I really just need to rant about this to people who understand. sorry for the long post....I'm having surgery May 22nd and my doctor (kane center, ouside chicago) has me on a 2 week pre-op liquid diet. I've been reading other posts on here and other programs and doctors around the country don't require 2 weeks of liquid diet before. I've heard of people only doing a liquid diet for 24hrs before surgery! So why is there such a difference between doctors? It seems cruel and unnecessary. And the shakes are disgusting, I can't even finish them. I starved the first day and choked down maybe 3 shakes. The 2nd day I couldnt stand to drink any shakes at all and i caved and ate a pretzel. Now its the third day and im so upset and hungry I ate a full breakfast and a bag of cheetos! Now i feel weak and guilty for not even lasting more than a day on this liquid diet. :tt2:

Hi there. My Doctor doesn't require any pre-op liquid diets. He said if I would like to do one I can, but he doesn't ask his patients to. He's done thousands of surgeries and I really trust him, I was actually referred to him by a friend who had it done there. I would say that it's really up to the Dr. Sorry I couldn't be more help. Maybe instead of eating a pretzel or cheetos go for soups or yogurts. I would say stay in the area of liquids if you absolutely can't stand the hunger. But the band is about to change your life, why not start two weeks early and get healthy?

I was required to do a 4 day Liquid diet before surgery...It was hard but I did find a Protien shake that tastes just like chocolate milk, its called Muscle Milk...Its what I still drink after surgery, its really good and they have more flavors other thank chocolate. I hope all goes well for you, and I hope this helps!

I'm due to start mine saturday. I had already started it when I got the phone call that my date was rescheduled (from 5/7 to 5/21) It also bought me time to properly stock up on liquids and babyfoods for post op, and I strated gradually working my way down to liquids, figured instead of jumping head first into it. SO now, 3 days doing that, I'm down to basically 1 solid meal a day (dinner) and it's working. so by saturday I should be down to 2 liquid meals and a semi-solid dinner. My neutritionist said it's easier that way because you don't starve.

I don't really see the point of them either. My surgeon told me it was so that you liver is nice and soft (they have to flip it over to get past and put the band in).....I tried to stick to the 2 week pre-op diet as best as I could...but I did weaken a few times. I just tried to make up for it by doing well the next day. Didn't help that I had my b'day 2 days before surgery - had chinese that night lol

I had to do one and it SUCKED. See my blog for ref, but I totally feel your pain. You've got to try your best, and if you're gonna cheat, don't cheat with carbs, cheat with protein. I had soft-boiled eggs sometimes. The reason is if you limit your carbs then you'll go into ketosis, and once you're in ketosis, which takes 3 or 4 days of lowww carbs you stop really feeling hunger, which makes the diet WAY easier.

The point of the preop diet is to shrink your liver, if your liver is fatty they can go in and say "No we can't do it, there's too much risk" and if your liver is fatty then theres a risk of it bleeding when they move it to get to your stomach which means longer recovery and possibly a blood transfusion - Preop diets are definitely worth it, at least you only have to do yours for 2 weeks, I was screwed around and was on mine for over a month, then I got a call and had to do the 2 weeks again but actually only did 8 days and when I came out from surgery they said my liver was a little fatty. Yes they totally suck, yes it sucks that some surgeons don't have a diet like that but if my doctor hadn't required me to do a 2 week diet before hand I would have been worried. If you can't follow it though only have protein foods like Ange said, I had maybe 2 boiled eggs and it definitely helped. The shakes aren't easy to stomach at all - First one I ever had I projectile vomitted over the kitchen sink lol, since then I just learnt to plug my nose, thankfully you can have low kj drinks - I had about 2 1.25 litre bottles of pepsi max on my preop and it really helped.

Edited May 19, 200917 yr by Sarah.R

Campbell's Healthy selects soup SUCKS, Even strained, you might as well have eaten a liquified tin can.

p.s- I'm starving! but 2 more days to go!

I am really worried about the liquid diet....I have to do mine for 2 weeks also....it is going to be really really hard.

My doc mentioned starting on a liquid diet too. Yuk! i have been "practicing" techniques on how to get them down. I go see him on june 4th. I am hoping he forgets lol.... The diet will be for two weeks, and i was also told it was to shrink the liver. well, good luck to all!!!!

Edited May 27, 200917 yr by LuvNMe77

I feel for you. I had my surgery on May 13th. The doctor had me on a 2 week liquid diet . I never did it. On May 12th, I went to Burger King at lunchtime and had me a whopper meal and i enjoyed it. I went to the gym afterwards and worked out hard for a hour and a half. I had no complications with my surgery. Mary, I'm not a shake person so my nutritionists requests muscle milk and i hate it. I drink it anyway but i hate it.

My surgery was Friday (5/22/09) and everything went really well. I didn't follow the liquid diet completely but I did try really hard to refrain over eating. I had a full meal maybe twice in the 2 weeks and snacked but I was starving all the time. I tried to drink a few shakes during the day just to get the protein in. I lost 5lbs before surgery. I'm 6 days post-op and havent cheated. Now that the surgery is done, I'm much more motivated to stick to the diet.

My surgery was postponed (it was supposed to be today, but is now June 18th) so I will be on the pre-op liquid diet for 3 weeks by the time I have my surgery. I cheated once, but it was with salmon. I'd rather have 3 weeks of less satisfying meals, than wake up from anesthesia excited to have a lap band and find out that they actually couldn't do the surgery.

My pre op diet is also two weeks. It really sucks.. I'm on day 11 right now. I haven't cheated. Well I had two cups of jello today instead of one. And the other night I had 3 cups of chicken broth instead of 2. But I haven't had a bite of food and even though I crave it like crazy and it's hard going to cook outs, and out to eat, and sitting at dinner with my family it's all worth it. Just keep reminding yourself why you're doing it and that in just a few short days you'll get to enjoy all that food again :bored: Good luck hope it goes well for you!

I'm on the last day of my liquid diet. Getting banded tomorrow. Was supposed to be today but the doc got stranded due to flooding rain, so it's tomorrow. I was devastated when they told me. :eek::bored: I've been on the liquid diet since the 1st, and it is hard and it does suck. I haven't cheated at all. Not once! I've heard people talk about it and say that they've cheated and were still able to have surgery. I have a good friend that had a steak the night before his and they still did it. Who knows.

I do know that I feel a lot better knowing that I didn't cheat at this. It makes me feel even better knowing that I can stick to the strict diet afterwards. Maybe that's why they do it, to make sure we can make the lifestyle changes needed to succeed at this. :thumbup: Just remember, being healthy will feel so much better than all that food would taste anyway. Just keep the heads up everyone.

Remember, nothing worth doing is easy.

LOL! Worse than the 2-week pre-op liquid diet was the "no food/drink after midnight" the night before surgery. I start my day with Breakfast. I always felt light-headed if I didn't get any calories in within an hour after waking up.

My doctor required the 2-week pre-op liquid diet, but I was very liberal with mine. I would eat Wendys frostys on an almost daily basis and when I wasn't eating frostys, I was eating thick Soups. Then when I went in for surgery December 15th, the surgeon came in after I was prepped and ready (complete with IV and heparin shot) only to turn me away due to a rash on my thighs. (Turns out the rash was MRSA.) So I had to be on a pre-op liquid diet for a freakin month before I got banded! Believe me- I feel your pain!