Surviving the VSG pre-op diet liquid diet...


First and foremost, let me say that since I started this journey I have lost 25 pounds (as of this morning)! YAY!  The day of my first appointment I was told to start replacing either breakfast or lunch with a protein shake and to have mainly protein for the other meal.  Then for dinner to have a "sensible meal" consisting of unlimited veggies, 4 ounces of protein, and 1 cup of any carb or starch I want.  Well, to be honest, I NEVER obeyed the dinner rules.  I ate smaller, more reasonable portions, but I ate whatever I felt like eating.  I did however obey the breakfast and lunch rules.  And by doing that I began losing weight.



My highest weight was 254 lbs and I had actually been losing some of that even before my first appointment.  But after my appointment, it kicked into high gear.  This morning, I weighed in at 229! YAY!


But alas.  Now I'm on a liquid diet where I am to have 800 calories and 80g of protein per day.  The protein comes from protein shakes and then I can have unlimited "free liquids" like water, decaf tea, crystal light, broth, sugar free Popsicle and jello, etc.  

I'm really wanting to eat real food and there have been a few times where I almost did.  But I held strong and have stuck to the plan.  I'm surprised how not hungry I am.  I'm definitely full, but I just want to eat.  Especially last night when Emma made herself some pasta for dinner.  UUUUGGGGHHH.  That was TOUGH.  But I did okay.

This morning I believe I woke up in Ketosis (I need to get some strips to confirm) because everything smelled and tasted like complete ass.  Nothing had any taste and broth tasted AWFUL.  It's good because I will be burning fat for calories, but it sucks because the little bit of joy I was getting from the broth and shakes is now gone.  Merp.

Let me list the things that I have found helpful and tasty through this process...


During pre-op and post-op, I am not supposed to have Premier Protein shakes because they have too much protein in them.  I can have them if I half them and mix them with Fairlife Milk (has more protein and less sugar than other milk).  So, I chose to use Atkins shakes because I will be able to have five of them per day which keeps me from getting too hungry.  

I was told not to have coffee anymore unless it is black decaf coffee.  But, I just take some of my vanilla protein shake and use it for creamer and voila!  Coffee.


Okay, now for some of the other staples I've been stocking up on...

 I've learned that I HATE bone broth.  YUCK.  Maybe if I had tried it before I went into ketosis, it may have tasted differently, but at this point, no way.

What I LOVE is in the picture above... Better Than Bouillon Chicken broth.  Oh man this stuff is yummy!  You put a teaspoon of this paste in a cup of hot water and it is delicious.  Swanson also makes some good chicken and beef broths.  Turkey broth is also yummy.  I haven't tried to Miso broth, but I'm assuming it will be good.  And the vegetable broth I am saving because I really don't think I'll like it but am willing to try it if I need a change of pace.


Another thing I've found I don't like are sugar-free Popsicles.  I couldn't even finish one of them!  The flavor was so overpowering and awful to me I had to throw it away.  So, I stick to decaf teas and other drink mixes that make the water go down easily.  These crush and A&W singles are BOMB!  They have 5 calories and 1 carb but who cares.  They are really good and don't taste like saccharin if you know what I mean.  They just taste yummy.

I also have some sugar free jello but don't really like the taste of that either.  So, I stick to the basics of what I listed above.  I have a protein shake at 6am-9am-12pm-3pm-6pm.  I've found that I can go about three hours before my head starts getting fuzzy and I start feeling stupid. lol  That's the best way I can describe it.  Because I have barely any carbs coming in as well as low calories, I need that boost every few hours.  

In between those shakes I will have a cup of broth or other drink.  Oh and gum, lots of gum.  It satisfies my need to chew at least to an extent.  

I'm surprised at how full I actually am.  I rarely feel hungry.  Actually, as I type this I'm feeling hungry lol, but on the whole, I haven't really been hungry at all.  But you know what?  I'm probably too busy peeing my brains out to notice if I'm hungry!  Seriously, it's all I do is pee all day and all night.  But life could be worse. lol

I'll try to write and keep you posted as I go along on this journey.  Let me know if you have any questions for me!


XO, Veronica

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