Day Two of Pre-Op Diet

Drinking protein shakes pre-op always seemed self-defeating to me. I think of protein shakes as an easy way to get in calories when your stomach is too small and swollen to eat real food.

My pre-op diet was to give up anything white. Nothing with sugar, flour, rice, bread, potatoes, cereal, corn or any other starchy food. Just lean meat and low-carb vegetables. Also gave up diet sodas, coffee, and using straws for six months before surgery.

Increased water to 80 ounces or more a day and one hour a day of exercise.

I did not lose any weight on my pre-op diet, which helped me to realize that I really did need the surgery.

-- What she said.

I also worked on giving up carbs, quit all form of soda (anything carbonated), worked on learning to take small bites, measuring/weighing portions, and understanding why I was obese.

My focus was on working on my Binge Eating and finding my triggers to overeat and new coping devices.

Protein shakes and one meal of lean protein and vegetables is the pre-op diet that I'll follow for two weeks prior to surgery. Protein shakes are perfect for me as I don't have time to make a healthy breakfast before work and would usually skip it, then snack all morning at my desk.

As I said, I'm doing a week of of the pre-op diet to kick-start myself as well as prove to myself that I can do it. I have already cut out all processed foods (which is where most of the American over-consumption of sugar comes from) since January 1st. I also don't eat rice or potatoes (I'll have roasted baby potatoes once in awhile). But I'm a compulsive over-eater, and it's just as easy to gain weight eating too much "good" foods.

I've lost 33 lbs since Jan 1, and 9 lbs of that is just in these last 4 days. Following the pre-op guidelines have been pretty easy for me; I was worried about the weekend but I made it! I also made some buffalo bone broth...oh man, that's so good!

I'll go back to eating my "new normal" way on Thursday and then 2 weeks before surgery I'll do this pre-op diet again.

Does your surgeon allow alcohol during the pre-op diet?

Just catching up on your blog and wanting to give you a heads up if you haven't already got one. Alcohol postop is absolutely not recommended, even "in moderation". Besides the obvious transfer addiction risk, it also put tremendous stress on organs already maxed out from rapid weight loss.

First, thanks for reading my blog, Amy!

No, alcohol is not part of the pre or post-op plan. LOL! I'm not into drinking that much anymore anyway, but I really felt like some chardonnay last week (or week before?). It wasn't so great - first time I've had any alcohol since January 1st. It's definitely not worth the calories. There has been lots going on at my house, including my middle boy (I have three Bernese Mountain Dogs) has lymphoma and will be crossing the bridge probably soon.

I don't plan on drinking alcohol at all post-surgery at least until I reach goal, and probably not then either. Honestly, I'm going to miss coffee more than chardonnay!

And I do know about and will be mindful of the possibility of addiction transfer...my therapist and I have already talked about that. I'm just really hoping that my food addiction transfers to exercise, rather than shopping!

When I went in for my first bariateic session, I didn't realize that they would have me quit wine and sparkling waters that day (6 months early). I went with it because I want to be successful! I missed the sparkling waters more than the wine and I missed the coffee during the one week no coffee post op more than anything, lol! Now that I have the coffee back, I don't even think about the wine and very rarely about the sparkling water!