Ticks of the trade...thanks to Jen F
Thanks to Jen F on the Ontario board for sharing these great tips and ideas!
Protein First: I choose protein rich foods like meat, eggs and cheese as the Main feature of my meals now, I eat the protein first and if I have room left then I go for veggies and starches after that.
About Pasta: Before my surgery I would take a mountain of pasta with sauce on top. Now I make the meat/meat sauce the star. I fill a bowl with meat sauce and sprinkle a handfull of pasta on top of that. I always choose whole wheat/multigrain/brown rice pasta now instead of the over processed white stuff.
Bowls: Eating out of a bowl instead of off a plate means I can't pile food in, it's all about portion control, especially for DSers who can eat larger portions.
No Touching: When I use a normal sized dinner plate I don't let the different foods touch each other....meat...veggies....starches all in their own little zones. This again is about portion control and putting less on your plate.
No More Bags/Boxes: Never eat anything straight out of the box or bag, take a handfull and put it on a small plate or in a bowl. You'd be surprised how satisfied you can be with a snack without devouring the whole package.
Slow it down: Put your fork down between bites, chew your food slowly and carefully, enjoy your food...besides the fact that eating too fast will likely make you upchuck, you really appreciate your food more and you eat less.
Play with Flavors: Use spices, rubs, marinades (sugar free) and learn how to cook properly. The more flavourful your food is, the more satisfied you'll be with your meal without stuffing yourself.
Aren't you sweet enough already??: Watch those sweetned drinks! No one's saying never have them again, but they should be a treat, not a way of staying hydrated. Artificial sweetners are appetite stimulants and sugary drinks are just empty calories. Have water and herbal teas as a staple and save the pop or juice for Grey's Anatomy night or a treat when you go to a resturant.
Leftovers are you friend: If you eat as much protein as I do and hate cooking as much as I do, make extra food and eat leftovers, so you're not cooking all the time, without this strategy, I'd be cooking several times a day for myself...no thanks. I always have a back-up chicken breast or something in the fridge for quick access.
Stay Nourished: Not eating for long periods of time is bad for a few reasons- first you're more likely to binge when you actually DO get around to eating, secondly ( and this is especially true for DSers) an empty stomach will cause nausea and discomfort. Even if it's just a piece of cheese or a few nuts- feed your belly small snacks frequently. Lastly, the more small snacks you have throughout the day, the less likely you are to overeat at meal time.....be conscious of your snacking though, make it a purposeful act instead of grazing and mindless snacking.
Is it a 10??: I saw this recently in a magazine and it made amazing sense: if you're going to have a dessert or something sinfully unhealthy(we're all entitled to a treat) ask yourself first how good it would be on a scale from 1-10...if it's not a 10 pass on it. Eating 5's and 6's just because they were there was a contributing factor in my obesity. If you're not sure, take a bite and contemplate...if it's not as good as you wanted it to be, get rid of it..it's not worth it, save yourself for the 10's!!
On Bread: I rarely ever eat it...pre-op I was a bread-a-holic...I now eat it maybe once a week and if I do I always eat 100% multigrain or wholewheat. Trust me on this one, the longer you go without it the less you crave it.
I hope some of these suggestions are helpful, in a perfect world, following these rules would have saved me from WLS in the first place, but combining these strategies with my tool has changed a lot of my old habits....now let's hear ideas!!
Tell her thanks from us here on the October board!!
Susan 
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