Pre op/post op Diet

So my hospital that is doing my surgery requires me to go through 6 months of nutrition programs. The program says that the pre op diet is soft foods like cottage cheese, yogurt, eggs etc. & obviously a protein shake or something similar. I'm wondering, was anyone on here told anything different for pre & post op diets? Also, has everyone also been told you can't drink when you eat & not drink anything for 30 minutes before or after a meal?

thanks!!

Ask Gwen or ????

What are you even on about?

Your list of soft foods seems totally normal. Since we're supposed to prioritize protein and those are good options for soft proteins.

And, yes, it's also standard protocol to not drink while eating and to wait 30 minutes after eating before drinking. Liquid causes food to pass through the stomach more quickly, so separating solids from liquids helps to slow digestion and increase satiation.

Everyone's surgeon will have their own eating plans.

My surgeon only required a day of "light" food and then a day of liquids prior to surgery. My post surgery diet was liquids for a week, and then in the one week post-op class we were fed real food - mostly soft-ish, but real food nonetheless. I was eating chicken and tofu and other solids within 8-9 days of surgery as per my plan. (EDIT: to clarify, no beef, lamb, pork, or fibrous vegetables were allowed until after the two month follow up)

Some surgeons will have you do months of the liquid/mush/soft stages. It's really up to their plans... but it's important to listen to what your surgeon's plan actually is, and follow it.

And yes, no drink before (30 minutes), during (meals should take only 20 minutes - you're done at 20 minutes whether or not you finish your food or not), or after (30 minutes) meals is standard. It greatly helps with satiety.

All plans are different, being on this board has shown me that. You won't believe the wide variety of plans you will read about.

Mine was clear liquids and protein shakes for 2 weeks prior to surgery. No food at all. Then the same for the first week after surgery. Then 2 weeks of the kind of soft foods you listed, and then slowly adding things for the next 6 weeks. I wasn't allowed any beef, chicken or pork that wasn't ground until I was 3 months out from surgery.

My theory is you chose your program for a reason, so stick with their guidelines and you'll be fine. Mine was way more strict than most I see, but I followed it to the letter and it worked great for me!

Yes, absolutely no drinking while eating, and nothing to drink for 30 minutes after.

Does the no drinking while eating rule apply forever, after surgery & beyond? I'm finding that to be a really hard habit to break.

Yup, it is a forever rule. And, if you hang around the forums long enough, you'll notice that people who tend to post about regain have also tended to break this rule.

I agree, it IS a really hard habit to break. I was used to always having a glass at the table during meals. For me, I just stopped that. I'd have my food at the table and not have a drink anywhere nearby. In restaurants, I'd move my water glass to someone else at the table since trying to convince serving staff that I didn't want a drink was sometimes impossible.

You've got time to work on breaking the habit!

Yes, as Gwen said, the purpose is to keep liquids from washing solid foods through your stomach. Since we have such small stomachs, the key is to keep our meals in them as long as possible, so we stay satisfied longer. If you drink while you eat, or shortly after, you will wash part or all of that food through your stomach. Then you'll be hungry again much sooner.

It is a hard habit to break, but you have 6 months to practice. The best thing to do is to set an alarm for 30 mins after you finish eating. Also, get up after and do something, clean up the cooking mess, do dishes, anything to keep your mind off of it.

Eventually it becomes much easier. I have times now when I realize it's been over an hour since I ate because I got preoccupied with something and haven't had anything to drink yet.

All the rules are new, they're all things we haven't done before (which is why we got so big). Practice and diligence is the only way to learn new habits. You can do it!

With practice you can break the habit of drinking while you eat..it took me a little while, but now no problem. My pre-op plan was the same as the post-op phase I am in now (of course portions are much smaller). But basically 60-80g of protein and a minimum of 64oz of water is the priority and no BRPPS, that's bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, sweets.