I’m having surgery 12/18 and yesterday I started my 2 week meal replacement shakes and it is ROUGH. It tastes fine, but it’s not easy going from eating normally to not eating anything. I’m hoping it gets easier because I am having a hard time drinking enough shakes because it’s easier to be hungry than force shakes. I blended my shake today with frozen fruit to help but it’s still not easy. Anyone else have trouble getting themselves to drink their meal replacement? Any tips ?
Pre surgery Liquid diet is HARD
- Thread starter Aquam527
- Start date
JudyNY
Member
Is your 2 week pre-surgery diet only protein shakes? I know some doctors do that but for me it was just breakfast and lunch and then a lean dinner. But then again, part 1 of my pre-surgery diet I was already cutting back on a lot of food so it wasn't that much different for me. But I know you aren't alone as I've heard other people struggle with that phase. I'm sorry I don't have any helpful tips, hopefully someone else will. I hope it gets easier the closer you get to your surgery date.
missyinacage
Member
I was only allowed the meal replacements the program gave us, which included protein soups and puddings, and sugar free jello/popsicles. So, not even fruit. I did blend all my shakes with ice. But if you're allowed to have other things, I might try adding the protein to pudding, as at least it has some texture. I believe they sell protein puddings/soups that you can use in replacement of just shakes. It's still liquid but at least the soup is warm. If you are not allowed any of that, just know it's only 2 weeks and you can do this!
dianeseattle
Member
It IS hard, and completely unnatural. Furthermore, it does nothing to prepare you for post-op life.
My surgeon only told me to see if I could drop a few pounds before surgery, and the pre-op wait was just a few weeks.
But I was not that obese. People nowadays are being told the liquid diet is to shrink the liver. I doubt that, having had hepatitis years ago and being more than a little aware of my liver. It's laughable to imagine you can target a particular organ by changing eating habits for two weeks.
It makes more sense to believe the liquid diet acts as a flush, as well as creating a much larger space in which to operate.
But that's not a compelling argument, either, because one person might drop to 375 from 400 pounds, while another goes from 450 to 400 on the same pre-op diet.
The real reason for dietary restriction is to prepare you mentally for how you'll have to eat for the rest of your life. And in some cases, the surgeon may be reluctant to perform this life-changing, essential-organ revising surgery before evaluating your ability to comply.
You should do what your doctor tells you, but realize that you're getting the same instructions as the person in the next exam room, regardless of comorbidities or starting weight.
It's a criterion and only you can determine how much you can stick to it. But it's NOT natural, and my opinion is that there's room for improvement.
Most of all, changing to a strict, unpleasant, almost-impossible-diet is a trap. It sets you up for failure, guilt and shame.
My position is it would be more productive to use your post-op diet as your pre-op diet. We don't deserve to suffer more than we already have. Better to start a healthy life as a prelude to the tool, the life-saving procedure that's going to be the catalyst that powers your new, transformed life.
And spend your ramp-up period meditating and/or praying positive thoughts, being grateful, being kind to others, changing the snap judgments in your mind when you see a fat person or look in the mirror. Enjoy every bite of food. Savor it for its taste and benefit to health. Eat slowly, don't gulp. Remind yourself that delicious food is everyone's right an there is no crime in enjoying it. Find something new to REWARD yourself instead of a foody treat. Especially work to reframe your thinking. You may feel like the elephant in the room today. Get used to blending into the wallpaper.
And allow yourself a new vision of your future. What could you choose to do if your weight wasn't holding you back? This is a great time to start a journal. Write your life story, past, present and future.
And don't beat yourself if you "fail" to follow the pre-op diet. It means nothing. You're still getting the surgery and you will lose an enormous amount of weight and improve your health dramatically.
Going on 70, post-op 14 years, wearing skinny jeans, hiking Alpine peaks, eating delicious foods and loving them... You can do it, too.
Desi
Member
I must say everything I had to do pre op was much harder than post op
Pre op was hard and I felt hungry and deprived - a few years back I gave up on the program - finally did it this time and so happy
Post op is so much better - I never feel hungry or deprived
Well except for the pasta I really miss !
I am 2 months and a few days post op and have lost 36 pounds and am finally getting the hang of life again with my new eating habits and vitamins.
Pre op was hard and I felt hungry and deprived - a few years back I gave up on the program - finally did it this time and so happy
Post op is so much better - I never feel hungry or deprived
Well except for the pasta I really miss !
I am 2 months and a few days post op and have lost 36 pounds and am finally getting the hang of life again with my new eating habits and vitamins.
dianeseattle
Member
Congratulations Desi! Not only do you deserve kudos for the your weight loss, but you deserve a medal for giving up and then trying again until you succeeded. That is so inspirational to all of us.
Tokash
Member
Its important to stick to what your plan is. Shakes suck but the first couple of days are hardest and even worse if you don't have a good shake. Like above I was allowed soup, sugar free jello and sugar free pudding.
Most importantly make sure you are not adding in foods your not allowed to have. The discipline now will be well served after surgery.
Most importantly make sure you are not adding in foods your not allowed to have. The discipline now will be well served after surgery.
A very low fat, low calorie pre-op diet does indeed shrink the liver. Obese folks eating a high-fat diet will have an enlarged, fatty liver. The fatty liver is quite friable and it's difficult for the surgeon to maneuver safely (especially when done laparoscopically). I did the 2-week, all protein shake pre-op diet twice. The first time was last March, and on the last day of the diet the surgery was cancelled due to (what else?) Covid. The second time was in July and I went on to have the surgery.
dianeseattle
Member
Congrats, Eli. I would like to see scientific evidence about liver shrinkage because a 2Week diet change seems unlikely to have a profound effect on anything. It does make sense it would make more room in the cavity. I understand the fatty liver condition.
But if I had a dollar for every lie a doctor told me, I'd be rich. The Dalkon shield my gyno sold me on in 1970 almost killed me and I was told it made me sterile. Fortunately that was one more inacurracy I was told but the horrible pain and menstrual blood clots went on for 6 years. I only received $200 in the class action.
Most doctors are in it for healing. I love my doctor. But I still don't believe you can target a single organ with diet. I think "liver shrinkage" is a catchy term.
And I research everything. I know for a fact that pre-op is prep. If a patient can't stick to it at all, s/he is a poor candidate for surgery and additional counseling is indicated before surgery.
But there are all kinds of surgery mills that say all kind of things to people who are desperate and people all over who've suffered from their malpractice.
I never heard of liver shrinkage until about a year ago in this group. It has become a selling point but candidates would benefit from learning EXACTLY what happens to the entire body from a reputable hospital program at Johns Hopkins or the Mayo Clinic, or the world-class program at Virginia Mason campus of UW in Seattle. I got so lucky to have mine there, and it's rare I sing a hospital's praises.
That doesn't mean you're wrong about liver shrinkage. But how much could it possibly shrink in 2 weeks? I think it's more likely the diet reduces the amount of fat in all your organs and gets you excited and sober about what's coming.
And I think doctors "talk down" to fat people. We are discriminated against because secretly people assume we're lazy and not too smart.
IMO, as usual.
But if I had a dollar for every lie a doctor told me, I'd be rich. The Dalkon shield my gyno sold me on in 1970 almost killed me and I was told it made me sterile. Fortunately that was one more inacurracy I was told but the horrible pain and menstrual blood clots went on for 6 years. I only received $200 in the class action.
Most doctors are in it for healing. I love my doctor. But I still don't believe you can target a single organ with diet. I think "liver shrinkage" is a catchy term.
And I research everything. I know for a fact that pre-op is prep. If a patient can't stick to it at all, s/he is a poor candidate for surgery and additional counseling is indicated before surgery.
But there are all kinds of surgery mills that say all kind of things to people who are desperate and people all over who've suffered from their malpractice.
I never heard of liver shrinkage until about a year ago in this group. It has become a selling point but candidates would benefit from learning EXACTLY what happens to the entire body from a reputable hospital program at Johns Hopkins or the Mayo Clinic, or the world-class program at Virginia Mason campus of UW in Seattle. I got so lucky to have mine there, and it's rare I sing a hospital's praises.
That doesn't mean you're wrong about liver shrinkage. But how much could it possibly shrink in 2 weeks? I think it's more likely the diet reduces the amount of fat in all your organs and gets you excited and sober about what's coming.
And I think doctors "talk down" to fat people. We are discriminated against because secretly people assume we're lazy and not too smart.
IMO, as usual.
JudyNY
Member
Diane, I too was told about the liver shrinkage because of a 2 week diet. We were told to start a healthier eating plan right at the get-go when we first met with the surgical team, however it did get much leaner the last 2 weeks before surgery. I can't say for sure if it actually shrinks the liver but I can tell you that it motivated me to stick to it knowing that I could be turned down last minute because I didn't lose some pre-surgery weight. There is the "last supper" syndrome that some take as to eat whatever they can before they can't anymore. While I did have a couple of things that I had "just because" for the most part I stuck to the pre-surgical diet and lost 44 pounds.
dianeseattle
Member
Good for you Judy! I am so glad you had such great success in your pre-op diet. It really is a gift, regardless of whether or not it shrinks any organs. People who begin it universally complain about it. It is a very difficult thing to do to go from solid foods and treats and sugar and fat to a strict dietary routine that includes nutritional shakes, which are not satisfying or pleasant at all. We all make so many sacrifices as we walk along this road to surgery and it is killing.
But it is rather amazing after surgery how much the post-op diet doesn't bother you at all. The weight melts off and for a lot of us I think we discover a lot of new ways of eating because of the restrictions. 14 years ago I didn't have to engage in a two-week run up. My doctor just told me to eat less and try to lose some weight.
If I had it to do now I think I would probably try to do some purees made with vegetables, because it's a long time before your body can digest fresh green vegetables after surgery and I really missed them. I would even puree salad!
But it is rather amazing after surgery how much the post-op diet doesn't bother you at all. The weight melts off and for a lot of us I think we discover a lot of new ways of eating because of the restrictions. 14 years ago I didn't have to engage in a two-week run up. My doctor just told me to eat less and try to lose some weight.
If I had it to do now I think I would probably try to do some purees made with vegetables, because it's a long time before your body can digest fresh green vegetables after surgery and I really missed them. I would even puree salad!
Sorry you have been misled, Diane.
There's a lot in the literature and on the web about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Excess fat and carbohydrate intake lead to over-accumulation of fat in the liver. It's a real thing. My pre-op ultrasound showed fatty liver disease. After the surgery, my surgeon remarked that he could tell I had adhered to the pre-op diet. I recall the bariatric surgeon (Shaw Somers) on the series "Fat Doctor" occasionally mentioning the appearance of the liver during surgery, as in "they had a successful pre-op diet".
There's a lot in the literature and on the web about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Excess fat and carbohydrate intake lead to over-accumulation of fat in the liver. It's a real thing. My pre-op ultrasound showed fatty liver disease. After the surgery, my surgeon remarked that he could tell I had adhered to the pre-op diet. I recall the bariatric surgeon (Shaw Somers) on the series "Fat Doctor" occasionally mentioning the appearance of the liver during surgery, as in "they had a successful pre-op diet".
dianeseattle
Member
I confess I think more about my liver than the average bear.
Do you think there can be factors that affect organ behavior? I had hepatitis along with my baby, 40 years ago. We didn't know how unsanitary our daycare center was. My liver blew up and it was a long recovery. My whole family had to get gamma globulin shots. To this day I won't drink from a glass or bottle I haven't thoroughly cleaned with soap or alcohol. I take my own bottle all the time, even to restaurants. Does anyone else do this?
I also never drink municipal water. I have a metal allergy and can't tolerate lead. I have to use test strips to measure purity. This is essential for me because I love water and easily drink a gallon a day.
I drink one cup of coffee per day, and when I can afford it, scotch and good beer. My best friend always gives me scotch for Christmas.
But I drink so much water, I have less room for food. My doc advised me to taper off after dinner. i miss it.
But I always wonder if water has helped me stay healthy. I think it has. I buy it bulk and drink it exclusively.
How do you feel about water?
Do you think there can be factors that affect organ behavior? I had hepatitis along with my baby, 40 years ago. We didn't know how unsanitary our daycare center was. My liver blew up and it was a long recovery. My whole family had to get gamma globulin shots. To this day I won't drink from a glass or bottle I haven't thoroughly cleaned with soap or alcohol. I take my own bottle all the time, even to restaurants. Does anyone else do this?
I also never drink municipal water. I have a metal allergy and can't tolerate lead. I have to use test strips to measure purity. This is essential for me because I love water and easily drink a gallon a day.
I drink one cup of coffee per day, and when I can afford it, scotch and good beer. My best friend always gives me scotch for Christmas.
But I drink so much water, I have less room for food. My doc advised me to taper off after dinner. i miss it.
But I always wonder if water has helped me stay healthy. I think it has. I buy it bulk and drink it exclusively.
How do you feel about water?
dianeseattle
Member
Try bottled water. Get the big jugs from the store and test them for purity and especially for chlorine content. I just think the taste of that water is so superior to anything that can ever come out of the tap.
dianeseattle
Member
oh, oh, it also is helpful for me to make ice cubes out of bottled water. The water just tastes so much better as does anything else you want to pour over those rocks.
JudyNY
Member
Our tap water is extremely high in chlorine. We have a community well for our development and it's sulphur water without it. Quite prevalent in our area.