STRESSING OUT OVER HOLIDAY EATING?
If so, you're not alone. Please keep in mind that I have no certifications or pretty initials behind my name - I'm pretty sure ***** does NOT count - lol!, but I thought I'd pass along to you what my first holidays were like post-op.
Since I had my surgery in August, by Thanksgiving, I was into the full-blown discovery mode of what I COULD eat and tolerate and what I couldn't. Three years later, I have to say that it's sometimes still a roll of the dice. Holidays for our family, like most, have always been all-out food fests - with me preparing or helping to prepare much of the meals, snacks, desserts, etc. By November, I'd learned that bread, potatoes, rice, starchy veggies, were NOT my friends - and they continue to not like me to this day. I also was very vigilant in focusing on protein - protein FIRST AND FOREMOST, and veggies to follow if there was any room - which wasn't likely. Our Thanksgiving menu never changes, except maybe to have some things added. Our typical holiday menu consists of: turkey, (turkey AND ham for Christmas), 2-3 kinds of stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, homemade mac & cheese, macaroni salad with shrimp, sauerkraut and kielbasa, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, turkey rice soup, rolls or biscuits, real butter, pumpkin pie, cheesecake and whatever other dessert might've caught my eye to make. The sad thing is - unless my brother or I were dating someone and invited them, the number USUALLY topped out at 8 people sitting around the table. E-I-G-H-T!!! Of course, this ensured that everyone leaving took home enough food to feed a small nation.
Fortunately, I wasn't TOO stressed about not eating all of this good food, because truly, I wasn't hungry. Not a bit. Still, to this day, anything I feel is simply head hunger. However, since I knew I would want to eat some things and would HAVE to get my protein in, I decided ahead of time that I would eat only what I couldn't make or get on any other day of the year. Because I knew that I wasn't tolerating chicken well at this point, and figuring that turkey wouldn't be any better, I sauteed some shrimp in olive oil and Old Bay and took it with me to my aunt's house. I also had a TINY (not exaggerating at all) bit of: turkey rice soup, cornbread stuffing, sweet potatoes, a coin sized piece of kielbasa, some broccoli casserole, and a forkful of pumpkin pie filling. AND I WAS STUFFED!!!
Since I had rny, my sense of taste/smell had changed. Therefore, I KNEW I couldn't/wouldn't sit at the table after I was done watching everyone eat, smelling the smells, etc. It truly made me nauseous for a long time to be around food once I was full. So, I got a head start on the dishes for my aunt, and once KB were done, we went for a walk over to the playground near her house. Once we came back, well in excess of 30 minutes had passed, so I was able to drink, and I indugled in some flavored hot tea.
I can honestly say that it didn't make a bit of difference to me. I was full, as full as my brother, who, on the holidays, eats like a linebacker. The difference? By the following week, I'd have lost some more weight, while he would feel like he needed to have "MACY'S" printed on his butt!!
Christmas was pretty much a repeat, except that I DID have a few homemade cookies and a FEW pieces of good quality chocolate. Nothing like in the past, though, where a snack of cookies and milk meant a dozen cookies, and SOME chocolates meant eating the whole 1/2 pound box that my Mom had gotten me, all on Christmas Day.
I'm by no means perfect, so please don't follow my example. However, I wanted to let pre-ops and new post-ops see that you can, in fact, enjoy the treats that the holidays bring. Try not to focus on the food, rather, enjoy being with your loved ones. Be the fun aunt or uncle who brings crafts to do after dinner or the shopping maven who pulls out the Black Friday ads and plots her moves!!!
Happy Holidays and Happy, Healthy Eating!!!
Tia
Since I had my surgery in August, by Thanksgiving, I was into the full-blown discovery mode of what I COULD eat and tolerate and what I couldn't. Three years later, I have to say that it's sometimes still a roll of the dice. Holidays for our family, like most, have always been all-out food fests - with me preparing or helping to prepare much of the meals, snacks, desserts, etc. By November, I'd learned that bread, potatoes, rice, starchy veggies, were NOT my friends - and they continue to not like me to this day. I also was very vigilant in focusing on protein - protein FIRST AND FOREMOST, and veggies to follow if there was any room - which wasn't likely. Our Thanksgiving menu never changes, except maybe to have some things added. Our typical holiday menu consists of: turkey, (turkey AND ham for Christmas), 2-3 kinds of stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, homemade mac & cheese, macaroni salad with shrimp, sauerkraut and kielbasa, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, turkey rice soup, rolls or biscuits, real butter, pumpkin pie, cheesecake and whatever other dessert might've caught my eye to make. The sad thing is - unless my brother or I were dating someone and invited them, the number USUALLY topped out at 8 people sitting around the table. E-I-G-H-T!!! Of course, this ensured that everyone leaving took home enough food to feed a small nation.
Fortunately, I wasn't TOO stressed about not eating all of this good food, because truly, I wasn't hungry. Not a bit. Still, to this day, anything I feel is simply head hunger. However, since I knew I would want to eat some things and would HAVE to get my protein in, I decided ahead of time that I would eat only what I couldn't make or get on any other day of the year. Because I knew that I wasn't tolerating chicken well at this point, and figuring that turkey wouldn't be any better, I sauteed some shrimp in olive oil and Old Bay and took it with me to my aunt's house. I also had a TINY (not exaggerating at all) bit of: turkey rice soup, cornbread stuffing, sweet potatoes, a coin sized piece of kielbasa, some broccoli casserole, and a forkful of pumpkin pie filling. AND I WAS STUFFED!!!
Since I had rny, my sense of taste/smell had changed. Therefore, I KNEW I couldn't/wouldn't sit at the table after I was done watching everyone eat, smelling the smells, etc. It truly made me nauseous for a long time to be around food once I was full. So, I got a head start on the dishes for my aunt, and once KB were done, we went for a walk over to the playground near her house. Once we came back, well in excess of 30 minutes had passed, so I was able to drink, and I indugled in some flavored hot tea.
I can honestly say that it didn't make a bit of difference to me. I was full, as full as my brother, who, on the holidays, eats like a linebacker. The difference? By the following week, I'd have lost some more weight, while he would feel like he needed to have "MACY'S" printed on his butt!!
Christmas was pretty much a repeat, except that I DID have a few homemade cookies and a FEW pieces of good quality chocolate. Nothing like in the past, though, where a snack of cookies and milk meant a dozen cookies, and SOME chocolates meant eating the whole 1/2 pound box that my Mom had gotten me, all on Christmas Day.
I'm by no means perfect, so please don't follow my example. However, I wanted to let pre-ops and new post-ops see that you can, in fact, enjoy the treats that the holidays bring. Try not to focus on the food, rather, enjoy being with your loved ones. Be the fun aunt or uncle who brings crafts to do after dinner or the shopping maven who pulls out the Black Friday ads and plots her moves!!!
Happy Holidays and Happy, Healthy Eating!!!
Tia
Thanks for the info Tia! I know I won't be eathing much of anything on thanksgiving...except protein shakes...I'll only be a week out. I'm not sure what I'll be able to eat by Christmas, but I know it won't be much!! I think the head hunger will probably be bad though!! I dunno, we'll see! But thanks for the info...that's a good rule of thumb for parties and things ... only eat what you bring!! I'll have to remember that!
Marnie
Marnie
You're very welcome, Marnie!!! Don't worry, the food on the table won't compare with the gift you're giving yourself. Repeat that to yourself as often as needed!!
Heck, you can always add some pumpkin pie spice to a vanilla protein shake!!! It's often a matter of playing games with yourself and being creative!!
It IS a good rule to always take something you know you can eat, but I've been really fortunate in that all of my family/friends have been incredibly supportive and usually run their menu by me. Once you're further out, you'll find that most people and restaurants will have SOMETHING wls friendly!!!
Make sure you keep us posted on your progress!
Hugs,
Tia
On November 17, 2008 at 11:10 AM Pacific Time, KBS-TIA wrote:
Yes, that's where it is!!! I know Debbie is a big advocate of extracts in protein shakes, so you could have a peppermint coffee shake, too!!Hope this helps,
Tia
How much pumpkin spice would you throw in a protein shake? I'd like to do a vanilla Muscle Milk Light shake and I think it calls for about 10-12 oz. water. Just a few sprinkles? I guess I can try it myself and put in a few shakes of it at a time to taste.
Good idea - I'll start with just a few sprinkles and go from there
All is well here. Only 37 days til Xmas. I'm a Xmas freak like you, and proud of it. Getting excited about a little Tacky Xmas party the fiance and I will be throwing soon. Wear tacky Xmas sweaters, we'll have some spiked eggnog, watch "Bad Santa," take some cheesy Sears family portrait type photos in our sweaters, do a raunchy Chinese gift exchange... you get the idea
Sounds like all is well on your end. Thanks again for posting some tips on how to get through Thanksgiving. This will be my first post-op Turkey Day!
All is well here. Only 37 days til Xmas. I'm a Xmas freak like you, and proud of it. Getting excited about a little Tacky Xmas party the fiance and I will be throwing soon. Wear tacky Xmas sweaters, we'll have some spiked eggnog, watch "Bad Santa," take some cheesy Sears family portrait type photos in our sweaters, do a raunchy Chinese gift exchange... you get the idea
Sounds like all is well on your end. Thanks again for posting some tips on how to get through Thanksgiving. This will be my first post-op Turkey Day!
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