Question:
What do I tell the dieatician?

I have to go to see a dietician and need to know what info to say or what to withhold. I got the pamphlet from them today and it asked all kind of questions. Has anyone that is post op been through this before?    — Big_Sassy (posted on June 12, 2005)

June 12, 2005
Hey Denise, My surgery is tomorrow, June 13, and I would advise you not to without anything from your surgery team, that includes your dietician. They are there to help you and they need your help to do that properly. Start your experience on a positive note. Good luck.
   — Patricia C.

June 12, 2005
Shame on you! Asking what you should withhold from your medical team is offensive. We have all been in your position at some and wanted our surgery very badly, but lying is not the answer. You need to tell the whole truth no matter how if effects your chances. Your dietician plays just as great a role in your (positive)outcome as your surgeon does. Please dont ask the very people that have walked in those shoes and faced our demons to help you "fudge" it. I know you want your surgery very bad, but this is not the correct way to go about it. You will soon find that having this surgical tool is more about accountability than you could have ever imagined. Christy Riederer R.N.-B.S.N.'s Open RNY 4/8/04 (Starting weight 265lb.,-136lbs. Currently 129 and at goal!)
   — Tiny Pixie

June 12, 2005
Lord, tell her everything, the truth, that is the only way she can truly help you. Sissy
   — Karen W.

June 12, 2005
I can understand your question, and I don't think that you meant it to come accross the way it did. I'm sure that you want the surgery very bad, however it is imperatie that we remain as honest as possible throughout the whole process. Good Luck sweetie, Plain old Aliya-no letters here...
   — njcocoa

June 12, 2005
Denise, Please, whatever you do, do not withhold any info from your dietician. You are not really on a pass or fail with them. If you have a problem with something, they help you work with it and even though your surgery may be postponed a bit, it will be worth it. My dietician is with me for life. If I forgot to mention anything, she would have found out sooner or later and you definitely don't want to risk damaging that relationship. Good Luck. Kelly
   — Kelly MzKelz Valdez

June 12, 2005
Oh, and I forgot to mention. To answer the first part of your question. They are going to ask about your prior diet plans and so you should have your list of prior attempts with you and my office had me start a daily food log the day I made the appointment and I was to bring that to the dietician appointment and she looked at it and went through it with a fine-tooth comb, per se. Be prepared to talk about alcohol consumption and everything else that gets put into your mouth but also be prepared to talk about why you put it there and how much and if you truly feel you could change these bad habits. Hope this helps, Kelly
   — Kelly MzKelz Valdez

June 13, 2005
Hello Ms Denise! I am a dietitian and wanted to let you know that our role is to support you in your journey, not to judge you. If you find that your dietitian is not supportive, or is judgemental, or doesnt have the experience with WLS, then you may decide to seek out someone who can expertly guide you through. My typical first visit with a patient is as follows: Types of diets you followed in the past- what worked and why do you think? Structure? What types of foods you eat now and your eating pattern (do you eat out alot and how do we work with that after surgery?) or even, how can we adjust your family's meals to support you post op. Allergies to foods Activity pattern Of course, ht, weight, bmi 24 hour recall, fluid intake. Are you a sweet beverage drinker or caffiene drinker? I then review the post op meal pattern with the person to help them understand the diet changes post op, we also discuss how they may deal with things with regard to lifestyle changes after surgery. Pills/medications you are on now, if you are a diabetic, what your BG and A1c are. The red flags for me are : uncontrolled binging and purging because they can harm you after surgery (if this is in the past and is controlled and has been, its not usually an issue) another red flag for me is large quanitities of alcohol intake and binge drinking patterns. Again, this is only a small representation of what we may go into, but I wanted you to feel a little at ease and have some info prepared. Much luck! Natalie
   — majorcat

June 13, 2005
Hi Denise, I asked this very same thing of posties 3 years ago when I was waiting to have surgery and hoping to qualify at every turn, so I'm going to tell you what they told me, and what my nutritionist told me after the fact. On the good side, they are going to work with you on an eating plan you can live with post op and determine your weak points to help you manage the very different way you will be eating and digesting food after surgery. On the BAD side, they WILL be determining if they should recommend you for surgery (and they have the power to help postpone your date)or not based on your answers to questions about binge eating, purging and other eating "disorders", because they consider you should get those mental issues "fixed" before attempting surgery and it could mean one or more years added to the waiting to qualify for surgey if they decide you are not emotionally well enough to alter your habits. I was borderline, as I always ate for comfort, hid food in the house and in my car, and I tried to "cheat" often on the pre-surgery diet (even later as a post op)...would have certainly gained everything back were it not for the surgery, so it DID help me in that way, but I dealt with extreme emotional pain because I loved food so much. I wondered many times Post Op, WHY I did I do this, especially when my old friends wanted to go to the usual Sunday Brunch/buffets and I could not eat the 3 plate-fulls I used to...I killed my relationship with food by my RnY. Didn't want to alter my sweet tooth to healthy eating, stuck my heels in the ground, but the surgery forces this in you, and you dump and sweat and feel like you want to die when you stray too far off the proper diet. If you really believe you want and deserve and can handle what this surgery does, then you have a price to pay and it is eating healthy and giving up the relationship with food you had before. I also had a huge list of every diet I was ever on from teenage hood until now...every slim fast, miracle juice, cabbage soup, sweastin to the oldies tape, gym, jenny, weight watchers, deal a meal, diuretics...everything. I wish you all the best on your journey. Don't let anyone on here tell you "shame on you", because we are all human beings and we all have a bond of wanting and needing this surgery. I hope things go well at your appointment. Love from Kathy in MA
   — Kathy A C.