A good exercise plan will include aerobic or cardio exercise, which gets the heart rate up gradually, resistance or strength training, and flexibility or stretching. Before you start any exercise regimen, make sure to get approval from your doctor at home.
Protein Shakes
You should have two or three protein shakes per day. Please be sure each drink contains at least 15 to 20 grams of protein per serving. The amount of sugar should be less than half the amount of grams of protein. For example, if the drink has 20 grams of protein, it should have less than 10 grams of sugar or carbs.
You can make your own protein shakes with unsweetened or lite vanilla almond milk, lite soy milk, or lite rice milk. Do not use regular milk, as it has too much sugar. You can use professionally prepared protein shakes if they meet the same requirements for grams of protein, calories, sugars, etc.
Lean Protein
You should have two servings of 3 to 4 oz of a lean protein per day (e.g. chicken, turkey, fish, salmon, shrimp, scallops, 2 eggs, tofu, 1/2 cup of beans – vegetarians can substitute cooked beans or legumes for lean meats).
Healthy Fat
You should have one or two servings of a healthy fat per day (e.g. salad dressing, olive oil, olives). Use salad dressings sparingly. Dilute them with water or skim milk.
Unlimited Non-Starchy Vegetables
You can eat as many raw or cooked non-starchy vegetables as you want (all non-starchy vegetables are included except peas and corn).
Unlimited Vegetable Soup
You can have as much Sacred Heart Soup as you want, but you need to keep track of the amount of meat or lean protein added to the soup, as that counts toward your daily lean protein allowance.
Unlimited Salads
You can have as much salad as you want, but you need to use salad dressings sparingly.
Absolutely NO bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, cereals, oatmeal, popcorn, refined grains, corn, peas, or sauces with sugar.
Three days before surgery
Count surgery day as day three (if you are having surgery on the 5th, you would begin this on the 3rd).
After all foods are done for the day, take a good laxative, any brand that you choose. It is OK to repeat the laxative dose one time but remember that laxatives can take up to 24-48 hours to kick in so follow the instructions on the packaging. Sip fluids and you will be starting on the clear liquids only tomorrow.
Sample Meal Plan for Pre-Op Diet
Breakfast:
1 protein shake
Mid-morning snack:
1 protein shake
Lunch:
Large salad and/or raw or cooked vegetables (you can add one tablespoon of olive oil or butter spray to vegetables), plus three or four ounces of lean meat.
Example: Tilapia with baked broccoli topped with olive oil and seasonings.
Dinner:
Salad with protein (chicken, fish, 2 eggs, etc.) and a small amount of no or low sugar salad dressing (preferably olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice).
Evening Snack:
1 protein shake (if needed)
Unlimited:
Crystal lite or other flavored diet waters with no calories or sugar, non-starchy vegetables, Sacred Heart Soup, sugar-free JELL-O, and sugar-free popsicles.
