I am having my surgery on 4/3/09. I am on a protein rich diet for two weeks and am having a hard time sticking to it! Do you think this is an indication as to how successfull i will (or will not) be with the surgery? Opinions please.

My personal opinion? Yes. I think if you can't stick to a plan for a very short time then it will be more difficult for you to adjust to living with a band. Notice I didn't say you'd fail. It will just be more difficult. Good luck, and try to stick to the plan. It is for your safety, after all.

I cheated on my first diet and lost 15 pounds anyway but didn't get the band. I learned to follow the rules REALLY WELL from that. So maybe, maybe not. Get with the program. Think of how horrid you'd feel if you "came to" in recovery and were told "You didn't get the band, dear, your liver was too thick". It is horrid. It is not worth it to "cheat". When they say cheating only hurts you, well, they are 100% right.

And realize that almost NO ONE thrives on those austere diets. If we could go without food easily we probably wouldn't be here. So no one "breezes through" and loves those shakes etc. But the successful ones can suck it up and stick to it for a while, because we have to! You aren't alone, but you can do this!

Monkey, when you use the word "austere", you make the rest of us look bad.

And now back to the regularly scheduled thread.....

I am having my surgery on 4/3/09. I am on a Protein rich diet for two weeks and am having a hard time sticking to it! Do you think this is an indication as to how successfull i will (or will not) be with the surgery? Opinions please.

You really do need to stick to the pre-op diet they put you on the diet for a good reason, and when the day of your surgery arrives they will be able to tell if you did stick to your diet. I work in surgery with a doctor who does do the lap band in fact he did my band, and if he was your doctor and he got in there and seen you hadn't followed your diet because your liver hadn't shrunk enough for them to put the band on he wouldn't do it he would say the liver is to large among other things, it wouldn't be a friendly wake-up in recovery. If you really want to change your life for the better go back on the diet and stick to it, and don't cheat on it. If you can't stick to this pre-op diet you are going to have a very difficult time sticking to your post-op diet and if you don't stick to the post op diet you are going to cause more harm than good. you are put on the post-op diet to give your band time to settle into place, if you eat things your not suppose to eat you can cause band slippage, cause your pouch to stretch or worse, trust me you do not want to have surgery again to correct what you have done, if the doctor will correct it, i've seen them just take the Fluid out of the band to let the band re-adjust and not put anymore fluid into it because people didn't follow the post-op diet and alot of times they won't give you a fill which gives you restriction and helps you to lose the weight until you can prove to them you are going to follow your diet. But while there is still time you need to follow what you are told if you do want to succeed with the surgery. the choice is yours and I do wish you all the luck! I have been banded for almost a year now and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world, it is well worth giving up foods your not suppose to eat and never drinking pop again even diet pop was worth giving up!!!!! Good Luck!

I'm on day 2 of my liquid diet. Yesterday wasn't too bad... the shakes the doctor has me using are really good. I drink 5 a day, so I didn't get very hungry. By last night, I was feeling kinda weak and tired. But this is so very do-able and so worth it. We will get through this time and it will make the post-op diet easier to follow too. I've read a lot of posts that say after days 3-5, the hunger leaves. I'm not there yet, but I hope this is true!!! If not, I'll keep on going and drinking those shakes....got 14 days to go till surgery, April 8th!

Geez, my surgeon must be a real hard ass compared to some of the requirements I am hearing from others. Before my surgeon will even consider doing the surgery I have to have been smoke free for 3 months, given up caffeine, given up soda, given up fruit juice, and have lost 10 % of my body weight. This is in addition to the usual, psych eval, ekg, etc.... I have been doing a high protein diet for the last 3 days and I guess, from what I understand, I should be on a high protein diet for the rest of my life. The folks that I talked to at the Bariatric center have explained that patients have to show that they are capable of making the behavioral changes required before getting the bariatric teams approval for surgery. Once they approve, then and only then will they submit to your insurance company. It is a challenge, but I think the expectations are perfectly reasonable and are designed with the patients best interest at heart.

I am having my surgery on 4/3/09. I am on a Protein rich diet for two weeks and am having a hard time sticking to it! Do you think this is an indication as to how successfull i will (or will not) be with the surgery? Opinions please.

Hanna Just remember why you started this process. I did it for me and I am not going to fail me. I keep thinking that I cheated and gave up on diets obviously or I would not be here right?? I am 37 and I want my life back for me.. If you can get through the first five days it is a bit easier. I was really tempted the other day and so I took a nap, it worked. just remember to sip your shakes and change up flavors. On day 3 I wanted something sweet so bad I stopped at the liquor store for some juice, I figured a martinellis apple juice would do it, but I found a muscle milk light in banana and OMG was it a saving grace. So yummy after 3 days of so-so shakes. anyhow just hang in there and remember why you are doing this.

hi hanna,

my doctor didnt have a restrictive pre-diet. his feeling was...."if you could stay on a pre-op diet....why would you need a lapband???" this made total sense to me.

i couldnt stay on one....hence my need to get a band.

dont analyze too much before surgery. i did this and drove myself crazy.

after getting the band you will have to make your mind up on the types of food you will eat (healthy vs unhealthy) or exercise amounts. but the band helps alot.

before banding i was NEVER full. i always thought about food.

after banding i would get full faster. i actually stopped thinking about food 24/7

journalling my food was key for me...as was setting up weekly exercise plan.

i got alot of strength from reading about people on LBT that were successful and tried to follow their suggestions.

good luck and keep us posted on your progress

Edited March 24, 200917 yr by josiebies

I am on day one and so far I am kind of having a headache. I just take it one day at a time. It is hard but I heard after the 4th day it should get easier.

The headache part, does it cause from withdrawal from sugar?

BTW, Ideere2005, what Protein Drink that your doctor put you on? I am on Law Carb Slim Fast twice a day plus 1 lean cuisin. A week before surgery though is 4 shakes a day and a day before is only pure liquid. My band date is one day before you :-)

Good luck,

Alisa

I am on day one and so far I am kind of having a headache. I just take it one day at a time. It is hard but I heard after the 4th day it should get easier.

The headache part, does it cause from withdrawal from sugar?

BTW, Ideere2005, what Protein drink that your doctor put you on? I am on Law Carb Slim Fast twice a day plus 1 lean cuisin. A week before surgery though is 4 shakes a day and a day before is only pure liquid. My band date is one day before you :-)

Good luck,

Alisa

Yes the headache is from the carb/sugar withdraw most likely, it does get better I am on day 7.

I am having my surgery on 4/3/09. I am on a Protein rich diet for two weeks and am having a hard time sticking to it! Do you think this is an indication as to how successfull i will (or will not) be with the surgery? Opinions please.

It depends. I had an extremely hard time with the pre-op diet. I was starving, moody, had headaches and even cried a couple times. But I did stick with it and I consider myself to be a success with the band. It is okay to be having a hard time at it...it is NOT okay to give in.

i've just read through the comments and the one that stands out the most is from Josiebies where she and her doctor think if she could follow a 14 day all liquid diet why can't she sustain weight loss? i asked this question in a seminar, because it is a good question. the dr said "I couldn't have paid you to come here and ask that."

the answer is.........(drumroll)

we can't sustain this kind of astonishing willpower. we can lose weight. we've all done it. none of us has been able to keep it off. and that's the reason for the band.

now onto your question - if you can't finde enough will power to do the liquid pre op could you do the diet?

honestly, it's not a good sign. i think will power comes from determination motivation and desire to succeed. it's hard to sustain. but we all have it in us. i can't believe i've gone 12 days without a single bit of food. and i'm ok. sure i'm hungry now and then and i feel weird and i was light headed the other day. the caffeine and sugar withdrawal headaches are rough but part of the detox process. i think of this as a cleansing proceess. and my clean slate. the reintroduction to food will be gradual and i also think this will be helpful for me to start over with food. a new beginning. so, take on this challenge and accomplish this goal and take this time to get in the right mindset to do this and do this right. you've come this far. i'm sure you're willing to go a bit farther.

i remember a 12 year old girl at a weight loss center who wouldn't cheat no matter what. if she could be that determined, so can us all.

keep reading and try to get into the mindset and good luck.

i think will power comes from determination motivation and desire to succeed. it's hard to sustain. but we all have it in us. i can't believe i've gone 12 days without a single bit of food. and i'm ok. sure i'm hungry now and then and i feel weird and i was light headed the other day. the caffeine and sugar withdrawal headaches are rough but part of the detox process. i think of this as a cleansing proceess. and my clean slate. the reintroduction to food will be gradual and i also think this will be helpful for me to start over with food. a new beginning. so, take on this challenge and accomplish this goal and take this time to get in the right mindset to do this and do this right. you've come this far. i'm sure you're willing to go a bit farther.

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I just love how you put this!

The other plus to losing some weight pre-band is that you have less to lose once you get the band.