PreOp Liquid Diet, day 1 of 14

Today is the first day on my journey to lifelong weight loss. I will be posting background material over the next few weeks, but to sum things up: I am scheduled for Gastric Bypass Surgery on October 22, 2009.

I will be undergoing the Roux-en-Y version of the Gastric Bypass Siurgery,. To be performed by Dr. Robert Richard of Obesity Solutions in Gainesville, GA. Their web page is www.obesitysolutions.com . here is a high-level explanation of the procedure that I will undergo.

Gastric Bypass
Gastric bypass uses surgery to form a smaller stomach (making it a restrictive procedure) and bypass part of the intestine (making it a malabsorptive procedure) to slow the eating and the absorption of calories and some nutrients. The potential lack of nutrients is what made the first bypass procedures so dangerous. But since the inception of bypasses in the 50’s, they’ve evolved into today’s gold standard of safe weight-loss surgeries, called the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RNY). The gastric bypass offers the most weight-loss potential, because the body no longer tolerates so many high-calorie foods, such as sweets and those high in carbs. But this means that patients must be prepared to never eat the types of food that may have been a large part of their enjoyment in life. The upside to this permanent and highly restrictive diet is a quick and ongoing weight loss. (learn more)
As part of the preparation for this surgery, today I get to start a 2-week liquid diet. The purpose of this diet is to “loosen up” the liver and reduce its fattiness prior to the surgery, since most of the procedure will take place behind the liver. Dr. Richard said that the easier the liver can be moved around, the better.

Todays weight 334.2

Allowed
Water
Decaf coffee
Decaf unsweetened tea
Sugar-free gelatin
Sugar free popsicles
Broth
Crystal Light
Sugar-free Kool-aid
Skim, 1% or Lactaid Milk **
Soymilk **
No-sugar-added fudgesicles
Low-fat cottage cheese
Protein supplements
Low-fat creamy soups (strained) **
Tomato soup
Unsweetened applesauce **
Sugar-free pudding **
Cool Whip Free
Cream of Wheat, oatmeal or grits (1x day) **
Light yogurt **

Not Allowed
Alcohol
Soft drinks
Caffeinated drinks of any kind
Carbonated drinks of any kind
Fruit juice
Sweetened tea
Sweetened gourmet coffees
Other solid foods
All others

Combine foods allowed above to provide no less than 800 and no more than 1200 calories per day
Consume 1-2 servicngs of protein supplement (meeting above guideliens) per day.
Begin a multivitamin supplement.
Record all intake daily using a food journal

For diagetics (I am diabetic)
Monitor blood sugars regularly
Consume 15g total carbohydrate every 4 hours. Foods containing approximately 15g total carbohydrate per serving are marked with the double asterisk (**)

Sample Mneu: PreOp Liquid Diet
Breakfast: ½ cup Cream of Wheat, protein supplement (50g protein)
Mid-morning: 1 cup light yogurt, 1 sugaqr free popsicle, Sugar free drink
Lunch: 1 cup low fat cream of chicken soup (strained), ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, ½ cup low fat cottage cheese, ½ cup sugar-free gelatin, 2 tbsp Cool Whip Free, sugar-free drink
Afternoon: protein supplement (50g protein), 1 no-sugar-added fudgesicle
Dinner: 1 cup low-fat cream of broccoli soup (strained), 1 cup skim milk, 1 sugar-free popsicle
Evening: ½ cup sugar-free pudding, 2 tbsp Cool Whip Free, sugar-free drink

Nutritional Information: 1140 calories, 136g protein, 10g fat, 126g Total Carbohydrates.
Notes: this sample menu contains approximately 15g total carbohydreates every four hours and is therefore appropriate for people with or without diabetes. Be sure to consume sugar-free liquids throughout the day between meals.

I brought a sugar-free pudding, sugar-free gelatin, and unsweetened applesauce to work today. I did buy a 32oz fountain Diete Coke at QuikTrip on my way in – I will have to cut that out, according to the preop diet. I am going to wean myself from caffeine slowly, starting today with ½ reg ½ decaf, and do the same with tea – at work we have a Flavia portion brewer that makes coffee and tea, so that shouldn’t be a big deaql. At home I can brew my own tea and coffee and slowly decrease the caffeine in both. The nutritionist says caffeine is a natural appetite stimulant, and I do not need any appetite stimulant.

But my history shows that if I do not get my caffeine fix, I get headaches. How can I deal with that?