PNC/lap band pre & post-op diet?

Ok. So I am patiently (???) waiting for my insurance approval to have a lap-band. Of course when that is done, I will have the meeting with the NUT to go over the pre and post op diet. But I don't want to wait that long.

I know things can vary by person, but I want to know what I can/can't eat in the various stages. The reason I want to know is because of the way I shop for groceries. See, I have a big problem paying full price for somthing especially when I can get things for A LOT cheaper when it's on sale and with coupons. The problem with this is, of course, you need to plan ahead. I know I don't want to buy too much of any one thing, but having some things on hand would greatly help in the finance department. (Last night I went and got 4 boxes of the Gas-X strips for less than $10 and they were regularly almost $6 ea, plus I got a load of coupons to use later. Probably more Gas-X than I need (hopefully) but they don't expire until 2011 so I think we are ok)

I asked the NUT about it briefly at my last appointment, and she said I will be on liquids for 10 days pre-op and 2 weeks post-op. Basically, I know things post op progress in stages. But can anybody tell me what is a no-no and some things they will recomend? I have gotten some broth, SF carnation instant breakfast, and I know about SF jello (gross, but who knows - I might like it if I get hungry enough) and SF popsicles.

So I don't have too much yet but I am a planner and I feel like I am doing something productive for my surgery other than obsessibvely checking my voice mail every hour to make sure I didn't miss the call from the doc. 

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreiated!

I got the band through PNC... first off, I'd check out my blog (link in my signature)... I think some of my first posts there talk about what I ate pre or post op... I am having a major brain fart right now, so I can't remember everything.

The pre-op diet was 10 days for me. I could drink up to 5 or 6 protein shakes a day (I chose SlimFast)... I could only drink about 3 a day on average. Besides that, I stuck to water and a few other things that were allowed (this is where I'm having the brain fart).

After the surgery.... clear liquids consisted of water, broth and some juices... then on to full liquids for a little while (lots of creamy soups, milk, etc)... and the mushies...yum. I had refried beans, LOTS of cottage cheese, pudding, sugar free popsicles, that kind of thing.

The stages go pretty fast... so I would stock up on TOO much... because once you get to solids (well, it was this way for ME anyway)... I did not want to eat another pudding cup... or SlimFast shake...ick! lol

Elena pretty much told you what I was going to. I also drank skim milk with SF chocolate or SF strawberry syrup. I warmed it in the microwave and it felt as good as it tasted. You might be surprised what tastes good to you after surgery, so don't go too crazy on buying any one item.

I hope your call comes quickly. Good luck to you!