I am not getting banded until Sept so my doctor and I haven't really gotten to the subject of the pre-op diet. Right now we are just doing the preliminary tests and financial stuff. I am curious what the pre-op consists of and when did you have to go on it? You guys are scaring me with this talk of fatty livers. How do you know if your liver is too fatty for surgery?

It varies from surgeon to surgeon.

Some have NO special pre-op requirements.

Other will keep you at a low calorie range, or insist you eat low-carb.

Many will put you on a liquid diet that focuses on Protein shakes.

My doctor recommended all clear no-calorie liquids. I couldn't even have Protein Shakes. So for me, Water, SF Jello, SF popsicles, diet soda, Chrystal Lite, etc. That was it.

I had a 3-week long diet that was several of a specific Protein shake and one special meal a day. I didn't really know I had a large liver until I did NOT get the band because I cheated on the preop diet. I thought the point was weight loss and lost 15 pounds doing my own atkins-type thing. BUT I didn't lose the right 15. I did exactly EXACTLY what my doc told me from 8/13 to 8/29 and lost 17 MORE pounds (to my shock and pleasure) and that time I was banded just fine.

It depends on the person and the doc. If you do just what your doc says, DO NOT CHEAT, you'll be fine. I read on here over and over about people who cheated and were fine. I KNOW no one meant to do me harm. But I was that one in a thousand or whatever that did NOT get away with it, so ....

follow your docs orders. Trust him to know what you need to do! If you're worried, talk to him about your concerns about a large liver and see what he has done to make sure you're covered. It's rare; my surgeon said I was his first "failure" due to liver size (how special was THAT?) but it can and does happen. You'll be fine!

Thanks for the info guys. I WILL follow the instructions my doctor gives me. I am already cutting down on soda (and before surgery quit all together), quit smoking, I am eating smaller portions, chewing tiny bites, taking the skins off of fruits and veggies, drinking at least 64 oz of Water and getting in cardio when I can. I've been pre-paring for this for over a year and I don't want any showstoppers to be something I could have prevented. Thanks again.

Good luck LindsaySue! And realize a lot of the bandster "rules" become much easier once you have restriction (which may or may not take a while depending on your doc and situation, so keep that in mind) For example I wouldn't drink with a meal now if you paid me; it hurts!

And same with a carbonated beverage; not worth it!

Not everyone has the same ease post op but I can eat anything, small bites are easy, I chew to mush by habit now, and so on. So hang in there; you are doing well and will surely be one of the powerhouse bandsters!