I don't know if I can do this!!

You absolutely will lose weight of you restrict yourself to bariatric shakes, and your liver will shrink as well. Shakes and lots of water are a great prep for surgery. I used Bariatric Fusion protein powder, and still have one or sometimes two shakes/drinks a day. Four of those a day during pre-op gave me 108 grams of protein at 600 calories per day. I had been eating much more than that befoe and dropped weight nicely. Plus my surgeon said that my RnY went "perfectly". My liver was definitely reduced.

losing weight doesn't make your liver shrink.

Burning the slippery surface that eating carbs makes appear on your liver is what makes your liver shrink.thatscwhy a low to no carb diet is necessary.

Just make sure you're drinking low carb drinks to lose weight, and not the ones to bulk up for weightlifters.

Sure you can do it! Almost all of us had some sort of pre-op diet we had to be on, not all of us were lucky enough to be on full liquids! I was on clear liquids and protein shakes for 2 weeks prior to surgery, and one week post-surgery...a total of 21 days!. No yogurt, no cream soups, no SF pudding, none of that.

You just have to remember that you are doing this for a reason, and it's just 1 week. Believe me, if I got through it, you can, too!

And no, I wasn't "starving" on the post-surgery clear liquid diet. Your stomach is swollen and healing, and getting your fluids in will not be easy, and will take all day probably. You'll have protein shakes, and plenty of fluids to fill you up. Plus, all the nerves in your stomach will have been cut and you won't "feel" anything when it comes to fullness or hunger. You might have acid that mimics hunger, or head hunger, but you won't be feeling actual hunger pangs like you may be now.

I feel like it would be easier for me if I could have cream soup, SF pudding...my plan says strained soups (whatever that is) and SF yougurt...noting about pudding. I called the dietitian but no word back yet

Strained soups means no lumps, so essentially broth. From what I've read here, that also means creamy soups that have been strained...cream of potato, cream of chicken, etc. You just have to run them through a fine strainer to get out all the lumpy veggie or meat pieces.

This isn't about what's easy for you. It's about what will make the surgery safe and successful.

WLS is NOT easy.

I highly recommend Syntrax Nectar protein powder. I like the Crystal Sky flavor. I add 1 scoop to 24-32oz of water. You get 23g protein per scoop.

I sincerely suggest you avoid ice cream altogether. I wouldn't consider ice cream to be a good match for reducing your liver, and even a sugar-free or reduced sugar version can trigger a slide into sugary-carb-craving hell. But then ice cream was my favorite drug, I could go through it like you wouldn't believe! My ice cream habit was probably responsible for more than half of my excess weight. Ice cream is definitely not my friend; we have parted ways, and I thank God for that!

I had 4 protein shakes made with water every day for my 2-week pre-op diet, and was happy to have lost 18 pounds. Some of the protein shakes are quite tasty, and surprisingly filling once you get past the first few days, which can be challenging. Plus the protein they provide will help your body to heal. Best of luck to you!

You can do it. It sucks. The pre-op diet and the liquid diets just suck for everyone. The first 3-4 days tend to be the worst. This probably is a bad time to add "substitute" foods to your diet, like ice cream. Stick to protein shakes and SF popsicles. Keep super busy and remind yourself why you're doing this.