have a surgery date need advice

minkakross

They have set my surgery date May 15th, and thus I have a 2 week long liquid liver shrinking diet to look forward to very soon. I was wondering if any of you who have done the liquid pre surgery diet have any advice on how to get through it or things they found that make it bearable?

Anointed2luv

You simply have to consider what you want and tell your mind that your health is more important than the food. I was on the liquid diet for a month. YEP, a month! I endured......so can you. Be encouraged, around the 3rd day, you won't be hungry anymore. Btw, what liquid diet are you doing, I did Optifast

tessanne10

It's not that bad. You'll learn to get creative with extracts that can be used with the protein shakes, but you will be able to have clear liquids as well which include sugar free jello. I also used the weight loss center products where I go in order to shrink down the liver.
This is very important for surgery, it will add the surgeon during surgery. It will help you for afterwards also.

minkakross

I haven't meet with the nutritionist to discuss the liver shrinking diet yet, but I was under the impression for previous meetings that it would be clear liquids only. it would be awesome if I could drink some of the flavored protein shakes I'm starting to get use to them and I'm in love with a few of the pre made protein drinks that taste like jolly ranchers. If I can have those it won't be so bad but two weeks does seem like a long time not to mention the post surgery healing diet being light on the solid food.

kriskaryl

It's not that bad. You'll learn to get creative with extracts that can be used with the protein shakes, but you will be able to have clear liquids as well which include sugar free jello. I also used the weight loss center products where I go in order to shrink down the liver.
This is very important for surgery, it will add the surgeon during surgery. It will help you for afterwards also.

^This^

suitelady716

It's really not as bad as you think it will be. I used different types of seasonings to season chicken and beef broth and the protein drinks will keep you full. I was allowed 4 a day but could barely get in three because I really wasnt that hungry. You get used to it...and it really is worth every moment of it.

Laura8603

For me, the 2 week liquid diet was the absolute worst part of the whole entire process. You still have your regular stomach and you will be starving and grumpy. Be prepared. Surgery and the recovery afterwards was a breeze compared to the liquid pre-op diet. I was on Bariatric Advantage protein shakes 4 times a day. Nothing else. and they were super-nasty. Bleh! just do it though and don't cheat. You want your liver to not be in the way during surgery. It was hell, but totally worth it.

5 days before my surgery, and day 9 on the liquid diet, my city was hit hard by Hurricane Ike. The whole city was a mess with power outages. I was petrified my surgery would be postponed. Thankfully the med center was fine it was not. i would have been beyond pissed if I had had to do the liquid diet again...lol!!

Alex_is_Hawks

I am just over 6 weeks post surgery and I am still on full fluids, which I don't mind.

Everyones different so don't think this will necessarily be the way yours go but as a result I've become very creative with liquids....extracts are a lifesaver....mint, licorice, almond in particular (for me)

also, broth for some can feel very week and diluted, to taste, if you want to beef it up (no pun intended) use some aromatic vegetables cut into BIG chunks, like mushrooms, onions, garlic....veggies that really sweat easy, because that means they will lose their flavor and it will add itself to the broth. bring the broth to a rolling boil and then remove the veggies (hence the big chunks, easier to remove them all to guarantee you are drinking only liquids) then you have a more robust broth to drink.

Also I would avoid the broths with the full salt intake, get a low sodium. Because when you are drinking it as a standalone you really notice how salty it is (or at least I did)


Hope this helps.

minkakross

thank you, I'd rather hear the bad and be prepared in case that's me and I really like the idea of "beefing" up brooth.

JfMarrs

I'm on day 5 of my 2 week liquid presurgery diet today and it's really not that bad. Different doctors and programs apparently use slightly different diets mine calls for 3 Carnation Instant Breakfasts per day with a cup of Non-fat milk ( they specify Hood's Simply Smart brand) and I am also allowed one serving of fruit, one no sugar added yogurt or pudding and a few available snacks. I miss crunchy things like nuts and salt but I am not as hungry as I feared I would be,

mz_hartbreaka

it was hard for me coz i was boarder line diabetic and i could feel my blood sugar drop every now and then, so i use to make warm weetbix to the consistancy of runny porriage and have aterficial sweetner on it.. it really helped however i only started doin it the last 2 days lol my mum however had the heads up and was doin it everydaii and found it really made a big difference.. a year and half later i have lost 25kg and its the best thing i ever did.. its definately not goin to be easii as u will come to learn there are things u wont ever be able to eat again and there will be times wen u get food stuck and ur in the bathroom being sik and u think omg!! but in the long run better for ur health wont be impacted by the excess weight

speedracer2007

As an Optifast & also bariatrc graduate....(84 days on Optifast liquid only)..I can tell you the first week is the hardest...it's more of a mental battle than physical... so you have to prepare to overcome those tough moments when you desire something to chew. Make a goal to just get thru the first day...tell yourself that if others can do this, you can too / also tell yourself ...this isn't forever.. just a few more days...think of the rewards at the end of this journey...the new clothes, how good you will feel, the compliments you will get and how proud you will be of your accomplishment. Believe me...this is a major accomplishment. When temptation hits...go take a walk or take a nap (worked for me).. it will remove the thought from your mind. It will get much easier after the first few days, and each day does become a little easier. Good luck , be tough & stay positive.

cbbarge

I knew that the liquid diet wasn't going to be fun but I looked at it a little different than most. I want to live to at least the age of 85 so I calculated what percent of my life I would be on the liquid diet. The number came out to be .045% . So if I compared it to a day, it would be 38 seconds out of my day or if it were a week it would be 4 and 1/2 minutes. When I looked at it that way, 2 weeks didn't seem like such a burden!

Arthemise1

It sounds like most doctors put their patients on liquid diets before surgery, but mine didn't. I could eat normal food, but the amount was very restricted. He told me that if I didn't follow the diet, he would know when he got in there and wouldn't do the surgery if my liver was too big. That scared me enough to stay on the diet, and he complimented me on my work after the surgery. There's no cheating on this!

minkakross

the liquid diet is par the course for those getting work done lathroscopically; how long your on it is different though depending on the type of surgery. Thanks for the heads up about chewing, I would have never thought to miss chewing but I see how I might need to have some straws or other non food items around to meet that urge should it come up. I'll talk to the nutritionist about sugar free gum. I'm also a little worried what to do about low blood sugar as I'm a diabetic but I'll put this on my list of questions to ask when I go see the nutritionist pre-surgery. I saw the advice about artificial sweeteners but as they shouldn't increas your blood sugar I'm not sure that would really work if the numbers got too low?

I'm still torn between being scared and excited about surgery. I can't even imagine how different I will feel, it has been so long since I was normal weight and as good as I feel now with diet and exercise I can't wait to have even more energy and strenght to do all the things I once loved.

Barbmillions

I am on day 7 of the optifast (supposed to have 4 daily and one or two veggie servings) It is easier after a couple of days, but was very challenging last week when I was away from home for 2 1/2 days. 2 nights in a row I couldn't get the 4th shake in (it would have meant drinking it at 11 pm or midnight). My goal is to get the 4 shakes in. My surgery is May 7th. Visiting this blog has certainly opened up my eyes to the variety of pre op diets out there. If I can stick to this anyone else can.

Barbmillions

Forgot to mention that I sometimes use about a 1/4 cup of left over decaf coffee with my optifast vanilla shake, some ice and cold water (it ends up tasting close to an ice cap from Tim Hortons and is an easier way for me to manage the shakes.

soupy218

Just started my pre-op diet yesterday My surgery date is May 8th It was not the easiest thing to do but also not the worst I've had to do I am allowed sugar free popsicles and jello so those did help with the chewing that I missed I added ice cubes to my protein shake and it tasted like a chocolate milkshake. I also have my eyes toward the goal and that has helped me stay strong I found the toughest part was making the food for my family the smell was soooo goood LOL

pjmcinnis

Congratulations, I hope your surgery goes as well as mine did. My surgery was January 5, 2012. I have absolutely no regrets! It gets better, it gets easier. My recommendation is to avoid the scale. I don't own one, so it's more about the way my clothes are falling off me that keeps me motivated. And, as I'm sure you were told dozens of times... "It's not about the number". I'm into pants that i haven't worn in 5 or 6 years!

This is a much different program than anything you have tried before... what i have noticed most is that it is FAT that i am losing, and remember that fat weighs much less than muscle by volume. Previously, i would lose 20 - 30 lbs and that would be it, and very discouraging. I lost 15 on the Optifast and as of my last weigh-in was down a total of 40 lbs.

Again, Congrats... and good luck.

minkakross

I'm doing okay, the popsicles seem to be helping with the urge to chew, I strangely don't miss it all that much. I've discovered I don't like beef broth but chicken is okay. My protein drinks aren't so bad especially now that I've found some new flavors and a brand with no funny aftertaste or smell. Thank you all for your advice.