Question:
What were you eating at 3 mo post-op? Trying to get on track!

Hello all you helpful people! I'm about 3 months post-op. I got scoped 2 weeks ago and for the first time since surgery I'm able to keep doing solid food without a problem. This is both a good and a bad thing, because now I find myself confronted with the ability to make poor choices on my food intake - especially since I can handle sugar and carbs just fine without dumping at all. I'm seeking advice on planning creative, well-rounded, convenient meals. I work full-time in an office environment and I do find myself going out to lunch often, which is okay IF I can figure out what to order and still stick to the plan. What types of meals are you guys enjoying that are easy, yummy and nutritionally sound? How do you avoid overeating or snacking too much? ANY ideas would be greatly appreciated. I'm having a really hard time this week and am freaking out cause I gained 2 pounds this week! (as opposed to losing 3 or 4 pounds a week before I got scoped and dilated.) Thank you in advance!!    — Tiffany J. (posted on September 25, 2003)

September 25, 2003
Try to stick to the proteins. Lean beef and poultry, fish (including tuna). Snack on a cheese stick, beef jerky, cottage cheese. We usually have grilled chicken for dinner with green beans and/or salad/cottage cheese. Sometimes for lunch I'll have tuna salad (made with fat free mayo) on a few saltine crackers or a bowl of Wendy's chile. I'll also get grilled chicken sandwiches (plain - no mayo) at fast food places and take it off the bun. My surgeons office gave me a list of fast food items that are good (and not so good) to choose. If you'd like a copy of the list (or if anybody else would), just e-mail me a number that I can fax it to. If you don't have a fax, I can e-mail it to you but it may take a few days for me to type it up. Good Luck.
   — Carolyn M.

September 25, 2003
At 3 months out, I was eating a lot of protein: egg beaters with cheese and turkey bacon for breakfast; turkey chili for lunch; turkey pepperoni for snacks; maybe a few more carbs at dinner, but always a protein first. As a pre-op, I often bought lunch at carryouts or restaurants around the office, but as a post-op I almost always bring lunch in now to ensure I'm getting enough protein. Plus, when you eat out a lot, you really can't control (or know about) how many added calories there are in your food. It's one thing if you're traveling, but if you're in your usual office setting, I'd prepare better for the "food at work" problem by bringing in lunch more often and keeping high protein snacks around. When you do eat out, order a turkey sandwich and just eat the turkey (never the bread), or have some tuna salad, or a chicken caesar salad (skip the croutons and not too much dressing). This is your chance to completely re-learn your eating habits, while your pouch is not too flexible yet and relatively unforgiving. Though you can keep losing weight for 12 months, 18 months, even two years or more if you work at it, this first six months really is the "honeymoon period" for weight loss. You don't want to lose the opportunity for maximum weight loss by grazing on carbs and sugars while eating out so early on; it just makes it that much harder to change your eating habits when the weight loss slows or stops earlier than you might want it to later on.
   — Suzy C.