Pre-op diet survival strategy

It is all shaping up

Once you have got this far, you feel like a king/queen of the world. You have successfully navigated all the tests, and exams, convincing even the Devil that the surgery is for you. You have the date, and now it is time to start the pre-op diet to shrink your fatty liver. Seems quite straightforward, right? Ha! You will need a survival strategy. You just don’t know it yet…

You are all hyped, so sure you will do all you can so this is a huge success. You will pass with flying colors, no problem here. And then the reality hits.

Harsh reality

It feels like smashing against the wall in a car. It is all waaaaaay harder than you could have thought. I am not talking about the first two days. But you can struggle here as well. But if they gave you two weeks, or three, like I had… that is a very different story. From something that you had so high hopes to fulfill to the T, you are about to give up, because this is inhumane! Pure torture.

Your stomach crumbles all the time, and the shakes that you used to like are disgusting, you can’t even see them, let alone drink them. All the veggies they make you eat… you feel like a rabbit. You are hungry, moody, grumpy, quarrelsome and the worst part, you have 17 more days to go!

And everybody around you is having whatever they want, they are eating your favorite meals, oooh, the smell… just one bite, it is all so close. NO! Be strong, you can do this… you literally feel like crying.

Does this sound familiar? I guess so. I was there as well…

It all starts before it actually starts

One thing I wish I had known before the pre-op diet is, that it will be long, it will not be as easy as it looks, that physically it will be kinda demanding, but mentally it will be a Medieval torture. I mean it. I don’t want to discourage or scare you, I am stating facts. You might ask anyone out there who has gone through this and they will confirm.

I would love it if people who are about to embark on this journey knew better than I did what is waiting for them. How it feels like, what pitfalls they will have to face, that there will be people who won’t help you much, better said, it will be the other way round. And that they will have to find their inner strength to keep going and push through this.

https://bariradka.com/2024/08/06/bariatric-emotions/

You will need a strategy

What do I mean by this? The fact is that your meal options will be extremely limited and you will have to eat only things that you are allowed to eat. No slacking, no cutting corners. Most likely you will still be at work, so you will have to plan and prepare everything. No snacks, no coffee, no wending machines, no donuts somebody brought. And people will notice that something is going on. They will start asking. And they will have opinions about what you are doing.

Be prepared

Whether you will tell them the real reason for this change or not, is up to you. But they can become really nosy. Beware, you will be in quite a bad mood and you will snap very easily. Yes… it is like this. Special caution here with your boss and superiors. They are most likely the same as usual, it is just your perception that is a little (more) distorted right now.

There will be many normal situations that won’t be so normal for you now and for many months to come. Think about them and plan ahead how you will navigate through them. You won’t have to think up solutions on the spot when you will be less than prepared and able to.

 

Social situations

These can become your personal minefield. You want to be included, you love socializing, they are your friends, you want to be with them. BUT! You can’t eat anything that is offered. No coffee, no alcohol, no sweets, no… nothing. You are a rabbit floating in the sea of protein shakes. Total disgrace 😡

I can tell you from my experience, this is hard. Hard level PhD. I live in Spain where the world works around food. Every social situation requires eating something. I was invited to a birthday party and I highly discourage everyone else from going to this type of setting. I made it but by the skin of my teeth. It felt like putting a drug in front of someone who was trying to detox. PFF!

I am not saying that you should become a hermit for the time of your pre-op diet. At all! It is the other way around. What I am suggesting is that exposing yourself to sources of food is not the smartest idea. Find something that you can distract yourself with.

Take up walking every day. You will thank yourself later. Maybe you wanted to deep clean the bathroom. Maybe you feel it is the best time to rearrange furniture in the living room. Anything. Keep yourself busy and do something that will distract you from thinking about food. No, arranging your grandma’s receipts is not a good idea now.

 

Home Logistics

You are having the surgery, which is great, but your family wants and needs (you) to keep going. You will have to cook for them (most likely if you are a woman and your husband is not a saint). You will be exposed to food no matter what. I assigned my partner as an official tester of the meals, to check if it is not missing something – salt, spices, you know. It was a lot of fun. Surprisingly for both. But yes, you will have to grocery shopping, prepare meals, and distribute them to the members. It can be a little hard.

Other than that, prepare as much as you can beforehand. Especially if you won’t have any help when you come back from the hospital. Maybe prep some meals into the freezer, and clean what is necessary – nobody will do that to your standards 😀 and later you won’t be able to do any scrubbing and deep cleaning.

It will all have to do, it will stay the way it is, or they will help you and clean it themselves. It is what it is. Don’t obsess about this. It is perfectly ok. Tell them that you won’t be as efficient as usual, that they will have to help you with some things, and that you are very grateful that you have such amazing helpers around the house. If you tell them beforehand, they are more likely to function later.

Things like laundry, bringing groceries, driving a car, picking up your toddler, and dealing with things around the garden… no, forget about them right away, they will be out of your reach for weeks. You will need a lot of help here. Again… arrange somebody who will help you – sister, mom, friend, anyone who is willing, but don’t be the brave one who can deal with everything and anything. No, you won’t. Your tummy will be cut, full of stitches, and you won’t be able to lift heavy things no matter what. You could hurt yourself.

https://bariradka.com/2024/07/09/support-system-is-a-must/

You will be moody

Another very good thing to prepare  😀Tell them that you will be in your PMS mode for the whole time. They might, and sure will, anger you with any minor thing, you will be grumpy, your mood swings will be quite noticeable, and you might be laughing, raging, and crying within one single hour. That bad the things might become. Explain to your family that this is a very difficult test that you are going through and that it is difficult for you. You are not exaggerating.

https://bariradka.com/2024/06/24/a-pre-op-diet-is-no-joke/

Engage them as well

I managed to do this with my partner and I have to say that things became easier for me. Especially in the long term. He was incredibly supportive, trying to understand all that mess I was going through, but most often he was just there and just watching it without taking things too personally 😀

What I mean is, that we agreed that he would do his best to eat healthier with me. Obviously not the way I was going to eat, but we stopped buying mine-field food like chips, cookies, and sweet things. I am endlessly grateful that he helped me with this. It is way more difficult if you have to resist things that are within your reach. If it is not at home, you don’t crave it, because you simply don’t see it. So try to negotiate with your family something like this. Obviously, if you have teenagers at home, is not very likely to stick.

But you can always have your food in a pantry apart and don’t mess too much with the rest. You want it? Ok, let’s buy it but you won’t be eating it in front of me, and it will be stored in a special place, not in my sight. Deal?

https://bariradka.com/2024/07/18/be-careful-with-the-food-portions/

You will change

Don’t tell them, you might scare them 😀but personally, be aware of this. When all this big project is over, you will turn back and see a very different person. Be aware of this because you will deal with many things differently, your priorities will change, and you will act differently. But all your family will stay the same.

Show them some grace. Give them back the patience and understanding they gave you while you were undergoing your transformation. You will need to adjust many things and get used to your new situation. The family dynamics will change a little. But don’t worry. Now you know, so you can prepare everyone and act on the go. You won’t be surprised and you will understand what is going on.

There are many things that I wish I had known. These are only some of them. I might add more later. But these were the most important ones that popped up in my mind for now. This is the harsh beginning of your new and healthy life. As with any other transformation, it is not easy and it can be a little bumpy and painful. But trust me, what is waiting on the other side… that is just WOW! I might be repeating myself, but it was all so much worth it.

https://bariradka.com/2024/08/13/emotional-stages-of-bariatric-patients/

Push through, day by day, hour by hour, if you must. What counts is the outcome. You can do this. Sending you a lot of strength, patience, moral support and understanding 🙂