how to prepare for preop diet and after surgery

so my preop diet starts march 29th...it's basically 3oz of protein(chicken, fish, tuna, egg beaters, egg whites) 8oz of vegetables....and unlimited SF jello, pudding, popsicles.....or i can replace a meal with a protein shake.......doesn't sound too bad i think i won't have a problem with that since basically i only eat once or twice a day as it is(bad ha*****owever it just makes me nervous that i will mess up. when i know i can't eat something is when i WANT it. like i never want any candy or sugar but i know i won't be able to have it so i've had a couple of the mini reeses cups over the last couple days..any other day you would never see me go into any store and pick up any candy or chocolate or anything sweet. also my biggest problem after surgery is i have a bad diet coke addiction..it's not really the soda i like it's the carbonation. now i don't drink it everyday and if i do its once a day...but its usually 1 can or a large diet coke maybe twice a week. now i've been drinking it almost everyday for the last 10 days cause i know i can't have it after surgery....so how did everyone prepare for their preop diet(those that had to do one anyways). also i drink always with food. how did you break that habit...those who drank with food up until their surgery was it hard to get into habit after surgery NOT to drink at the same time...any tips would be appreciated.

I didn't have to do a pre-op diet, so I don't really have any good suggestions there, but as far as learning not to drink with meals, the easiest thing is to simply not have any liquid in front of you when you eat (even if it is at a restaurant).

What you are describing is exactly the reason that I do not have any foods that are prohibited (except the 5 that make me ill)... being "allowed" to eat them (because I truly do not view how I eat as a diet) means that I avoid certain foods that aren't healthy choices (e.g., french fries) but when I am in the mood for them I can have a small amount ( 2 fried usually does it!) and be satisfied.  If I had a list of prohibited items, I would crave them and eat much more of them!

Lora

I'm with Rita! It's about making better choices, but not totally eliminating anything from your diet unless you want to or your pouch forces you to do so (...and then you'll want to anyway). Having SOME soda and candy now and again isn't going to kill you or anyone else. It's important for EVERYONE to have a healthy, balanced (and healthy) diet, but particularly important for us to focus on having one because we've probably got some pretty bad habits that need changing. 

For me, it's dangerous to eliminate a food choice, but for some allowing even the most minute amount of soda or candy is a slippery slope leading directly back to all those bad habits. I am by no means speaking from a place where I have conquered all my demons. In fact, I am currently a horrible example of how to live after WLS, but tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it! I am human and I've got a long life to live full of shortcomings. You and your body are the only "food police" for yourself.  Do the very best that you can because you are only cheating yourself when you don't.

I always have water around when I'm eating, but I've found that I can't have it within arms reach without grabbing it out of habit. I think you'll do very well with your pre-op diet as you have a lot of choices and variety. Mine was 2 weeks of liquids-only. If you read enough posts on here you will find there are a myriad of different pre-op requirements. You are like me in that I typically only ate 2 times a day and like me, you know that isn't good for you :) I found that having something prepared for me to grab in the morning was the best plan as breakfast was never my thing. Usually it was a RTD (ready-to-drink) shake or my fav, Isopure's Orange Peach Smoothie.

I apologize for rambling, but it's therapy for me too :) Good luck to you and the very best of wishes all along the way of your new journey!