What to eat (drink?) on 2 week pre-op diet?

And I guess this would also apply to the 1 month post-op diet as well.I know the deal is "full liquids" but you still have to keep your calories to no more than 1000-1200. I'm thinking five protein shakes (800), one tomato soup (120) and maybe a Greek yogurt (100). And, of course, lots and lots of Snapple Diet Peach iced tea (0).

Does this sound reasonable to you? Any other suggestions or advice. Pre-op diet starts 4-18, surgery on 5-2.

Scared a bit but looking forward to this.

I did lots of protein shakes. My pre-op diet was 2 meals were shakes and one small meal for dinner. Though, right before surgery I got really sick lol, basically could barely get broth in. I don't think that sounds bad, as long as you're getting your food in before surgery. Calories, I'm not sure about. My surgeon did not give me a calorie target for my pre-op diet, just one for post op which I have yet to follow. At over a year out, I don't think I could get 1200 calories in me without just feeling stuffed all day long.

That's weird. My doc doesn't want any solid foods pre-op for two weeks or post-op for a month.

Definitely didn't have solid foods post-op. I did all protein shakes after and sugar free pop-sickles and sugar free kool-aid. For a "treat" I poured lemon juice over crushed ice for a sort of slushie.

Programs vary all over the map, with pre-op diet restrictions from months out to just the day (or night) before surgery with menus similarly variable from all liquids to just some simple caloric restriction. Likewise, post op diets will vary in length, composition and progression rates - you will find some allowed steak at the same point others are still on liquids. The best thing to do is to follow your program's instructions (as you hired them for their advice and guidance) and work with them on any problems and concerns that arise. But, what you suggest seems reasonable for a "typical" liquid pre-op diet (if there is such a thing.)

It's not weird, actually.

Every surgeon and clinic has their own regulations.

Two weeks post op, I had a protein shake for breakfast and 1 cup steamed veggies and 4 ounces of baked chicken or turkey for lunch and dinner.

One week, I went to four shakes a day. 48 hours prior, clear liquids only.

I started soft foods (scrambled eggs, oatmeal, cheeses) 7 days post-op.

Thank you.

Who knew there was so much variation between what surgeons want. You would think there'd be some standardization. After all, human bodies are human bodies. They don't vary from surgeon to surgeon.

Doctors go by what they've learned in training combined with their personal experiences.

A surgeon who had a patient with a serious leak attributed to foods eaten is likely to incorporate a MUCH more conservative diet advancement than a surgeon who hasn't.

I worked with an ER doc who early in his residency had a patient have a very rare reaction to a medication, and has for his entire career been overly conservative in his use of that medication.

When they went through training greatly affects their practice. Someone who went through decades ago gets a completely different training than someone who went through less than a decade ago. Medical knowledge increases VERY fast, and most physicians are NOT able to keep up with the absolute deluge of new studies, protocols, etc. even when they have a narrow specialty.

Also, developing industry-wide standard protocols is very difficult. It requires a great deal of scientific research and clear evidence of certain things promoting the best outcomes. Even when these protocols are developed, it's hard to get physicians to change their practices when they may have had personal experience that contradicts what the new protocol says.

My surgeon is young, though very accomplished, so her protocols are much less conservative than many others I've seen. I had a 2-week pre-op diet that was essentially the SlimFast plan with better protein shakes. 2-3 shakes a day and a "healthy" dinner, and was even allowed "healthy" snacks. She only requires a liquid only diet pre-op if there is clear evidence of liver enlargement. Post-op she does full liquids also allowing yogurt (smooth only, no fruit chunks or similar) and pudding for 2 weeks. She skips puree completely and moves you to soft foods at 2 weeks but advises adding foods one at a time in very small amounts. I was generally on a full diet by 6 weeks post-op.

But other surgeons who also have excellent reputations take a MUCH more conservative approach. A friend who had another surgeon in the area was on full liquid only 2 weeks prior, and then CLEAR liquid only (allowed clear protein drinks) for 2 weeks post, then full liquids 2 weeks, then puree 2 weeks, soft food 2 weeks, etc... My friend's outcome was about the same as mine, but he didn't get to a full diet until about 10-12 weeks post.

It's honestly not a case of right or wrong. It's a case of being comfortable with your surgeon and his/her protocols. You should have a full understanding of your surgeon's protocols BEFORE going under the knife, and sorting out any concerns well before. If you're comfortable with your surgeon and his/her experience, follow what they say, period. You're trusting them to cut on you, trust them to guide your prep and recovery as well.

Exactly. And, both the surgeon and patient can bring influences to the table - some surgeons will vary their pre-op protocol depending upon the patient's BMI or other history. The practice that my wife and I used has been primarily doing the DS for the past 25 years, so they tend to have a different perspective on many things than practices that have been more RNY centric; for instance, they have little problem with using NSAIDs appropriately as the sleeve based procedures are relatively resilient in that regard compared to the RNY which is very averse to them - many RNY surgeons have no doubt had some bad experiences with their bypass patients using those meds, so that carries over into their VSG protocols. Intellectually they know that the procedures are quite different with different characteristics, but can't get over the bad experiences they may have had early on.

Like AntiChick's team, we had a fairly rapid progression post op (mushy and soft stuff along with liquids from the hospital on out) because that is what their experience indicates is the best approach for their patients - they have found that patients do better the sooner (within reason) they get into real foods, though there will be individual variations that they can deal with.

One common rationale for the pre-op diets is to "shrink" or otherwise improve the condition of the liver prior to surgery, to give them more room to maneuver in there, while this seems to be a debated topic amongst the surgeons (as to how much improvement can actually be achieved with a couple weeks' dieting), some are very adamant about the need for it while others don't feel that it's a real issue at all. One surgeon I know doesn't want his patients doing such diets as he feels that they are stronger and healthier going into surgery if they haven't been fasting for weeks ahead of time.

Some programs do more pre-op testing (endoscopies and ultrasounds in particular) than others, as it seems that some docs want to know exactly what they will be facing when they go in and want to have everything planned out, while others are comfortable doing what is needed as needed - no big deal if they need to fix a hiatal hernia or remove the gallbladder is such is indicated.

Personal philosophy weighs into it as well - some want their patients to lose X amount of weight before surgery, or do a simulated post-op diet to get them used to it, often as a means of testing the patient's compliance and resolve (as if they haven't already become experienced at short term dieting...) while others feel that if the patient could do it on their own, what do they need surgery for? It's all a big YMMV thing on both sides of the table.

Plan your meals according to the information from your surgeon, both before and after the surgery, period. The pre-op diet is designed to reduce your liver size, get a few pounds off before surgery, and overall decrease the chance of complications. The post-op diet is for your safety, and it's dangerous to deviate from it. (see link in my sig for a complete run-down on why it's not "cheating" when you deviate from your post-op instructions)

Each surgeon has their own pre- and post-op diets, so what I had is unlikely to match what you have. Surgeons also sometimes have to customize the eating plans for a specific patient.