Pre Op Diet

[Sharon Williams]

Hi guys. I'm in the process of receiving my surgery date. Since the pandemic situation I put on like 10 more pounds. I've been trying so hard to get ahead by dieting and just can't follow the plan. I'm just hungry all the time. I was thinking of going to my primary care dr to see if he can prescribe me diet pills to help with losing weight before the surgery. Do you think this is a good idea?????

 

[3momchaos]

I’m not sure that would be a great idea. And I am in no way judging you or making assumptions about you when I say this. If it were me, I would be worried that my doctor would see me taking diet pills and think I don’t need the surgery since there is something else that might work. I know a lot of people are struggling with the COVID15, as my sister so aptly calls it, and with weight gain. Maybe try tracking your food, if you aren’t already. I don’t know how physically able you are, but walking might help too, again, if you aren’t already doing that. Like I said, I don’t know what else you’re doing or have going on, so I don’t want to assume. We all have our own struggles here, and only want to support each other.

 

[Brenda2010]

Hi guys. I'm in the process of receiving my surgery date. Since the pandemic situation I put on like 10 more pounds. I've been trying so hard to get ahead by dieting and just can't follow the plan. I'm just hungry all the time. I was thinking of going to my primary care dr to see if he can prescribe me diet pills to help with losing weight before the surgery. Do you think this is a good idea?????

I totally understand the temptation but it may cause insurance issues for you. I believe there is an approval process for diet pills that takes a couple weeks and this could totally conflict with your insurance/surgery approval. If they think you're willing to try something else (and cheaper), they may make you commit to medication for a certain time frame.

 

[dianeseattle]

Hello Sharon, and welcome to the group. No, it is not a good idea to ask your doctor to prescribe diet pills for you. If anything, ask your doctor to prescribe a mild sedative for you like Klonopin, so you can relax more during these really stressful days.

But your post is very much concerning because if you can't even come close to following a food plan before the surgery, that does not bode well for your ability to follow the food plan after surgery.

I suggest therapy and a lot of honesty around your eating disorder. You need help and you need to stop your bad habits right now, today. If you go on like you've always gone on, using food as a crutch to deal with whatever you're dealing with, you are not a good candidate for the surgery and you shouldn't have it. Surgery is only a tool. The actual work is done by you because you are following a new, healthy, way of eating.

We are all very willing to support you during this time. But you have to do the work and you have to be proactive. People can offer you strategies to live all day long. But you must practice the strategies if they are going to work.

You may have the wrong impression about weight loss surgery. It is not a Magic Bullet. It makes your stomach smaller but lots of people have filled that pouch 20 times a day and gained all their weight back and more. This is the procedure you do not want to go through unless you are going to change your life.

 

[dianeseattle]

I would be worried that my doctor would see me taking diet pills and think I don’t need the surgery since there is something else that might work.

By the way, I am not aware of any legitimate diet pill that can be prescribed today. All diet pills in the past caused brain damage from mild to severe. You do not want to take any pill that is based in methedrine or dexedrine or any of the speed that people took recreationally in the 60s. Diet pills are dangerous. You don't want to take them. Spend your energy on changing your habits instead. And if you can't do it, you just can't do it. Tell your doctor and nutritionist and surgeon and everybody who's involved in the surgery about your problems. They need to know what you are challenged by. There are a lot of ways you can win. Don't give up.

 

[dianeseattle]

I totally understand the temptation but it may cause insurance issues for you. I believe there is an approval process for diet pills that takes a couple weeks and this could totally conflict with your insurance/surgery approval. If they think you're willing to try something else (and cheaper), they may make you commit to medication for a certain time frame.

I also I also want to add that you are indicating that you are close to having a surgery date and yet you want to leave your surgeon and all the counsel you're getting there and go to your regular doctor and ask for diet pills. This is the way Elvis and Michael Jackson died. If you can't get what you want from one doctor, just go to another and get it, and then go to another and get it. Stick with your surgeon and stick with the eating plan you must have been given. Do not give up. And if you cannot lose more weight, then just calm down and don't worry about it. They're not going to stop your surgery if you're already on the way to being approved.

And I hope you're on an eating plan that is approved by your surgeon and not a diet like you would get out of a magazine. You could be doing your health some very dangerous stuff.

 

[Sharon Williams]

By the way, I am not aware of any legitimate diet pill that can be prescribed today. All diet pills in the past caused brain damage from mild to severe. You do not want to take any pill that is based in methedrine or dexedrine or any of the speed that people took recreationally in the 60s. Diet pills are dangerous. You don't want to take them. Spend your energy on changing your habits instead. And if you can't do it, you just can't do it. Tell your doctor and nutritionist and surgeon and everybody who's involved in the surgery about your problems. They need to know what you are challenged by. There are a lot of ways you can win. Don't give up.

Great advice!!

 

[Sharon Williams]

I’m not sure that would be a great idea. And I am in no way judging you or making assumptions about you when I say this. If it were me, I would be worried that my doctor would see me taking diet pills and think I don’t need the surgery since there is something else that might work. I know a lot of people are struggling with the COVID15, as my sister so aptly calls it, and with weight gain. Maybe try tracking your food, if you aren’t already. I don’t know how physically able you are, but walking might help too, again, if you aren’t already doing that. Like I said, I don’t know what else you’re doing or have going on, so I don’t want to assume. We all have our own struggles here, and only want to support each other.

Thank you!!

 

[WWWindy]

Hey Sharon! Welcome to the group. I met with my surgeon today and we're setting up a surgery date. I'm not sure when at this point but it will be on a Monday. I sure understand about the diet. I've had 7 months of it and only lost 15 pounds but that is 15 pounds I won't have to worry about after surgery.

Besides the great information on this site, my nutritionist gave me great guidance. I concentrated on protein, vitamins, no sugar, lots of water, as small an amount of food as I could get by with (sometimes is was large amounts) and finding protein drinks, powder, cookies and bars that would hold me until the next meal. Oh, did I say chewing? I think that was the biggest change I made.

Now those things worked for me. What works for you will be totally different but the important thing to remember is we are all here to support each other. Feel free to share or vent. It does help.

Congratulations on your surgery and I hope we get to visit more with you.

 

[Sharon Williams]

Hey Sharon! Welcome to the group. I met with my surgeon today and we're setting up a surgery date. I'm not sure when at this point but it will be on a Monday. I sure understand about the diet. I've had 7 months of it and only lost 15 pounds but that is 15 pounds I won't have to worry about after surgery.

Besides the great information on this site, my nutritionist gave me great guidance. I concentrated on protein, vitamins, no sugar, lots of water, as small an amount of food as I could get by with (sometimes is was large amounts) and finding protein drinks, powder, cookies and bars that would hold me until the next meal. Oh, did I say chewing? I think that was the biggest change I made.

Now those things worked for me. What works for you will be totally different but the important thing to remember is we are all here to support each other. Feel free to share or vent. It does help.

Congratulations on your surgery and I hope we get to visit more with you.

Thank you

 

[dianeseattle]

Oh, did I say chewing? I think that was the biggest change I made.

When I had my surgery in 2007, I wasn't on any kind of pre-op diet like is required these days. My surgical team just told me to try to eat less and see if I could lose a few pounds before the surgery and to study how to chew. That was the hardest thing for me. I would find myself sitting on the front porch with McDonald's double cheeseburger, trying to chew each bite 30 times. Oh my God! It was almost impossible! You know how we are; we tend to kind of just chew chew chew and then slide it on down our throats. So part of the discipline I Learned was chewing until it was liquefied and of course putting my utensil down in between bites. Those little changes that you make to how you eat are almost as important as what you eat.

 

[mmitti]

Welcome. Ditto to everyone above. I'm struggling right now with staying on my plan. I got my sleeve in Jan.

 

[Roseanne37]

Mary, I am so sorry that you are currently struggling with staying on your plan. You have been so inspiring, esp. since I am having the sleeve surgery when the pandemic is over. You never complain and seemed to accept all of the stages after the surgery. This is just a bubble right now because of the pandemic. I think we are all nervous and have cabin fever from our quarantine, social distance, and so much unknown information about the future of this virus. Are you finished with the different stages of introducing new foods to your diet? 72 lbs lost is great. esp since Jan. 21. Keep up the good work and remember to stay focused and you will overcome this struggle.

 

[mmitti]

Mary, I am so sorry that you are currently struggling with staying on your plan. You have been so inspiring, esp. since I am having the sleeve surgery when the pandemic is over. You never complain and seemed to accept all of the stages after the surgery. This is just a bubble right now because of the pandemic. I think we are all nervous and have cabin fever from our quarantine, social distance, and so much unknown information about the future of this virus. Are you finished with the different stages of introducing new foods to your diet? 72 lbs lost is great. esp since Jan. 21. Keep up the good work and remember to stay focused and you will overcome this struggle.

Thanks, Roseanne. I have just about finished adding new foods. I've really had mouth hunger and yesterday I did pretty well. Just refused to eat anything at night; felt good this morning. I've done some soul searching and determined that I'm afraid of loose skin taking over my body. Just discovering what's happening in the brain helps me face the fact that I'll have loose skin. In the grand scheme of life, I can handle that. Then I start getting fear of possible skin surgery and what a hard recovery it is. Talk about jumping the gun, haha. I'm thankful that I've jumped this hurdle; it is totally in Fat Brain that these derailments occur with me.

When I see people with a few years after surgery gaining weight, I can see how easy it is to go down that slope. I want to be successful right now and stay successful. I realize how much it is in the brain. I do have a therapist and will talk with her about this when I see her again.

On the bright side, I've gotten rid of my big clothes. My closet has waaaay more room now. I have a few new clothes; retired so i don't need work clothes. I offered up the clothes on the Mutual Aid Facebook page. People ask for help or offer items for free; it's a grassroots effort, individuals helping each other. I was glad to give the clothes to someone who needs them.

 

[BAB]

Sharon, I think you would really benefit from talking with someone about your issues. It does help! I have never done it before I started this journey and I am so grateful that I did. Hope that you are able to work things out and get "back on track". I know that I have to go back to eating better and getting ready to start my pre-op next week. Good luck.