Question:
Did anyone have to fill out a food diary before surgery?

I am curious because I will be self-paying for my consultation and I would rather not spend the money if I can find out now if I am eating too much or too little to be a good candidate for surgery. My BMI is 41 so I know I qualify there. If there are an post-op patients who can tell me what their pre-op diet was I would really appreciate it. Thanks a million. :)    — [Anonymous] (posted on April 27, 2001)

April 27, 2001
My dr told me not to diet and keep a food journal for 1 month. After that month my dr looked over the journal and that is how he determined which surgery would work best from my eating habits.
   — [Anonymous]

April 27, 2001
I was required to keep a food log for 2 weekdays and one weekend day prior to my initial consult. However, After that, I kept a food log for 3 month pre-op and would be glad to share some of it with you. My reason for doing this was multiple. First, I wanted to start thinking like a post-op person as I knew my food habits would be hard to break over night. Second, I really wanted to lose weight before surgery and finally, I wanted to be in the best health possible for surgery. I had (and still have) a "nutrition" buddy (not a surgical buddy but just a good friend that is nutrition minded). We daily send each other a log of the foods we ate, and how we felt for the day. It was very interesting to see the equation of emotion and food choices. I lost 43 pounds pre-op just by being mindful of what I put in my mouth. My profile details this.
   — smummert