Having a hard time with pre-op wgt loss!! Help?

My husband and I are having WLS sometime in April.  He needs to lose 10% of his body weight before surgery. He has been trying for weeks..drinking protein shakes, protein bars, carefully eatting snacks  - fruits, nuts, water, coffee, being careful when eating out etc.

He has lost 5 lbs and is stuck.  We realize that his liver needs to be tightened up before surgery. We also know that 2 weeks before surgery we have to go on all-liquid diets.

He is stressing out in a major way that the doctor might refuse his surgery if he can't lose
another 25 lbs in the next 30 days before surgery.

What should he try next? Should he visit his nutritionist again? Call the surgeon's office?
Sorry to sound dumb but I'm just not sure how to help him outside of making sure he gets his protein shakes etc.  The nutritionist has him on 2000 calories a day and he is sticking to that so far but just not losing the weight...he weights about 350 lbs.

Thanks for any tips...his doc is Dr. Robert Davis in Houston..

Protein shakes and bars often have a lot of calories.  Since he's pre-op I'd try 4 oz of lean protein and a salad with the "spritzer" salad dressings for lunch and dinner.  The protein shakes are more important post-op.  Check with the nutritionist at dr Davis' office for suggestions.  A lot of people choose to do Atkins or Weigh****chers to lose the pre-op weight.  Have him keep a food log to prove what he's eating also just in case they try to refuse him.

Stephanie, Thanks I will send him your response.  He has been approved by our insurance company but the surgeon wants him to lose the liver fat before surgery....he has been trying for the past 2 months to lose the weight and it's a struggle.

Had not thought about Adkins but that would work for him....thank you! My brain has been in a fog lately due to ongoing thryoid issues... Thank you!! wonderful ideas!!

Hugs, Tee & Dan

You're gonna love Dr. Robert. Dr. Garth did my surgery. Your hubby's on 2000 calories a day and not losing? I don't want to sound snarky but are you sure he isn't cheating at work or something? I'd definitely call Stephanie and see what she suggests, she's really good and has always helped me.

The Dr's are pretty serious about the pre-surgery weight loss. Not only because it shrinks the livers and makes the surgery safer but as proof that you can, and will, follow their instructions and rules. I do know of 2 people who didn't lose the required amount of weight and Dr. Garth canceled the surgery. One just didn't take the whole pre-op diet seriously, figuring the surgery would fix everything. She finally went to another Dr who didn't require any weight loss and she's been a dismal failure, the surgery was NOT a magic fix. The other tried really hard and could not lose more than a few lbs no matter what she did. The Dr.s saw how hard she was trying and did the surgery anyway. She's now 8 months out and almost to goal.

So what I'm trying to say is they take each case individually and evaluate everything. There's got to be some reason your husband isn't losing. They need to know about it to see if they can help in any way. One thing I DO know is everyone in their office truly wants everyone to be a success and will do whatever they can to help.

I would suggest he keep a food journal, if he isn't already. Those calories add up when you least expect them! Lean protein eaten first, veggies and no pasta, rice or bread. 3-4oz of grilled chicken, fish, and lean beef and pork.1/2 cup veggies, avoiding anything white or yellow. Or maybe I should say preferrably anything dark green, red and orange first. And lots of water. He'll need it to help flush the kidneys and liver and to stay hydrated. Might as well start the habit now!

If he's eating protein bars and RTD shakes, be careful of the calories and especially the carbs. I still don't eat either one because of the numbers.

My surgeon, since retired, required a pre-op weight loss for both myself and my hubby (he elected a different procedure, different surgeon later on).

I ate a lean meat and green leafy veggie program.  My husband doesn't eat many veggies so he did the Scott & White program.  I'll try to find it, or you can Google and see if you can find it.

In 5 weeks I lost 21 lbs, my hubby lost 28 lbs.

I second the suggestion to do Atkins. Basically , just do as few carbs as possible, and it should start coming off in a few days.
It's been a long time, but just do the induction phase up until the liquid diet.

Hope that helps,

Rachel

my surgeon flat told me if I didn't lose weight he would cancel the day of my surgery - scared me but good!!

I had one protein shake for breakfast
up to 500 calories for meat, veggies and one fruit for lunch and dinner and that was it - it sucked but I did lose weight and I did prove I could handle it

I would guess since I was making my shakes with milk at the time I was about 1200 cals maybe 1300 - if you guys are getting close it would suck but might well be worth it, was to me

Danni

ETA- atkins would work and you could get away with doing the induction phase for that leanth of time I would think - but do call and talk to the nut at the office