Newb questions again! - ThinnerTimes

tim5ny · 04-28-2007, 04:14 PM

Well, I have my surgery date for June 28 as some may already know. So after my first consult and weigh-in they gave me a month before my next appointment to come in and get weighed again. My insurance is very good and does not require me to lose any weight prior to surgery, but the Doctor said to go home and throw away all the food in your house and just have 3 pre-packaged meals a day and no more. ( Lean Cuisine was his suggestion) . Well if I could do that then I wouldn't be there for the surgery. ( I didn't tell him that) He wants his patients to lose weight so that their liver will shrink. My sister had the same operation 2 years ago at the famed Duke University, and they didn't ask her to lose any weight pre-op. They only insist on a no-carb diet 7 days pre-op to shrink the liver. ( clear liquids the day or two before of course) Well.. here's what happened with me. I quit my second job which I'd worked for 15 years one week after my initial visit to the Doctor. It was an active job, so I found myself doing alot less activity the last month, and guess what? I gained 8 pounds when I went back in for my second weigh in. The woman said because of your weight gain of 8 pounds, I'll have to schedule another consultation with the Doctor. I asked if it would push my surgery date back.. and she said it could if I keep gaining. I asked he when the next weigh-in was and she said 2 weeks. I said.. let me come back in two weeks and if I haven't lost some than you can schedule another consult. She said ok. I have 8 days left till I get weighed and I still haven't lost anything. Help!! Starving is so hard to do! I'm trying to exercise, and I'm taking Diurex for two days now. Will Diurex help me lose a few pounds of water for next Monday??

MILA · 04-28-2007, 08:52 PM

You should try to figure out another way to lose some weight - dehydrating yourself is NOT the way to go. Come to grips with the fact you are about to embark on a serious lifestyle change - one you must commit to or your surgery will likely not work for you. I suggest you follow your doc's instructions and if you have to supplement the 3 meals a little bit, try adding something high in protein so it satisfies your hunger. The pre- op , weight loss stage is a bitch for most, no doubt about it - but shrinkingg that liver might make the difference in your doc's ability to see what he is doing inside your body - SO GET WITN THE PROGRAM. WALK WALK WALK !

good luck!!

tim5ny · 04-28-2007, 09:43 PM

Thanks for the input. I did start to incorporate exercise in my regiment as of late in the form of walking and doing some stairclimbing, but it's the time constraint that I'm concerned with. Let's face it! How much fat can you burn in 14 days? A few pounds?, but getting some extra water weight off doesn't hurt either, especially when you retain as much water as me. I'm like a sponge. I feel like alot of people who've had the surgery have forgotten what it was like when they had their football-sized stomachs. How they failed at EVERY diet they tried. How insatiable their hunger was when they had a stomach that could stretch enough to hold a couple of gallons. I might be the same way when I have a one ounce pouch, but I hope not.

Thank you Mila! I always like reading your posts.

cnvh · 04-29-2007, 07:19 AM

I had to do an 8-day pre-op liquid diet (also to shrink the liver and quickly shed some weight, both of which make surgery easier). Mine was 6 servings (each mixed w/ 8 oz. of skim or 1% milk) of no-sugar-added Carnation Instant Breakfast per day, and that was it. No salads, no soups-- just NSA CIB. I was allowed to have a cup of fat-free broth or buillion if I had a craving, but that was the only "cheat" allowed. (Of course, I also had to drink lots and lots of sugar-free/non-carbonated fluids as well, 48+ oz. I believe.)

And in those 8 days, I lost 13 lbs. So yes, it is DEFINITELY possible to lose a significant amount of weight by the time you have your next weigh-in.

The trick with the liquid diet is that you just HAVE TO STICK IT OUT, because believe it or not, it DOES get a lot easier by day 3 or 4... The first two days, for me, were torture-- but by day 3, I wasn't really hungry anymore, and the NSA CIB was more than sufficient to keep me going throughout the day. By the end of it, I had to force myself to get in all 6 servings because my appetite had all but disappeared.

Think about it this way-- a liquid diet is a great way to get yourself into the mindset of what early life is going to look like for you right after surgery-- for the first few weeks, you will ONLY be able to have small amounts of liquids and purees, so you're going to have to get used to that idea one way or another. Lots of people don't experience "hunger" for the first weeks after surgery, but others wake up with just as much "head hunger" after surgery as they ever had before. And if you give in to that "head hunger" after surgery, you could seriously jeopardize your health-- or your LIFE.

My advice is, do a liquid diet for the next 8 days. the NSA CIB plan will give you enough calories/protein/nutrients to keep you healthy (as opposed to diuretics, which are dangerous), and it will be good practice for what will become your new lifestyle. Stop telling yourself things like, "Well if I could do that then I wouldn't be there for the surgery" and "I feel like alot of people who've had the surgery have forgotten what it was like when they had their football-sized stomachs." You can either hold onto the excuses and keep giving yourself permission to fail, or you can buckle down and do what you need to do for the next 8 days. After all, IT'S ONLY 8 DAYS, you know? I know that it's not human nature to adhere to diets for the long-term, but 8 days is nothing. YOU CAN DO IT!!!