Cheating on preop diet???

shortshortssoon

The goal of the preop diet is to shrink the fat in/around the liver. I feel that just by eating a low carb, high protien diet you can achieve this and am really annoyed by drinking these nasty shakes that leave me hungry.... Did anyone break down and have some chicken on this diet? I am allowed to eat low carb veggies and the shakes that is it for 2 weeks..... boooo....

garber6th

I didn't have to do a pre-op diet, however, I see red flags when you say that you feel that by just eating a low fat, high carb diet you can achieve the shrinking of the fat in/around the liver. The reason I see this as a red flag is that, as harsh as it sounds, what you feel is irrelevant. What the surgeon wants you to do is important. Unless you are a subject matter expert, don't change the plan. It's given to you for a reason. Yeah the shakes might not be the most pleasant, but lots of things might not be pleasant in the future - your tastes change drastically. I am not trying to be harsh, just honest. Advice given here might be good, but it's not professional advice. To do this right, you have to follow the directions of your surgeon and his team. I speak from experience.

GraceByMySide

I did have to do a pre-op diet. I didn't like it, either. However, I'm sure my surgeon would have pulled the plug on me if I hadn't tried to the best of my ability. There is more at stake here than what we want. The surgeons are under an awful lot of pressure to be sure we are REALLY READY!!! If we screw up on them, they lose their accreditation.

I don't like the sweet shakes, either. However, this is NOT about what I want. What *I* wanted was to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and that got me NO WHERE except morbidly obese. i had to pull up my big girl panties and follow my doctor's plan to the best of my ability, as does anyone who is successful with this. 50% of bariatric patients put the weight back on. Without a good attitude about food, success is unlikely.

I'm sorry to sound harsh, but this is not a quick fix. If you can't do this for a couple of weeks, then maybe you need to rethink the surgery.

rpyle111

Echoing Grace and garber, this process will take dedication, diligence and a willingness to follow the program set out for you. There is a wide variety of experiences here, and many programs differ in some of the details, but I use that variety only as information; my commitment is to follow the program laid out for me.

That part is easy for me. As an engineer, I am wired to like following rules. I ask questions, push for explanations, but in the end, I follow the program set out for me. I am still pre-op, but I have been successful following the pre-op plan: 1500 calories, 100+ grams of protein, 64+ ounces of water, stop alcohol and caffeine, increase exercise.

I know that much of what is to come will be difficult and I will want to do it my way, but part of signing up for this life changing procedure, for me, is to give myself to the program that has worked for many previous patients.

In a year, when you are successful at this change, the two weeks of pre-surgery liquid diet will seem like a blink of your eye. I hope you are able to find peace with your program. We are all here to support each other.

Rob

grim_traveller

I have seen a lot of people come through here. Some are successful long term, and others lose for a while and then start to regain. One of the biggest differences is a willingness and ability to follow their program. Those who can't follow their program, or who decide for various reasons not to, have a much harder time.

Having surgery means making a committment for better health. It's a LOT of work. Listen to the other responses above, and follow your program's directions.

ATXHeather

I am starting my pre-op diet in a a few weeks. Right now I'm on 1500 calories, low carb, no caffeine, no alcohol, practicing my protein first and 30-30-30 rule. My pre-op diet will be one week of 900 calories with max of 30 carbs and 10 grams of fat. After that, I have a week of liquids only (protein drinks) at 900 calories. Do I like the sound of that? Hell no. That sounds really hard. But I will follow it, because I'd rather have those two weeks of hard then a lifetime of the hard created by being fat. Being fat is really really hard. Two weeks of hard to get rid of that seems totally worth it to me!

stroynaya

Talk with your doctor. Mine had an "authorized" cheat plan for those who just couldn't stomach the shakes for every single meal. It was still strict though, not a free ride and it wasn't preferred. Purposely not saying what it was because as others have said, the docs have reasons for their plans and you need to clear any deviation with them.

wannabe1959

I didn't have a preop diet either. But I do know that when I have thought "this should be fine" going against what the doc says, it always comes back to bite me in the butt. Even though you don't understand the reason behind it, the docs have been doing this a lot longer than we have and I have come to realize they know best. its hard sometimes, but soooo worth it.

ruqayyahsmum

i had to do 2 weeks on the milk diet

4 pints of milk and nothing else

its not forever and what would you prefer. a nice small liver or the posibility of the surgeon opening you up, looking and sewing you straight back up again

asia1967

FYI the lady who had surgery the same day as I did, the surgeon got her on the table, (laparoscopic) started the procedure and her liver was still too large and closed her up and did not complete the surgery. (p.s. I heard her family talking to afterwards( we were in the same recovery room) and they told her she should not have cheated on her pre op diets. Words for thought. TRUE STORY
Needless to say she was devastated and in tears. Speaking from some experience if you cheat now, YOU WILL cheat later!!!!!

JfMarrs

My advice is that you stick to exactly what the doctor orders. These changes you are making will be with you for the rest of your life and the quicker you figure that out for yourself the better off you will be. The pre-op regiment your doctor ordered are for your safety during surgery. If your liver gets nicked because it gets in the way and he has to open you up to fix it you could be in the hospital for a long time recovering.

Good luck!

katematt313

You have to do it.

First of all, the MD says so, and you should do what the MD says. He's done a lost of weight loss surgeries, and you have done none. So, stick with the expert's advice.

My opinion is that I think the diet is challenging, but really helpful. You get used to eating less solid food, and that will help you transition post-surgery, when you are on liquids for a while. Eating less caused me to have less energy, which felt a little like the beginnings of the flu - starting a week before surgery means that you get used to it and your body adjusts, so you won't go through the same misery post-surgery. Also, you will be severely calorie restricted and will lose a ton of weight. I dropped 10.5 lbs pre-surgery from the pre-surgery diet. That's what we're all here for, right? Lastly _I did the pre-surgery diet with not one cheat, and I felt damned proud of myself. You, too, are worth the effort of suffering through this transformation.

I speak for myself here (not a criticism of you) - at some point I had to get into the mindset of "alright, if I knew what I was doing on my own, I wouldn't need weight loss surgery, so I am just going to follow the rules and see what happens". And it has worked.

pawoodhull

I think my husband said it best when I complained about the preop diet. If you can't follow this little two week preop then don't bother with the surgery, because you won't want to follow the lifetime plan after the surgery.

Harsh? Yes! But you know what? He was right. Not it;s not easy, but it is doable. If the shakes are too sweet, see if your surgeon has protein infused chicken and beef broth. Mine did and that's what saved me both before and after the surgery. I'm more of a savory person, so the sweet shakes made me gag after a bit. Cheating on your preop or your postop is cheating yourself. I know it's a cliche, but it's so true.

DJRonnieLINY

I had one week liquids only and it sucked! That fact was irrelevant. The diet was necessary to prepare me for a very serious medical procedure so I complained and moaned but did it. That week was the worst, most challanging week of the entire program.

From D-Day forward you add foods and experiment. Positive steps towards a new body. Buckle down, do the hard part and you will set yourself up success.