Pre-Operative Very Low Calorie Diet

-




Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

* Every Surgeon is different and will have different requirements. This is what my Surgeon requires for their patients. Please consult your surgeon for their requirements and always ask before adding or trying something different. I am writing about my experience. 

What were my VLCD restrictions?

My surgeon requires a two week liquid only very low calorie diet. This is to help reduce the size of the liver and minimize risk factors during surgery. 

No more than 800 calories, at least 90 grams of Protein, 30-60 grams of carbs, and at least 64 fluid ounces.

Clear liquids only. This included protein shakes. LOTS of protein shakes. Nothing with pureed food in it. No tomato or cream based soups. No straining out food. Nothing with any kind of food particles. Protein shakes had to have at least 15g Protein. 

We are also required to food journal. I use the Baritastic app. It's free and I love scanning barcodes. 

In the diet class we were told that we would be weighed that day and weighed the day of surgery to make sure we stuck to our diet and if we gained weight they would not continue with the surgery.

What did I drink?

I had Chicken Bone Broth, Beef Bone Broth, Vegetable Broth, Sugar Free Jello, Sugar Free Popsicles, Protein shakes, Body Armour Lyte, Water, Tea.

How did I do?

 
I struggled with day 1. I woke up and had coffee with no creamer or sugar. They really want you to cut out caffeine since they do not want you to drink it until one month post op. I am a heavy caffeine user since I have Narcolepsy. Especially with the Adderall shortage I have been relying heavily on coffee. You know you're addicted when you usually use creamer and you resort to drinking it straight. Honestly, wasn't bad.

I was determined to do this right and not cheat. I watch 1,000 Pound Sisters and it made me so mad that one of the stars cheated on her diet and even after her surgery. It enraged me that someone would go through a procedure like that and just throw it away. I put myself in the mindset that I was not going to be like that. That show is a good example of what not to do. 

I lost 7 pounds in the first three days of my VLCD. This is mostly water weight. I started getting nauseous. I had zero energy and ended up having to call in sick to work on more than one occasion.
I lost a total of 13 pounds in those two weeks. The second week I felt a little better. Still low energy, but after a while it is easy to go without food. 

Tips

  • Stock up. Hindsight is 20/20. I wish I had started stockpiling stuff back when I first started this process. It is expensive. 
  • Don't forget about spices! I used Tumeric, Ginger, Cayenne, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Rosemary, and Basil in my broths. I mixed vegetable broth and beef broth. I used Tabasco in my V8.
  • Start buying extracts. Extracts are expensive but they are great for adding flavour to your shakes. They have Rum, Cake Batter, Cherry, Orange, Strawberry, etc. 
  • Put your stuff in a cabinet where no other food is. That way you don't have to look at what you can't have. 
  • Remember the reason you are doing this. It was so hard smelling food. My birthday was the third day of my VLCD my son made me a Jello mold in the shape of a bundt cake. Easter was the day before my surgery. I sat with my family while they were eating plates piled high of all my favourite foods and drank my shake. STAY STRONG!!!!

Thank you for your support! 

XOXO -  Elektra

Follow me on My Socials
If you are in the Knoxville, TN area and are interested in weight loss surgery: Tennova Bariatrics

Affiliate Links: I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
Check out my Gastric Sleeve Idea List of things my Dr recommended. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why did I choose bariatric surgery?

-
Image
  Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. The long story of my weight gain I was not an overweight child. I was always healthy. I grew up in the 80's in Appalachia. If the sun was shining we were not allowed to be indoors. The meadows, forrest, and trees were our playground. We had the whole country side to explore. I remember having this big weeping willow that was conveniently placed at the top of the hill. We would swing for hours on the vine like branches, until our Mother would yell at us to stop. We stayed in the trees. Seeing who could climb the highest pine. We made forts in the woods. Living in the mountains was honestly some of the happiest memories of my life. We moved to the city when I was 11. It was definitely a change. We were living on a hill of family members and had tons of cousins to play with. We would play all of the
Read more

YouTube is killing Eugenia Cooney

-
Image
This picture of Eugenia Cooney is from 2012 according to a Facebook page. YouTube is killing Eugenia Cooney. They are aware of her videos and continue to give her a platform. Enough is enough. They need to be held responsible for enabling her. Her videos have been reported by so many concerned viewers and nothing is ever done. When will it end? When she's dead?  Eugenia Cooney looking healthy and smiling in Shane Dawson's documentary, "The return of Eugenia Cooney".   I first learned about Eugenia Cooney on July 19, 2019 by watching a Shane Dawson documentary titled, "The return of Eugenia Cooney". You can watch that video here: https://youtu.be/IoYWO03b71M I was immediately drawn to Eugenia. She seemed like an innocent child locked into a young woman's body. Her story was interesting to me as someone who had an eating disorder off and on throughout school. I saw a sadness in her eyes and I thought, she must be protected at all co
Read more

Supplements I take for Narcolepsy and Mental Health

-
Image
  Disclosure: The product links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. I bought and paid for the products below. Living with Narcolepsy is difficult. Most of us are scouring the internet looking for anything that will help us feel more awake or to decrease the side effects of our medications.  The supplement industry is not FDA regulated. There are not enough studies on supplements. I will always be open and honest with my readers and never promote anything that I would not personally use. This post will be about the supplements that I use every day, why I use them, and at the bottom of this post is the research I found. Always do your own research and have a discussion with your Physician and Pharmacist before starting a new supplement regimen. Supplements can interact with your current medications, thin your blood, or have other adverse reactions. Please be wary of sup
Read more