NSV Pre-Op

Great job, Suzy!

I am also pre-op...had to do 6 months w/NUT & it has actually been time well spent. I feel like I have set a better foundation for success by making changes pre-op. And in my case I needed lots of repetition to break old habits!

I started using MyFitnessPal to track my food & really learned a lot about carbs in particular. Each month I decreased my daily goal...even though I don't always meet it. I learned how to mix & match meals so I wasn't constantly craving. For the most part I am not hungry b/c I eat healthily and ALOT for my current goal of 1600 calories a day.

I had to let go of sweet tea..my downfall. I now make it w/Stevia. It was an adjustment, but now I enjoy it as much as I did before. Maybe once a month I will have a soda, but I was never a huge fan...it was the tea. But I have noticed when I treat myself to a soda I want another one for a couple days after. Hmmmm...sugar addiction?

I also gave up both fast food & eating out for the first 3 months and ate at home. These were 2 more huge downfalls for me. I have indulged a few times in the past few months, but I always kind of regret spending my calories & nutrients on eating out. I can eat more & much better at home for less. I compare spending calories to spending money. Why settle for a Walmart type meal when I can get a much better deal at Macy's?

You deserve a huge pat on the back. It is interesting to me that many doctor's apparently do not require much nutritional counseling beforehand or it is very little if they do. Plus, I have seen ppl get surgery within a few weeks of a consult...hardly time to even begin thinking of how we need to change post-op.

Keep up the good work. we are rooting for you!

Thanks!  I think I'll follow your lead and start tracking my food.  This has always been really hard (or I'm lazy!) for me to do.  I start off well then slowly trickle off before pretty soon (matter of days), I'm not tracking anything.  I know how important this is to do post-op so I better start the habit now! 

I was required to track my intake the first few months. It was actually useful b/c I was sorely lacking in nutritional info. Ppl would talk about good carbs/bad carbs, etc. & I had no clue what they meant.

It was also useful b/c all the NUT did was review what I was eating & make recommendations. She did not restrict anything although she really emphasized no calorie drinks. I understand why everytime I treat myself to a soda...the calories & carbs are ridiculous! I could have a good sandwich & side for what one 12 ounce soda 'cost' me.

I used to do handwritten tracking & then used a couple other online trackers. The handwritten was a pain & the trackers I used before MFP were a pain b/c they didn't always have the foods I ate. I just use my phone to track what I eat right after I am done & since it keeps your favorite foods in memory it literally takes me less than 3 minutes to enter. Plus, I have used my diary to search my low calorie/low carb days when I find myself straying. And I like the reports. AND I AM LAZY, TOO!

For me i eat whatever i can eat before surgery. I dont think this pre op diet is useful. 

This is what is so confusing to me...the different pre-op & post-op diets & recommendations!!!

I just had my last appt. before a surgery date is set, and the nurse really emphasized the need to follow the pre-op liquid diet...especially the protein drinks. She said the surgeon can tell if we do not follow the diet as our livers do not shrink thus causing possible problems during surgery.

I did ask why some surgeons do not require a pre-op diet & her response was she could not comment on them...she only knew mine did and his reasons for doing so.

I plan to follow the pre-op to be on the safe side...I am older & have a heart condition so I do not want to chance anything, but it really does make you wonder why ppl have different treatment plans!

You are right dear kathy 

for me the surgoun didnt mention anything about this issue. I knew about it lately after i joined this forum. Hope for the best for you. My advice to u is try to walk as soon as u can after surgery to get the gases out. 

It's never too soon to start working on the way you think and feel about food, and how you eat.  The surgery works for our stomachs, but we've got a lot of hard work to do to change our brains.  

That's awesome Suzy! I too really used this time to make changes. I hope it makes things after surgery easier to adjust. Either way I lost some weight and feel super good! Keep us updated on your surgery progress!