Question:
REQUIRED TO LOSE WEIGHT BEFORE SURGERY!!!

I have kaiser so i was referred to ucla medical center, they require everyone to lose some weight before surgery. I am having a horrible time with this I was required to lose 20-40lbs I lose the weight and do my best to keep it off and I send them documented weight loss which is required before they schedule you to see the surgeon again to get scheduled for surgery. The first time they gave me a date it was 3 months away I had gained the weight back. the second time I lost the weight again by the time my appointment came I had gained 3lbs because i was on my cycle. so they have scheduled me again. Has anyone else had this problem? If so do you have any suggestions? I was told by one of the staff members there I won't mention names to only drink isopure no solid foods and i will drop enough weight so i will have room to gain a few lbs. to me that is starving yourself and i thought u were supposed to b as healthy as possible before surgery.    — Cblthv (posted on February 22, 2006)

February 21, 2006
try this..... Liver Shrink or also called a protein sparing diet. Breakfast: 2.0 oz. of cooked lean meat or 1 egg/eggbeater 4 oz. veggies 8 oz. noncalorie beverages Mid Morning Snack: 8 oz noncalorie beverage 4 oz. veggies Lunch: 3-4 oz. cooked lean meat 4 oz. veggies 8 oz. non-calorie beverage mid afternoon snack: (same as mid morning allotment) Dinner: (same allotment as Lunch) Evening Snack: Same as all other snacks 4oz. cooked veggies= 1/2 C cooked or raw veggies 3oz protein= size of a deck cards/bar of soap Take a multivitamin with minerals daily, 1000mg of calcium daily (split 2xday) Drink at lest 64 oz fluids daily (calorie free...crystal lite, water, tea, coffee, broth, seltzer, club soda, artificial sweeteners are OK Meats: (NO SKIN, packed in h2o not oil)very lean burger, chicken, beef steak, turkey, egg whites, eggs, egg beaters, veal lean, lamb lean, pork lean, liver, fish (haddock, perch, cod, flounder, crab, halibut, tuna, shrimp are all low in fat) Veggies:sprouts, asparagus, bambooshoots, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cukes, peppers, lettuces, mushrooms, pickles, radishes, spinach, summersquash/zucchini, tomatoes, green/wax beans, collard/other greens, tomato juice FREE FOODS: sugar free hard candy, sugar free jello, sugar free ice pops, sugar free jellies and syrups, butter buds/mollymcbutter, horseradish, soy sauce, kitchen bouquet, vinegar, lemon juice, nonstick pam, bullion/broth, all herbs/spices, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, unsweetened pickles This diet is a 600-800 cal/day diet consisting of lean meats and veggies, with little carbs, it maximizes fat breakdown without losing lean muscle mass, fat is used as energy and the small amount of protein saves the lean tissue in the body :spares it". Diet is VERY limited and you may only have 1-2 bowel movements a week. EAT ALL Allowed veggies for bulk! Only to be used for short periods of time (1 mo or so)....You will be in ketosis on this diet so drink plenty of fluids to flush wastes out! You may notice sweet fruity breath, this is normal, it is the body's way of blowing of some ketones.... Good luck ! This was taken directly from my handout from the clinical nutritionist! Flo
   — Flo

February 22, 2006
Some surgeons do this other don't. There are people that physciall can not loose pre op - heck thats the reason you need the surgery in the first place. Personally I think it does not show you will be compliant post op. I don't belive in it; I personally would change surgeons; but alot of people don't have the opsion. sorry :(
   — star .

February 22, 2006
I also had to lose 5-10% of my weight for my insurance co as well as my dr. required a 10%, so I had to lose 34 lbs. My dr. requires his pts. to go on Medifast 5 times a day with non-calorie liquids. No eating. He knows pretty well how long it will take most ppl to lose the amount of weight they need to lose. It took my 10 weeks to lose 34 lbs. It really worked well. You can get medifast on their internet site.
   — vanhoose

February 22, 2006
I was required to lose 10%; which was 35 lbs, I've only lost 20 but they are doing surgery anyway (2/27).. I have a hard time losing; due to age, diabetes, menopause - it all messes you up.. But having the lap band, losing is more then just showing that you're serious, as my surgeon explained to me, it has to do with the fat around your liver and stomach, it's the first to melt away when you begin losing. So he gave me the liquid diet, and what I ate and continue to eat now is this; 1 packet of instant oatmeal (weight contol, cinnamon) with an apple for breakfast, lunch is a salad with dressing of your choice; meat as your choice and at night I have a protein shake with strawberries or other frozen fruit (comes out the consistency of a shake and very filling).. I still struggled so I joined a gym and all I did was 20 minutes on the treadmill (1 week before pre-op) and followed the above plan and I lost 6lbs in the one week.. You have to find what works for you.. Good luck and God Bless.. Vickie
   — armymom85

February 22, 2006
I forgot one other thing; I was also drinking 4 of the .5 liter bottles of water a day..
   — armymom85

February 22, 2006
the Atkins diet works great you stay full, lose really fast, but once you go off it the weight comes back. but if you could stay on it tell surgery you would be o.k.. It is all protein they want you to have a lot of that after surgery so why not before. Best wishes.
   — 2besexy1

February 22, 2006

   — sor09

February 22, 2006
hi , i have kaiser too and ucla wanted me to lose 12 to 24lbs before i can get a date and i was weighed in on jan 19th at ucla at 239 and now im down to 228 as of this morning , so im going to a nutrition clas tomorrow at ucla and in the morning before i go i will go to kaiser and be weighed in so i can have that faxed over to ucla . and hopefully i can get a date . what i have been doing is this , i drink a protein shake for breakfast or i have a bannana, for lunch i have 1 chicken breast from elpollo with out the skin or i mak it at home or i have tuna in water with a little of fat free mayo and pepper in it . on some lettuce , snack i have a protein shake and for dinner another shake or some cottage cheese with some fruit in it .like a pear or apple , and i drink about 96 oz of water a day or sf crystal light . thats what has been working for me plus i go to the ymca 3 days a week and work out . hope this helps you some . rebecca basra
   — LUVROSE4U

February 22, 2006
I had to lose forty pounds before my surgery. My doctor prescibed Phentermine 37.5 and I lose and average 12 pounds a week.
   — keatta

February 23, 2006
I usually just read, but i had to comment on this one. My surgeon is VERY strict on the weight loss requirement. I was so mad about it at first. I understand why now. The thing is you have to ask yourself just how bad you want this. I wanted to have this surgery. I did everything that the doctor said. I grumbeled about it, but I did it. I went on a liquid diet and stuck to it. Good luck
   — tiffanys

February 24, 2006
My surgeon requires his patients to go on a two week liquid diet before surgery. Here is a run down of the sheet I was given. Nutritional supplement like Carnation Instant Breakfast, SlimFast or Optifast ( anything with high protien and low calories), sugar free jello, and a simple salad with Fat Free dressing in small amounts or oil and vinegar. Don't forget to take your vitamins and other supplements. Continue to loose the weight and when ever you are getting a few pounds heavier try doing the liquid diet for a couple of days. Then two weeks prior to your appointment go on the liquid diet strickly.
   — Juju B

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