Pre-op diet question...

I am on Day 6 of my liquid diet. Surgery wednesday. I noticed yesterday, and today seems a little worse, I'm almost having to force myself to drink my protein shakes. My surgeon wants me to drink 4 a day. In reality I'm having to almost force any kind of intake, even water. I'm scared if I'm struggling with this now, what's it going to be like after surgery. Am I normal or just thinking about this too much?

Thinking about it too much ;) I had a two week pre-op liquid diet, and then two weeks post-op (and since my surgery was smack in the middle of December, I refer to that as "the month I didn't chew"). I am now almost 4 years post-op and never drink shakes. So it's honestly only a short amount of time to do shakes. I did have a shake every morning for breakfast for about 1.5 years after surgery but now I find that real food (dense protein) fills me up and keeps me fuller, longer, so I stick with food.

I was so sick of the SWEET and thick shakes, so here is what I did:

I tried a mixture of RTD (ready to drink) shakes like Premier Protein, as well as some of the kinds in a pouch that you mix with water or almond milk.

There are also clear drinks from Isopure that are not thick at all, which you might like.

Check out Unjury chicken soup flavor protein powder - heaven when you want something savory!

Try Isopure unflavored protein powder and add it to chicken or vegetable broth (make sure you add it to WARM water, not HOT, since it will clump).

Check out the World According to Eggface blog for tons of ideas - she has awesome recipes that involve blending with ice, adding sugar-free pudding mix, adding sugar-free syrups etc. It gives you some variety.

This is a long strange trip, but SOOOO worth it, so stick to the shakes and you'll get through it. There are a zillion health benefits coming your way!

Post op diet is cake (no pun intended) when compared to pre-op. At least initially.