Family eating

Well, now that WLS is in the near future for me I have been thinking a lot about the foods I should eat and how to prepare them healthy.  The thing I am not sure about is how much different is what I will be eating than what my family will want to eat. I know I should have a good protein, then veggies but do the seasonings have to be different or just as tolerated by individual?  My husband loves fried anything, my son loves mashed potatoes, I am pickey about veggies.....what to do????? I am excited about everyone in the family eating better (if I cook it they know it's best to eat!) but not sure how they will feel about not using butter, fat back grease, hot sauce etc!  Any help on this subject is welcomed!!!!! 

Phyllis

Hi Phyllis,

My whole family has benefited from my surgery.  We all eat healthy now and make proper choices as a family.  Early on, I made the decision to always eat what the family ate, but I would leave out just enough of the ingredients to make a healthy version for just me.  For instance, with mashed potatoes, I would put my potatoes on the side and add a little f/f half and half and f/f promise while their version would have milk and butter.  I did not want to force my family early on to eat like me.  HOWEVER, over time I introduced my versions of the dishes to the family and they enjoyed them.  Now, we all eat the same healthier versions of our meals.  High protein, veggies, and complex carbs.  We all have indulgences once in a while, but we compensate for those by exercising to burn off the bad calories.  Its amazing how my surgery has affected my whole family.  My daughter dropped 12 lbs.  My wife dropped nearly 30.  We all eat healthy, exercise more, and feel good. 

Take it slow with your family and you will be surprised how they will come around to the new ways of eating.  I still enjoy a piece of fried food every now and then, I dont want to totally deprive my family of sinful eating, but we know there is a price to pay for eating like that so we don't do it often.  Healthier cooking doesn't have to taste bland, in fact, many of the things I cook today taste as good or better than the original.  There are many great products today that aid in making food healthier and tastier.  Good luck.  I am sure you and your family will find that happy medium and become healthier throughout the process.

Dalton

I think Dalton gave you some wonderful advice. The first example that came to mind for me is ...SPAGHETTI. My family loves it.  I rarely eat pasta but I love the sauce. I haven't changed the recipe much at all since the sauce we make isn't high in sugar anyway. I have found a brand of turkey meatballs in Harris Teeter that they all love (Can't remember the name of them and I don't have any in the freezer right now). I'd rarely had meatballs in it before so they think they've really gotten a treat when they do show up.
 
They all love my SF popsicles and NSA fugesicles. There's always SF jello on hand so they always have a dessert now that they didn't have before. Prior to surgery I might make dessert on the weekends for sunday dinner but that was about it.

I do less family style now and tend to plate everyone's dinner in the kitchen. But I've made it known that they are free to go back for seconds. Amazingly enough they usually don't.

My crock pot has replaced my frying pan as the most used kitchen implement. When the surgeon and the nutritionist both tell you that you need foods that are fork tender - they mean it. My pouch couldn't stand anything tough. Foods that are breaded and fried are well - tough to the pouch regardless of how well chewed they are.

Cruise the recipe forum on here. They have some great ideas and occasional links. Also on the RNY forum and the Main forum they normally have the Whatcha Eating daily post. You'll get some great ideas of what other WLS folks are eating and feeding their families.

Good Luck.
- Iris

I can't add much to what Dalton said... he's so right.  Cooking better i in the best interest of the whole family.  When you start to cook healthier, your family learns to eat better and they enjoy it.  I've made alot of changes, i do more broiling, grilling, stews & soups... and my "fried" chicken is now made with whole wheat flour, whole wheat panko and baked in the oven.  It's crispy, juicy and tastes, great!!!  Hubby wouldn't know the difference if he didn't see me taking it out of the oven.  As for spices... the more the better.  Your pallette will change after the surgery... i know mine has and for me the spicier the better.  So go ahead... douse on that hot sauce!!!

Hi Phyllis,

I found that like Dalton, I didn't require my family to follow me, in time they did anyway and are generally eating healthier since my surgery. I have found plenty of ways to enjoy my old favorites, but in ways the help to me take care of me. I do still use butter, but not nearly as much as I used to... I used to cook a lot like Paula Deen, but I have learned a lot of ways to trim things down and still enjoy the satisfying flavors and textures that I've come to love. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to do that when I started this journey, but have been pleasantly surprised. I must say that they way you eat when you are busy losing weight is somewhat different and more restricted than the you eat when you get get to goal and are maintaining, but for me that's generally a good thing. As for spice, I liked it before surgery and still do, so go ahead and reach for the hot sauce. You may find that you will actually use more herbs and spices after surgery because you are using them to flavor your meals rather than relying so heavily on fats. 

Wishing you all the best,