What Diet???

Other than the day before the surgery, Dr. Garber said NOTHING to me about a pre-op diet. I keep reading about people on Pre-Op diets! Am I mistaken? HELP! My surgery is less than a week away. Thanks! -Karen

I only had to have clear liquids the day before surgery. No other pre-op diet! Good Luck to you! I sent you an email! Lisa 371/186/140

Hi Lisa, I called and spoke to Donna Franco and got the same info! I thought I had to have missed some important directions and was doomed LOL! I guess it's pre-op jitters Thanks for the reply! -Karen

My surgery was on a Thursday so Monday and Tuesday i did a liquid diet with any liquids at all ****s count) then on Wednesday i was on clear liquids......it was helpful for liver shrinking AND for pooping. Good Luck, ANDI

Hi Andi....LOL the Pooping part made me laugh In a way I think it's good to start 3-4 days prior to get over the sugar withdrawal!! thanks again, karen

if you haven't already, you might want to look into and sample some various protien shakes... or a protein/vitamin shake combo.... since you'll HAVE to drink them post-op, it makes sense to find one you like BEFORE you NEED it. even those "meal replacement" pre-made shakes... like Ensure High Protein, or Boost +Protein will help get you used to getting your main nourishment from liquid substances, as it doesn't seem "natural" to be getting nourishment from something you have to chew. getting used to all that is hard enough when you feel OK.... add on top of that, the fact that you may very well feel weak, sick, hungry, and generally feel crappy won't make it an easy transition. if they haven't given you any specific instructions on what TO or NOT TO do (other than clears the day before) you're choices are pretty open. A friend of mine, who had RNY a little over a year ago, went out to a "farewell dinner" to her favorite restaurant 2 days before her surgery... she was saying farewell to her soon-to-be former fat self. She ordered her favorite foods as sort of a "last hurrah" What I plan to do when I get scheduled, is start about a week or so before... replacing meals (one at a time... not all in one day) with some sort of shake or shake/vitamin combo. Depending on the procedure and your surgeon, they will likely pump out your stomach contents... the way I understand it, your stomach (with normal eating intervals) never COMPLETELY empties of food... that there's always SOME sort of "sludge" in there... switching to softer foods or liquids ahead of time will give that "sludge" a better chance to vacate and SHOULD make things go smoother during the procedure.

Be carefule with some of those Ensure and boost protein shakes because they are high in sugar. Especially the Ensure High Protein ones. With RNY you cannot have high sugars and right after surgery, you may not tolerate more ths 3-4 grams for a short period of time

Sorry if I misled...I understand that... I only suggested those brands as an easy (premade, readily available at any supermarket) means to get started PRE-op... to get used to drinking your meals.

Hi Karen, My doctor required me to lose at least 5lbs prior to surgery. Some of my other friends had to lose much more. The heavier you are the more he asked. This was one of his requirements before he would do the surgery. The reason is because dieting helps the liver size decrease. When you overeat, your liver get bigger and this makes it more dangerous to do the surgery. Check with your doctor, Every doctor is different. But for Dr. Ahmad, it was a requirement, not an option. Good luck with your surgery! I'll chat with you on the losing side! Maryellen WLS 7/31/06 and already down 35lbs!

Maryellen...By The way...I work out by you! Right by MacArthur Airport on Vets! And...my Dad lives in Oakdale off of Oakdale-Bohemia Road Hugsssss, Karen