confused/concerned

I  have not yet been to see the nutritionist, but I've been reading a lot on these boards. I'm afraid If & when I have my surgery that I will not know how to eat. It seems so confusing about the protein & vitamins. sugar or no sugar, carbs..bullets??   Is it really hard to adjust or figure out? Im a girl on the go..dont cook much always eating out (thats why Im overweight).
I know I will have to make changes, but I hope it's not complicated..any info??

It is complicated.. but it gets easier as time moves on.

I don't cook.. I eat things that are pretty much already cooked or easy to make.  So you'll be fine.

Hi there and CONGRATULATIONS on your decision to change your life :)
The nutritionist and surgeon should have a strict diet for you to follow post op to get you thru the healing stages, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you follow your surgeons protocol, NO ONE ELSES!! Every surgeon does things different and I am sure there are reasons!! After the 6 week mark you "SHOULD" be cleared to expirement on your own at your own risk!!  The main thing is PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN!!!  As far as carbs...carbs are essential for energy and mental health, BUT after the surgery you will no longer look at them the same way, you don't need so much anymore!!!! I know what my nutritionist recommends as far as carbs and i have been having great success with that!! BUt it is CRAZY to say NO CARBS!! Just not right away and not in huge amounts and ALWAYS eat your protein before your carbs :) You also will find that the info on these boards will be your life saver!!  Hang in there and everything will fall into place and just remember it is a complete lifestyle change, but the results will be AWESOME in the end!!!
Best of Luck to you ~ JAMI

Thank you for the advice!!  :)

Hello there,

It can be complicated, but anything this important is worth studying up on and learning.  Alot of it depends on you and what you can tolerate also.  I didn't do the protien shakes very long at all because they made me feel sick, I did my best to get protien from the food that was allowed at the stage I was at.  Some people do the protien for months after surgery, it just depends on your preference and tolerence.  My wife had RNY three months before me and we are day and night on what we can (and want to) eat.  It's one of those things that you just don't konw until you get there.  I do alot of "on the go" eating also.  You just learn what place has what and always ask for a take out box!  Best of luck to you!

It gets easy Protein and Vitamins are your friend all I have to say is ONLY DO what YOUR surgeon says! all of them are totally different and comparing them is like apples to hand grenades one has someone do this and the other says that.. dont go by what others say LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTORS ORDERS!!! and GOOD LUCK!!

You basically have to think of yourself being brought back to being a baby again - you will competely have to relearn how to eat... not only what to eat but how much and how often. For me it took me almost a year to get everything figured out.... the first 6 months will be the hardest because thats when you have the most food stages and most changes. It will get easier as time goes on - my suggestion is to educate yourself as much as possible about nutrition and learn how to read labels (including ingrediants)... if you havent read you! the owners manual by DrOz I highly reccomend... also Womens Health magazine has been a great resource for me when it comes to information about nutrition, health and exercise. It can be overwhelming so remember that its a process and takes time - nobody is perfect right off the back. I found it helpful to put a binder together w/all the info from the surgeon/NUT... I carried it around for the first 6 months or so.. .if I had a question I had the paperwork right there. I also printed out recipes I found either posted here on OH or various WLS websites and pouch rules for dummies - it was my little WLS bible :-)

Hello again, my new friend.
It all seems overwhelming in the beginning but it will be second nature and routine in a VERY short time. You can do this! And we're all here to help.
xoxo
Mare

BTW - 11 more daze! *wink* Weeeeeeeeeeeee

Koko,

I think that one of the biggest differences from one program to the other is probably the early portion of the dietary plan, so you will get and hear a lot of different information from a lot of different people, but it is important that you follow the plan that your surgeon and Nut recommend. They will give you guidelines and you should be able to call them anytime with questions. While it's okay to ask us what we have done, you really need to follow their plan. YOu will often find others that have used the same program and that's very helpful when you have a question and it's after business hours.

I have to say that before I had my surgery I was really concerned that would not be able to eat this and that. That basically, I'd never be able to eat 'normally' again. I am delighted to tell you that while I generally tend to eat better than I did before and I certainly eat a great deal less than I did before, I am able to eat just about anything I want in moderation. I find that if I over indulge in high carb foods, I just don't feel as well, but I don't really have any signficant dumping issues. I also don't take protien suppliments... there are varying opinions on this, but the program that I have gone through at Duke prefers that you 'eat' your protien if at all possible instead of drinking protien supplements. I like that because I like eating and I don't like the protien drinks.

Early on, it really does take some time to readjust to the way you have to eat to accomodate your new pouch, but in time not only do you learn to make better choices, but your pouch also 'eases up' and you are able to tolerate a much broader range of foods.

I have found that it's not so very complicated and I have done fairly well.

Wishing you all the best,

Barb

Hi there!
So glad you reached out!  Your concerns are understandable.  You will find after your surgery that your "feelings" about food and old choices change and you will find it easier to make those changes that are necessary especially at the beginning.  Your surgeon and NUT will tell you exactly what to eat and what not to eat for the first 6 weeks and then you will likely be able to experiment progressively.  I suppose if you were to look at the entire journey all in one "gulp" that would be overwhelming to try to process all that information at once.  But it will all be  broken down into manageable stages for you by your surgeon and we are all here to help you implement that program and to incorporate your new lifestyle into your new life!  Welcome aboard!  And keep reaching out!