Pre- op diet question

I am on day 5 of my 2 week pre-op diet. For the most part it is going ok. This week I had to work extra hours so I will have 72 hours in by the end of the week. Because I work long hours and have an hour travel time to and from my house I have to space out my food quite a bit. I also have been working nights the last couple of days and have to continue on nights until I get off on Monday morning. I get up at 3:30 PM and do not get home until 8:00 AM, I try to be in bed by 9. I am feeling like my brain is really slow (brain fog), like I have zero energy, and I am kind of feeling zombie like for the first several hours at work.

This is the schedule I am using to eat by now:

7:30 PM 2 cups of broth

9 - 9:30 PM protein shake

11:30 - 12 AM the one meal I am allowed to have (4 ounces chicken or fish / 2 cups non starch vegetable )

3:00 - 3:30 2 containers of sugar free Jell-O

5:30 protein shake

So I am going from 5:30 AM until 7:30 PM without any sustenance at all. Any suggestions on how to change something around to make this work better for me. Do you think that if I added more broth that it would help with the lack of energy and brain fog. I am at my limit with shakes and my meal, but I can add more Jell-O and broth.

I just have to get through this week. Next week I only work 2 days and I will be on day shift so I know I can get through that pretty easily.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Is there any reason you can't split up the 5:30 protein drink? Maybe drink half at 5:30 and the other half when you get up?

keep pushing through, this is the toughest part :) and it's worth it

Thanks - I hadn't even thought about splitting up my shakes - I may try doing that with both of them. I will not give up - I have come way to far to turn back now. Thanks again for your suggestion.

I know you are on a limited amount of food pre-surgery so this advice is for later. I worked the graveyard shift for 28 years. What I found to work for me was to eat 5-6 regular sized meals on my first day back as I was awake for 24 hours. When I crashed and slept like a zombie, I only ate 1-2 meals and a small snack. It was too difficult to be awake and functioning for 24 hours on so little food and on the weekend, I sure didn't need to eat so much when I would wake, sleep, wake and sleep until I was rested. So, modifying this for after WLS, I would probably eat every 3 hours that I was awake except for the last 5 hours before bed.

Thanks so much for the info. I will definitely be trying this.

Are you allowed sugar-free popsicles? I loved having them in the evening they were a great option. If you're allowed SF beverages it's pretty much the same thing only frozen.

I am allowed sugar-free popsicles. I guess I could try eating that before I left the house and when I get home from work. Thanks for the idea.

Sugar free ice - pops were a life saver for me! I still enjoy them and they get counted towards your daily water intake.

You can do this! :)

I split my veggies so I had something in my stomach other than liquid more than once a day. I don't know if that would help, in addition to splitting the protein drink.

You know you really don't need more than what you are eating right now. What you are dealing with now is the yucky phase we all go through while doing the pre-surgery diet. Just keep drinking fluids and you will be surprised at how you get used to doing without what you once thought was vitally important. Head hunger is a terrible thing. Start getting used to ignoring it now. The symptoms you are dealing with are due to your body going through withdrawals from sugar caffeine and carbs - it will get better.

Some of us only had protein drinks, water and sugar free popsicles for two - three weeks before surgery so it can be done. This is the hardest part but you will get through it. Keep up the hard work!

Ceci