Question:
Pre Op Diet Suggestions Please

Hello everyone!! I was told by the surgeon to start doing these things while waiting for everything to be submitted to the insurance and I wanted some suggestions and opinions for this. 1. Take multi vitamins-I ordered those pre op Bariatric Advantage a month ago 2.Take B-12 3. B complex 4. Vitamin C 5. Start a Protein supplement (need some suggestions) 6. Lose 10 lbs!! Now I have been good at losing at least 10-20 lbs but since he said do this I feel lost! Please if anyone has/had any pre-op suggestions or personal touches I would be more than grateful to have them. I was considering Medifast because I have used ths product before but I am not sure it is good to use it right now. I know I know a million in one diets that I could possiblely do but for some reason I am really tripping hard to make this work since I have been had so many set backs that weren't related to this!!!    — Papoose79 (posted on August 4, 2009)

August 4, 2009
Tracy; Part of the prep for my surgery (RNY) required by my surgeon was a six week liquid diet of Medifast. I had to have five shakes a day which was equal to 500 calories. I was required to lose 10% of my body weight before the surgery. Part of the reason for this was to "shrink" my liver making surgery easier (laparoscopic). Everyone whether RNY or banding was required to do this but it was medically supervised as I had an appointment once a week in the clinic to have my vitals checked and be weighed. Hope this helps. Oh and the vitamin I take and the only one is Bariatric Fusion it covers everything taken four times a day.
   — mmartel1

August 4, 2009
Hi Tracy...I started my weight loss journey in October - 6 months before my surgery. I started out by making an appointment with my surgeon's registered dietician. She explained to me that after surgery, I would be eating 75% protein and 25% carbs, with very low fat. She suggested that I begin following the regimen beginning right then, so that I was already into a healthy eating pattern by the time I had my surgery. I was never a breakfast person, usually not eating until one or two in the afternoon, then having dinner, and that was all. I could never figure out why I wasn't losing weight, because I really wasn't eating a lot. But, she put the kibosh on that pattern. I was now to begin eating SIX meals per day. One within an hour of waking up, one mid-morning, one at around noon, one mid-afternoon, one at dinner time (around 6) and a snack one hour before bed. I learned to love EggBeaters with a reduced-fat cheese and some fat-free chopped turkey breast and mushrooms scrambled into it for breakfast (or one of those high fiber oatmeals like Kashi or Active Lifestyle), and maybe a stick of Weight Watchers String Cheese for mid-morning snack, and grilled Tilapia or tuna salad made with low fat mayo and a half a cup of vegetables or fruit for lunch, then a hard boiled egg for mid-afternoon snack, then more fish, chicken, or turkey for dinner, and either a protein shake or some yogurt or fat-free Jell-O pudding for my late night snack. The whole idea was to keep the calorie count for each meal at about 200. Then, in between, I had to drink 64 ounces of water at the very least. That was the hardest part. I am just not a water drinker.... lucky for me, I found Nestles Flavor Splash, and when I couldn't find that in the store, I found Aqua Fina had a "flavor splash" type of drink as well. They both had zero calories, carbs, proteins, etc.... everything except sodium.... And I've got to tell you. My surgeon let us eat all the way up until two days before surgery, then the day before, we were on clear liquids, with nothing after midnight on the day of surgery. We didn't even have to do a bowel cleanse... just take a stool softener for three days before, and a laxative the night before surgery. So, as you'll see from all the answers you'll get here, all surgeons are different. I could not have survived on a 4 week liquid diet. But, by eating the way the nutritionist told me to, I lost 27 pounds before surgery, and he was ecstatic.
   — Erica Alikchihoo

August 4, 2009
My doc had me drink two Atkins Advantage shakes a day and eat one "sensible" meal (3-4 oz protein, and half cup non-starchy vegetable). I lost pretty good on this for the two weeks pre op. I also took 200 mg Co-Q-10. He has his patients continue this until six months post op. It's an antioxidant and can do nothing but help.
   — rkurquhart

August 5, 2009
Hi Tracy! My bariatric clinic has a few pre op rules too, that will be utilized after the surgery as well. Eat three scheduled meals a day and have each meal last no shorter than 20 mins and no longer than 30. It sounds hard but it isn't when you consider the follwing rules... 7 RULES OF SUCCESS 1. Protein first~the first 4 bites should be protein 2. vitamins, 3. Exercise, 4. Journal~ I am 13 months out and still do. 5. Chew each bite atleast 20 times 6. Wait 5 minutes between bites 7. Stop drinking 30 minutes BEFORE eating, NO DRINKING WHILE EATING, and wait 45-60 minutes AFTER a meal to begin drinking again. ~this is because you will flush what you ate out of the pouch, and you will feel empty faster and your body wil not have time to absorb the nutrients out of the food, as it will be flushed into the bowels quickly. I have been successful so far, I met goal in 9.5 months and have not regained any weight. I did a lil problem stopping losing, but I am doing good now. Follwoing these rules helped me to lose the required weight loss prior to surgery. Hope they help you and everyone else too. Hugs n God Bless, Kim
   — gpcmist