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I'll be in the hospital overnight for a procedure. I plan on telling them that I eat low carb with NO grains, fruit, starchy vegetables, or sugar. I wonder what I'll get? If need be, I can fast for the one or two meals I'll be there - and I may not feel like eating anyway.
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Guessing that, under current circumstances, you won't even be able to have a "support person" with you.
The following advice comes from having been my Dad's support person for probably 2 dozen hospitalizations over the last 4 years of his life (in 6 different hospitals that I can think of...twice at Duke!) plus for my husband for 2 major extended hospitalizations and once for a dear friend who had open heart surgery.
Don't be surprised if you find yourself stuck on the so-called "heart healthy" or "diabetes diet" after your procedure regardless of what you tell them upfront. Trust me, I've dealt with too many "hospitalists" who simply follow a set procedure of putting every surgery patient under their care on the heart-healthy diet! And once you're on that limited menu, getting it changed takes an act of Congress.
Fasting is an option but your body needs protein and energy (fats) to heal... plus, [
TMI warning] depending on the procedure you're going in for, they may not release you until you've pooped... and that requires that you eat. Also, it is possible that, while you're knocked out for surgery, they MAY give you an I.V. containing dextrose which will raise your blood sugar, then they'll give you insulin to bring it back down... So you may wake up already on a blood sugar roller coaster! That'll make fasting almost impossible.
Your best hospital menu options will likely be scrambled egg-whites and low-fat turkey sausages for breakfast, side salads and whatever meat choices are available without sauces for other meals. In my experience, a hospital side salad is about 1/2 cup or less of veggies. You can and should ask for two!
For lunch & dinner, you can mix and match items from different meal options. Eg., one meal option might be roast turkey slices with masked potatoes, dressing and gravy, while another meal option is lasagna with steamed broccoli. You can tell them you want the roast turkey slices DRY with the steamed broccoli on the side and they'll honor that request. And, in most places you can also ask for things like tomato slices and extra leaves of lettuce b/c they have those to put on hamburgers for folks eating in the hospital cafeteria.
With those options, it's POSSIBLE (but not always easy) to get enough protein. The problem is getting enough calories. If I were going in for any kind of procedure right now, I'd pack the bottom of a big purse (or maybe my make-up case) with some shelf-stable low-carb options like individual packs of salmon, chicken or tuna, a pull-top can or a jar of olives, a handful of fast-food individual packs of real mayo, plenty of nuts, plus a small jar of coconut oil or some of those individual tubs of real butter that restaurants have. (Butter, coconut oil, and olives keep just fine without refrigeration!) Add coconut oil or butter to your coffee to make BP coffee; and butter to steamed veggies and to the over-cooked dry meat that you'll be served. You can also create a half-way decent low-carb high-fat salad dressing by mixing mayo with chopped green olives. It won't win any culinary awards but it will make the salads go down easier!
If you're not allowed a support person, they will stick your purse/make-up case in your room for you. Once you're feeling well enough to sit up, just ask any care-worker to get it for you...then just wait till you're alone to pull out your "stash" and jazz up your "heart-healthy" meal. When you're done eating, cover any "trash" (opened mayo packs, etc) with the plate cover that your hospital meal come covered with.
Good luck!
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