Need to hear from people who fell off the pre-op diet wagon

Today is day 3 of pre-op diet.  Yesterday was a disaster...many things consumed that definitely are not acceptable.   I'm starting fresh today, but its so much harder than I imagined.  I have always had an all-or-nothing attitude...if I don't do something perfectly, or if I can't complete a project all at once, I don't do it at all.

Can I hear from people who did less than perfect on the diet and still make it through successfully?  I know I need to keep my eye on the end result, but I am still in that "oh-my-God-I'm-never-going-to-be-able-to-eat-X Y or Z-again" and self sabotage (at this point, I need to lose about 5 pounds by December 2nd).  I am starting therapy with an eating disorder specialist but the earliest she could get me in is after my surgery).  I feel if I can just get through this phase, things will get easier.

Thanks!

You are going to be fine! After day 3 it got better for me. I am now on day 6. It helped me to try different things to make my protein shakes better. I think the different flavors helped with staying away from the things I knew I couldn't have. Remember you made this decision to be a healthier YOU! When you think you just have to have something think about getting into smaller clothes, doing things you couldn't do before and the reason you made the decision. Also thinking that it will taste absolutely disgusting also helps.

My surgery is Monday, Nov 30. I have two more days of protein shakes (luckily I was told I could have a small meal on Thanksgiving) then clear liquids only on Sunday.

Good luck! Hang in there! Come on here if you feel the need to eat something you shouldn't. Lots and lots of support!

Tink

I did and felt terrible afterwards, called my surgeon's office and confessed then stuck to my pre-op diet (2 weeks) 100%.

Do this....

IMMEDIATELY STOP EATING OFF PLAN!  I M M E D I A T E L Y ! ! !

Think about this...

You can have that food you are craving after surgery (if you still even want it - probably won't)

After surgery no food is ever 100% off limits unless YOU decide it is

If you don't stick to your pre-op plan from here on out, there is a strong chance your surgery will be rescheduled or cancelled.  Do you want to go through all this again?!?!

You can do this...try to keep yourself busy with other things besides what you can't eat and eating period!  For example, during my pre-op I kept my mind and fingers busy teaching myself to play a new song on the piano.  You can paint, draw, color, clean, garden, walk, write, play an instrumen****ch an inspiring movie, read a book, ANYTHING to keep your mind off it it.  This IS NOT the rest of your life.  Come on...you can do it!!

Thank you so much!  It helps to keep telling myself that this phase is not easy for anyone.

And yep, they will definitely reschedule if I don't lose the prescribed amount of weight.  And no, I don't want to go through all of it again.  This has been 8 months of lead up, lots of sacrifices.

I have a 2 1/2 year old who has been my main reason for doing this.  And my husband just had the surgery November 2nd and is doing really well. 

Every year we have a huge Day After Thanksgiving dinner and usually have 15-20 people.  We canceled it this year, but tomorrow we're going to a friend's house.  She is going to grill shrimp, crab legs and veggies for me.  If I'm only going to get one meal a day of meat and veggies, its gonna be stuff I like!

Nice!  And you can still have a huge Day After Thanksgiving dinner.  It will just be a lot of Days after! 

I cheated. I am not proud of it, nor do I recommend it- but, it also doesn't mean you cannot be succusful and make it to goal either. Wierd thing is, I had 5 Guys and I normally never order hamburgers. I was very consistent otherwise on the preop diet.

I would like to address your "all or nothing" type mindset. I was EXACTLY the same way. It took a lot of self-reflection and intentional change to move away from that type of mindset. The first break through was when a poster here pointed out that I messed up, but a crtiical skill is to learn how to crawl back on the wagon. Inevitably the majority of us will do something that is "off plan"- be it only perception or actual. Learning how to get yourself righted and back on track will be critical. That helped me a huge amount. The other incredibly helpful tidbit of advice that helped me was from the NUT. She explained that if I make my goal to stay consistent and on plan at least 90% instead of 100% then I would still lose the weight and be succusful. Essentially "normal" eaters do not eat 100% perfect in otherwords, but they are consistently very mindful about what they eat. That was the second critical change in mindset that I needed, and I breezed through to goal once I internalized them. Even in maintainance, it goes a long, long way to keeping me at or under my goal weight. 

Be kind and gentle with yourself. Don't bull**** yourself either. This process will work if you just keep at it!

Your pre-op diet is required to shrink your liver in preparation for your surgery. My nutritionist even dubbed it "the liver-shrinking diet." Weight loss is not important during this time. Getting your liver smaller and less fatty is important.

The smaller your liver, the easier it will be for your surgeon to get to your stomach for the surgery. The more you "cheat" during the pre-op diet, the harder and longer your surgery will be. Some surgeons will even cancel surgery if the patient has not been compliant. Please don't fall off your pre-op wagon, for your own safety.

psychoticparrot

The first three days are the hardest...  If you are struggling with this now, you might consider postponing your surgery until after you've met with your therapist.  Be honest with your surgeon and/or dietitian.  Remember that with this surgery, you are going to have to control what you eat for the rest of your life and if you go ahead and aren't ready for that kind of challenge, you can really hurt yourself and won't get the results you want.  I am also an "all or nothing" kind of thinker, but you have to let that go, at least in your diet, for this surgery to be successful.  I didn't have any problems aside from strong cravings and a bit of *****iness, but I kept the reward in mind constantly.  I'd start thinking about what life could be like if I resisted.  I would absolutely tell your dietitian/nutrition counselor that you have "relapsed" so they can help you make the best decision for you.  Don't think, "I'll never be able to eat that again."  "One Last Meal Syndrome" is common and often causes pre-op problems.  You WILL be able to eat whatever you want, for the most part, but in moderation.  You will have restrictions at first, but after the 8 week healing period and all the stages of post-op diet, you can eat whatever your body tolerates.  For successful weight loss, however, you will have to make wise choices.  My nutritionist  gave me a guideline of 80-20:  You eat well 80% of the time, but indulge 20% of the time.  This allows you to enjoy holiday dinners or special occasions.  Also, if you are worried about pizza or certain recipes, consult the veterans!  The possibilities are endless for new healthier variations on some of our favorite foods.  I know the struggle, and I hope everything goes well for you in the future.