7 day diet
 

has anyone heard of that weight loss plan that is used by the hospitals for patients before major surgery. It reveolves around eating different types of food on different days. Thought I might try it, what are your thoughts on it?

I know that I read somewhere that these types of plans are urban myths, and that no one has been able to track down any hospital that has ever issued a plan like them.

Generally, I think it is best to stay away from "quick fix" types of diets, and instead search for the balanced, calorically moderate eating plan that you can sustain for a lifetime, and then use plenty of exercise to affect weight loss.

Excess weight is a long-term problem that needs a long-term solution. :)

I'm a nurse in a hospital that does surgery and no we don't.

I thought they just make you fast for a day or something before any surgery.

Clear fluids for a day or two. They like yer innards empty if they're gonna fiddle with them. But orthopedic or dental, ears, eyes, tonsils .... nothing to eat or drink after midnight.

I dont know about elsewhere in the world, but I know over here for my surgery (abdominal, gall bladder and pancreas) i hadnt eaten for over a fortnight anyway so trhat wasnt an issue but as of midnight i wasnt allowed to drink anything at all.

But no, ive never heard anyone having a special quick diet for surgery like that

The diet has gone under several names, such as the Mayo Clinic Diet or the Sacred Heart Hospital diet. There are several variations floating around, and usually last 3 days or 7 days and usually involve either hot dogs or cabbage soup.

The hospitals deny any affiliation with the diets and stress that they are unhealthy and should be avoided.

ewwww hot dogs for 7 days! I like hot dogs in all, but only ONCE in a while!

Yeah agree with you. I dont want to eat hot dogs for 7 days!

I worked in several hospitals as a nurse for 20 yrs. and have never heard of a 7 day diet that patients were supposedly put on before surgery.

The eating habbits stated in the diet seem a little easy to follow. The one day all you can have is fruit the next day it is veggies, the third it is a combination of both. Some days you can have meat and beef and other days you can have a baked potato. I think i might try it. A week cant really do any harm can it?

Originally Posted by l00py:
A week cant really do any harm can it?

It's not that it will do any harm, but as soon as you start eating normally again, you're probably more likely to gain back whatever you lost that week. If all you're eating is mostly fruits, veggies, and a little meat, then you're likely only going to lose primarily water weight, not actual fat. I'm sure you've heard it a million times before, but I'm going to say it again: however you choose to lose your weight, it should be a plan you can stick with forever--doing short-term diets more often than not lead to yoyo-ing instead of permanent, sustainable weight loss.

And for the record, I have had major abdominal surgery in the past (sliced open from my belly button down to remove a 10-inch ovarian cyst, another cyst, and an ovary), and I didn't have to go on any sort of special diet. Food gets processed efficiently enough in our bodies that typically, you're just cut off from eating at a certain time the night before (typically midnight, although I've been cut off at 9pm for an early morning procedure the next day).

I dont really understand why you say as soon as you start eating 'normal' foods the weight will pile straight back on again. I am really determined to get to my target weight, but at the moment nothin I try seems to work. I have even been blacking out due to eating not enough food and exercising too much. Its really disappointing when your doing this right, as you should be, and nothing happens.

I feel like crying when i look in the mirror, I made the huge mistake or not taking any pictures before I started to eat healthily and exercise. Still now I dont like what I see.

If you are blacking out, you are not doing it right.

The doctor didnt think the black outs were related to my eating habbits, but every body else seems to think so.