Hi ... I'm with St Richards Chichester and am on an alternative to the milk diet.
Breakfast is either 1 or 2 eggs (poached, scrambled) OR 1 or 2 bits of bacon (grilled) PLUS grilled tomatoes and boiled mushrooms
Lunch Salad with 4 oz meat (like chicken, ham, turkey or salmon or tuna) you can have this with fat free dressing
Dinner: gammon steaks, steak, chicken, fish (like tuna steaks, salmon fillets or cod fillets) - choose one of them and cook it fat free. serve with lots of vegetables
NO POTATOES, NO BREAD, NO CARBY STUFF LIKE PASTA, BISCUITS, OR COUSCOUS.
You can add 3 pieces of fruit or (one can be substitued for small glass fruit juice) 1 low fat diet yoghurt and half pint of milk.
Lots of clear fluids.
First day is horrendous (well it was for me - i've just started) carb cravings were really high. Second day slightly better. 3rd day much better and today my 4th day easier still (I ended up having gammon and a large leafy salad - lots of crunchy veggies not cooked) and I feel really well.
I've used the fruit to nibble throughout the day. Remembering that with some dieting places 2 small satsumas = 1 portion of fruit, 1 banana and i've had a glass of fruit juice as my 3rd fruit option.
I just feel really good - not sure if i'm loosing weight but don't care as my op is next week on 27th : ))
So effectively, you could have christmas dinner (oh you can have gravy too) it would just mean no roast parsnips and potatoes (very hard I know) but you could have turkey and if you just had tomatoes and mushrooms for brekkie you could save your bacon and add that to your turkey maybe?? so that it felt a bit more luxurious? and then you'd have to forgo the christmas pud - a load of empty calories and heart cloggers anyhow - you dont need them : ))
Maybe you could have a goats milk yoghurt or soya yoghurt poured over some sliced up fruit salad for pudding.
If you cram your plate full of veggies (the obligatory brussels, carrots, etc) you'll shouldnt feel like you are missing out too much, and you can have the gravy too.
Its all positive stuff.
Of course, your hospital (not sure where you are?) might have a different pre op alternative.
Hope this has been of help.
Julie
I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along soon but I know you can have the option of the very low cal diet which doesn't have to involve milk, I think it's basically eating normal low fat foods totalling no more than 800cals per day. I hate the taste of milk so did slimfasts for 2 weeks but that wouldn't be much use to you!
