Hi VSGers!  I'm perplexed a bit. Not whining, but perplexed.  I'm going into my 3rd NUT visit in 11 days and I've actually gained 3-4 pounds since my last month visit.  I thought this whole 6 month supervised diet was to indicate '"unsuccessful" attempts.  

Though I did lose and was applauded by the doctor's team, I'm so nervous about  my next weigh in especially  if I gained.  Why is it required to lose weight before surgery.  The 10% loss that's helpful can be accomplished with the liquid diet 2 weeks before surgery.  Why must I feel this way?  Did anyone else feel this pressure too?

I am 10 days post op. My dr was pretty lenient...i started at 303. The NUT had me on "balanced eating plan" incl food diary for a few mos. My wt went to 298. Once off eating plan (aka eat while u can!!)..back to 300. I did think it was bizarre and annoying to be on that strict diet, considering i was having WLS. Pre WLS patients aren't exactly stellar dieters. I think it was to perhaps get u to lose wt beforehand, if needed..and most importantly teach u good eating habits for later. I can now see this as imperative to sleeve success.

Eat while u can...LOL too funny....I almost bet most of us subscribed to that even in the smallest fashion before surgery!!!!

Congrats on joining the loser's bench.....I'm hoping my surgeon will be just a lenient......I doubt it considering she told me to run on the treadmill not walk because I'm young.

Different surgeon's ......different requirements.....Much continued success in your recovery!!

most over weight people have fatty livers and they have you lose 10% of your weight to shrink your liver , so the have more room to work inside you and it makes the surgery safer( I need to lose 12%)

just follow the plan , if you follow your dr's plan you have the best chance to lose and keep off the weight you need to

Losing weight makes the surgery less risky. Pretty simple, really. Anything you can do to reduce the risk during surgery is a good thing.

I also think doctors ask patients to lose weight in order to gauge how serious the patients are about following the program and losing weight. This isn't a magic bullet -- you have to change your diet and lifestyle.

Hi Grantus.....I'm with Dr. Long also ..I jus love her.........you're right i know....

How was your overall experience with her program??  I switched from another....though her staff can improve i do love her beside manner.

Hi, Swiftkick

I like Dr. Long a lot. She's a careful and thoughtful doctor.

Before my two-week liquid diet I had lost only about seven percent of my excess weight and she said the rest would come off during the liquid diet. She was right, of course. I lost about 10 percent just during that two weeks.

i think it is also partly a test , maybe also to weed out people that should not have the surgery,if your not going to follow the plan

now you will never follow it in a year or 2

a good doctor wants patients that will loss the weight , a crappy doctor just wants the money

if you don't trust your doctors plan you need an other doctor

I don't know all of the reasons, but it does a heck of a job of weeding out the people who aren't prepared to make radical and permanent changes in the way they eat.

The surgery isn't magical. All it does (which was exactly what I needed) is sharply reduce your capacity and eliminate the constant, grinding hunger so many of us struggle with. You can "eat through" any weight loss surgery, and people who are not prepared to make some radical changes in the way they eat WILL fail.

Kelly-Anne

I also thought it was test because I'm a "why" person. If you can't tell me why, then I'll define your request in a way that suits my thinking. Now I know why and I've started my pre-op diet on my own. I'm not going to a full on liquid diet right now, but I am getting in more liquids, more protein and I'm back on plan with Medifast until my surgery. Below is an excerpt of the letter I was given by my wife's (she's going for WLS surgery too!) surgeons office staff. This is definitely good enough for me because I think a strong start will set the tone for the rest of my life. :

 

Pre Op diet

In the obese, the liver is a huge, fatty organ. It is “in the way” of the surgical area during  surgery, and must be held back with surgical instruments. An enlarged liver is very fragile and bleeds quite easily when touched or manipulated during surgery. This bleeding can be difficult to control, and the extra care required with an enlarged liver increases surgical risk, as well as surgical time. Longer surgical time and extended time under general anesthesia can make both immediate and longer-term recovery much more difficult for you.

For those with a BMI of 40 or over, a special high protein low-carb pre op diet has been extremely effective in shrinking the liver, so that the risks of bleeding and extended surgery times are greatly decreased. Those with lower BMIs may also choose, if they wish, to follow the liver-shrinking diet to further decrease their surgical risks.

Following this SPECIFIC DIET PLAN is extremely important. The goal is not to lose weight, necessarily, but to enter a temporary period of dietary ketosis, which is not harmful to you at all. However, many do lose a good amount of weight, which will jump-start your weight loss as you begin to regain and improve your health. It is this dietary ketosis that results in liver-shrinking and the normalizing of your metabolism so that you can do well with weight loss surgery.

LIVER-SHRINKING DIET PLAN

There are NO CALORIE LIMITATIONS on the LIVER-SHRINKING diet. You may eat/drink as much as you wish of the allowed things to feel satisfied, although we suggest reasonable limits to assist your weight loss. This does not have to be a liquid diet.

Start a low carb (30 grams or less daily), high protein (minimum 60-70 grams daily), keep a close eye on the fat intake (don't over do it) and at least the minimum required daily amount (64 ounces) of plain water intake diet prior to surgery. 

If you chose to drink a protein shake. Please read the labels. You should get at least 15 grams of Protein & less than 6 grams of total Carbohydrates per serving. Protein shakes are NOT required, but are very convenient.

You may have  low fat yogurt, lean meats, grilled chicken, green vegetables. We recommend checking the carb content on your food.  You can find a very useful carb counter on Atkins.com

http://www.atkins.com/Program/FourPhases/CarbCounter.aspx

 

• If you buy deli foods you *can* obtain food labels, ask for  them.
• Eat eggs and most cheeses freely.
• Try to watch fat content but it is quite difficult to eat low carb/low fat so be reasonable about this.
• Stop carbonated drinks, switch to water, tea, and S/F drinks such as Crystal lite and Hawaiian Punch.
• Count protein and carb grams, do not worry about calories, keep protein high and carbs low.
• You can go to www.addall.com and purchase used copies of Dr. Atkins books for less than a dollar plus shipping.
• Stay full, EAT!  We do not want you to cheat and eat carbs.
• The 3rd day is usually the hardest, carb cravings will kick in.  Do not cave, eat low carb foods and stay full.  Do not get hungry or you will cave and eat carbs.
• After day 4 carb cravings are much much less!
• Take a multivitamin, Centrum is good.  Do not use the chewables before surgery, they have carbs.  Chewables are necessary after surgery for a short time.
•  Drink water!!!  You are quite likely to lose weight on this diet.  Burned fat turns to chemicals released from the body by breathing and liquids such as urine and saliva.  It is important to flush these chemicals out of your body.  Please, drink 64oz of fluids daily.  S/F ice treats, Crystal Lite, and water all count towards your 64oz of fluids daily.
•  Please try to use Pam or another type of spray for cooking instead of butter or oils.  Your heart and your waistline will appreciate this!

We want you to have a safe surgery.