doing a very strick low carb diet, I am not watching the fats. (i love beef ..oh and cheese)

Is this going to be a major factor in my liver not shrinking?

This coming week do you suggest that I do liquid diet only instead of what I have been doing?

I would hate to get all the way into the operating room only to wake up without a band.

thanks in advance for all help!

Dina

Are you losing weight with what you are doing? If not, you may want to switch to just drinking your protein shakes for at least a week before you surgery. If you are losing weight then you should be fine.

I'm afraid you may be harming yourself. I did a low carb-ish diet preop...not the one my doc prescribed. I was an atkins pro and so did my own thing for 3 weeks, lost 15 pounds and (drumroll please) did NOT get the band. Came to in recovery to be told by the nice recovery nurse "You don't have the band, dear; your liver was still too large". That was vile. I did my doc's diet, lost 17 more pounds (in 2 1/2 weeks) and GOT the band.

Low fat is vital...because the point is to make your body pull fat from your liver. If you eat too much fat, that doesn't happen. Low cal doesn't do it, low carb doesn't...it's the unique combo of low carb (no quick easy energy for the body) and low fat (no handy fat to store) that does the trick.

I'd get on his program ASAP and let him know how long you did eat too much fat and make the call. It may delay your surgery a little...(or not) but trust me; that's better than going through it and NOT getting banded, then having to go through it all AGAIN in just a few weeks.

It also might depend what your starting weight is and how much you have to lose. I'm in the 275 and I only have to lose 13lbs before surgery. For me they did not specify how, just the amount. I'd ask your doc tomorrow. Good Luck.

I think they can get a sense of your liver size from all the preop tests...for example my surgeon has different preop diets (and he has some diet longer than others) so you can't just go on starting weight (although mine was very high). If he hadn't been worried about your liver, he probably wouldn't have given you a specific diet but, like spud.mama, just told you to lose.

I just honestly don't wish what I went through on anyone. I read on here about so many people who "cheated" and were banded I figured that would be me, too, and it wasn't. Trust me, nothing I ate in that preop phase was worth that feeling in recovery. Nothing.

So call your doc (that's our concensus I think! ) and do whatever s/he says!

Good luck; I'll cross my fingers that you are in great shape! You probably are; what happened to me is rare. But if you're that "lucky" one in a thousand, it really sucks.

My doctor at UCSD ordered a 2-week liquid diet before surgery. I was lucky enough to be part of a study so had a liver MRI just before I started and one the day before surgery. I have to admit to 2 or 3 bites of "real food" but otherwise it was liquids the whole 2 weeks - popsicles, protein shakes, etc. My liver fat went from close to 5% to less than 2% during that time (or so I was told).

Ok well i guess i'll start the liquid diet and call the dr to see what he'll say about my diet last week.

origianlly i was going for gastric bypass, and the dr wanted me to lose 50 lbs. and i tried honestly i did....but after 3 days...i was not good for anything. so i saw the dr and told him. he said to try my best to drink one meal and low carb and low fat the rest of my meals.

a week after i saw him i got my approval letter for the bypass, and i freaked out. then the nurse called and asked if i had anticiapated a date for the surgery....instead.... i scheduled another visit with the dr and switched over to the lapband quick.

At that point he told me to keep doing what i was doing...but to try and lose as much weight as i could.

SOOOooooooo... i think i should suck it up and do the liquid diet this week untill my surgery.

but i'll call just to check about last week with him.

thanks for all the advice....believe me....it is much appreciated!

Hello everyone! This is my first post and I am scheduled to be banded on Friday, February 27, 2009 which is only 5 days away and I find myself very worried about this liver shrinking thing. The day I went in for my patient education and to see all the different resource people in the office, the nutrionist was out that day. She said that we would get in touch by email to discuss everything, but I don't really remember talking to her. Then Friday Feb. 13th, I had my last day of patient education, and they barely touched on the subject. They just mentioned that we should be trying to shrink the liver, and that there was more information in the big book they gave us. Honestly, this is all it said...that I should be on a diet which is a combination of the Atkins and South Beach Diet...to think meats, cheese, salad, some vegetables, etc. and that for more information to go online. Although I've done pretty well on the low-carb end of the deal, I think I have been eating too much fat, and I didn't know not to, because I have been on Atkins before, and read the book, and it doesn't exactly stress low fat. I called the nutrionist last week because I was worried that I am not doing a very good job, and she just said for me to get the lean cuisine meals. Now I am really worried that I won't get my band this next Friday, because I know I have not done this right. I don't know what to do. I think I will just go on all protein shakes for the next 5 days. Anyone think that will help??

Hello everyone! This is my first post and I am scheduled to be banded on Friday, February 27, 2009 which is only 5 days away and I find myself very worried about this liver shrinking thing. The day I went in for my patient education and to see all the different resource people in the office, the nutrionist was out that day. She said that we would get in touch by email to discuss everything, but I don't really remember talking to her. Then Friday Feb. 13th, I had my last day of patient education, and they barely touched on the subject. They just mentioned that we should be trying to shrink the liver, and that there was more information in the big book they gave us. Honestly, this is all it said...that I should be on a diet which is a combination of the Atkins and South Beach Diet...to think meats, cheese, salad, some vegetables, etc. and that for more information to go online. Although I've done pretty well on the low-carb end of the deal, I think I have been eating too much fat, and I didn't know not to, because I have been on Atkins before, and read the book, and it doesn't exactly stress low fat. I called the nutrionist last week because I was worried that I am not doing a very good job, and she just said for me to get the lean cuisine meals. Now I am really worried that I won't get my band this next Friday, because I know I have not done this right. I don't know what to do. I think I will just go on all Protein shakes for the next 5 days. Anyone think that will help??

Honestly, I don't think you have to do liquids for 5 days, unless it will make you feel better. My doc (not nutritionist, but the doc) gave me a very specific diet to follow and I didn't. I did atkins instead of what he told me to do. Different people have different blood values and so on...and require different preop diets. I think the odds are if it was important for you, they'd have made sure you were told.

My surgeon said in all his 1000 ++ patients I was the first that couldn't be banded laparoscopically because of my liver. (and understand he could've "opened me up" but decided not to, thank God) So it is RARE, and it DID happen to me, but I think if you are worried to call them tomorrow and just ask. If you are one of the "iffy" ones, they'll just delay your surgery a little so you can diet. If they say don't worry about it, DONT. OK? :hurray: Good luck!

OMGOSH!!! restlessmonkey!!!!

I just noticed that you are in San Antonio too!

and if i'm not mistaked your dr was my friends lapband dr!!

Tex Mexie I LOVE Dr. Cavazos! Does your friend like him? Good luck, by the way!

My friend does like him.

thanks for the good luck wishes! i wil need it! lol