What if I don't want the Dr's Diet Food??? - ThinnerTimes

SlimmerDreams · 06-05-2008, 04:39 PM

I was told I need to be on a liquid diet 2 and a half weeks before my surgery. My date is June the 26th and the doctor has put me on this diet starting on the 9th. I will be allowed three shakes, 1 protien bar and 1 packet of soup a day. Do I have to get the stuff they have or do I have options. I did not ask there because I felt like I was put in a corner and there were no options. I mean, what if I did not have the money??? Did anyone go through this? Can I buy things off the shelf at the store?

Can anyone help?

Iwant2Bthin · 06-05-2008, 04:49 PM

I think it depends on the doctor. They gave me a list of foods that I can eat. Never told me I had to buy food they sold!

Godsblessedme · 06-05-2008, 04:57 PM

i dont think your forced to buy his products what are the products maybe someone here knows the comparisson for them

sherry7 · 06-05-2008, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlimmerDreams

I was told I need to be on a liquid diet 2 and a half weeks before my surgery. My date is June the 26th and the doctor has put me on this diet starting on the 9th. I will be allowed three shakes, 1 protien bar and 1 packet of soup a day. Do I have to get the stuff they have or do I have options. I did not ask there because I felt like I was put in a corner and there were no options. I mean, what if I did not have the money??? Did anyone go through this? Can I buy things off the shelf at the store?

Can anyone help?

Different doctors all have very different pre-op diets (from my experience with reading the posts here). For example, mine was 10 days long, but I wasn't allowed any solid food whatsover. I would have killed for that protein bar and packet of soup that your doc is letting you have.

IMO, I would purchase the food from the doctor as long as you can afford it. Protein shakes and bars are expensive anyway even if you buy them at a regular store. By purchasing from your doctor at least you'll know you're getting exactly what he wants.

If you can't afford to buy from him, call the office and discuss your options with the nutritionist. In my experience, the pre-op diet was the 2nd hardest part of this so far. I certainly would not have wanted to cheat myself out of protein/food during it.

lealphachienne · 06-06-2008, 08:10 AM

Take a look at what product he wants you on. Then, you can find comparable stuff out there...though, when you average it out, it may still cost the same....and to have peace of mind, it may be simpler to just do their recommended program.

lala46205 · 06-06-2008, 08:25 AM

i was put on the bariatric liquid diet 2 weeks before my surgery, jello, pudding popsicles all which are sugar free, broth, strained cream soup.. the purpose is just to have me loose more weight before surgery becuase its safer..i cheated here and there but for the most part stuck to it..the goal is to loose weight and excess fat from your liver. At least thats what my doc told me ..good luck..and ya it sucks but it will only help you get a jump start on whats to come for a few weeks..gl

'thann · 06-06-2008, 08:37 AM

Every doctor is different. I didn't have to do the liver-shrinking diet, but if I had, my clinic provides a list of acceptable foods. Patients there are not required to buy any special shakes or whatever. Basically you still need to make sure you get your nutrients, yet watch your calories, so the shakes/bars are easy to use.

I'd be honest with your doctor -- call and say you're on a tight budget, and want to be able to do the diet with conventional foods. I hope they have a diet plan available for you to follow using stuff like Carnation Instant Breakfast and other store-bought items. Really, what could it hurt to ask? I know the special shakes and bars are very expensive.

'thann

ladytonya · 06-07-2008, 11:16 AM

Did you ever get an answer on this? I actually went to one info session and left immediately when the doctor talked about purchasing the reqired products from his office. I went to another doctor and have been happy as a clam ever since! YMMV, but I am just very skeptical of programs that "require" you to purchase products from them. I feel that these practices care more about their bottom line than about their patients. Of course, this is JMHO!

pgh3rivers · 06-07-2008, 01:05 PM

I used the same practice as Sherry, in fact our surgery was a day apart at the same hospital. I didn't have to do a 10 day liquid diet. I ate normally until 2 days before surgery. From what I understand it depends on the dr and the patients past health.....

MiladyB · 06-07-2008, 01:29 PM

My surgeon is one of those practices that requires the use of a certain product. I highly doubt they are getting a kick-back because I have seen the same product sold on-line and I am able to purchase them at a CONSIDERABLE discounted price. It appears to me that I am paying cost. What kinda helped me was to break it down to cost per meal. I was to eat 3 meals per day plus a snack. Basicly it came down to $3.50/meal. Look how often you spend that kind of money at a fast food place? At least with this product I KNEW I was getting the right protein and the right diet that my body needed. It totally took the guess work out of it and I didn't have to go out and buy any other food if I didn't want to. It also was pretty good tasting. I enjoyed the product so much that I still often use it at 2+ years post-op.

Personally I liked that I was given a specific product. It took ALOT of the thinking and stress out of the entire process. I had what I needed and I knew if I ate X amount of their product I would be getting the protein, calories, etc.....it just made things so much easier, especially after surgery. I had what I needed in the house already, since we buy it 2 weeks pre-op so I didn't have to go to the store, I didn't have to worry about, what should I buy that works?....all in all it was a total blessing and just really set me off on the right foot for this entire process.

Now if the money is the issue or you can't tolerate the product, well then I would certainly talk to your physician about this. It can't be the first time they have run into this situation, that's for sure. But if it is just because of the fact that it raises hair on your head that you are being told to use the product? Well, at least coming from someone who did use a specific product, it was a total life saver for me and just helped me to start off with a solid footing.

JMHO