What's on your Wednesday Menu, RNYers?

There is such a swirl of advice coming from all sides for us newbies, from the professionals to the peers here. It is sometimes difficult to choose which way to turn. I speak from experience.

It is tough in the beginning to find your own path to success. Just keep swimming... and learning.

I agree that it can be tough to find your path at first. I remember when I first came on here I read lots of posts that 100% FOR SURE never use a straw and NEVER drink carbonation. The carbonation would "stretch your pouch" and straws were death because they would fill you with air. LOL My doctor had never mentioned either of these rules. I followed them at first though just in case. Avoiding straws and carbonation was zero risk; drinking through a straw and drinking carbonation in theory could have been risky if those posts were right. I avoided them for the first year without much cost to myself. Risk v Reward made sense.

Over that first year I came to find out that those ideas were out dated and had been found to be false. Now I drink diet soda or sparkling water on occasion and I uses straws sometimes. Fair enough. Some advice...take with salt but err on the side of lowest risk.

Don't drink alcohol the first year (definitely not the first few weeks) after surgery. Don't drink within an hour of eating. Don't take NSAIDS. Those are not iffy...it is real clear. Every source agrees... don't do it. Risks 100% really really outweigh any possible reward. Some advice is clearly good.

You NUT tells you to eat at least 60 g of carbs per meal. Your NUT suggests oatmeal and toast for fiber in the morning. You find a whole bunch of good research showing they are wrong. Posts here are showing no one who is succeeding at this eats that many carbs. Risk is gaining weight; no reward for eating that many carbs except feeding your food craving... Some advice is clearly bad.

The job ultimately is yours to do the research and find the way that is sustainable for you and will keep you healthy and successful. Risk v Reward is our job to figure out. We each have to do the critical thinking and take the time to educate ourselves.

I can't tell you the number of hours I've spend reading journal articles, magazine articles, reviews, OH posts, and books on WLS. For real... hours and hours every week for months before and for months after surgery. I spend less time now but still do read up as new problems or concerns or questions come up. This is absolutely imperative for my success and it is something I do because I need to.

No one has the power to make me fail except me.

Keep swimming. Keep learning. Sure. But whatever you do...keep honest with yourself. When you are trying to make excuses so that the Risk v Reward teeter totter leans toward your craving...you are probably not making good sound choices.

~E

I am not even going to address the alcohol and some of the food choices- enough good advice has been given...

I get at early out it is hard to get all your protein in. If you feel a need to supplement your protein than use 100% whey protein isolate shakes. Much better than bars. Syntrax brand is a good one. They have flavors that can be mixed with water like ice tea, lemonade, and my favorite fuzzy navel. They also have traditional vanilla, chocolate and many other flavors. Those taste very good shaken with cashew milk.

4oz of protein is way too much to be eating at one meal at the point you are at.

This makes sense, but see a few comments above where I was advised that "dry" protein sources "stick" better than wet, so I'll digest more of the available protein.

This really is difficult to navegate.

For the record, I have been using Elevation brand protein powder from Aldi (generally mixing it with cottage cheese or yogurt) and a plain (unflavored) whey isolate powder that's organic from pastured cows - which I add to almost everything that won't taste OK sweet.

If you're concerned about iron absorption, pop a vitamin C pill when you take it. That'll provide the same benefit as eating a strawberry, minus the carbs and calories.

Everyone has given good advice, just wanted to mention based on your comment:

She was fine with the reduced calorie levels, but she wants me to put some nutrient dense fruits and vegetables back into my diet (hey, at least she didn't think I needed to add carbs back!).

fruits are carbs, and some veggies also have higher carbs.

yes they are :)

I should have written what I was picturing, "starches" like rice and potato, or "simple carbs". "carb" was the word that matched my mental picture.

It's possible I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

Glad to see that you've taken others' advice about alcohol to heart.

This has been a really busy week and we are only half way there? Uhg. I have friends visiting from Alaska currently, a friend flying in tomorrow from Seattle, and a group of four friends driving in to stay at our house Friday night. Lots of people... no cleaning done since before my surgery. Must get cleaning done tonight! Too busy and kinda stressed out.

Bright side, yesterday my appointment went really well. Doc says I am healing up great and cleared me for lifting/exercise. He said that the distance between the surface of the skin on my abdomen and my organs is less than a 1/4 inch right now including the muscle layer. He said it would be helpful if I build up some more muscle tissue to assist my body with holding my organs in their correct places. He also insisted that I do not lose any more weight. He said there was no body fat left and that was likely contributing to my hernia issues.

He did take my concerns about the low blood sugars very seriously and is referring me to an endocrinologist for follow up. He said it is rare but he has had a few patients with RH in the past and wants to get it checked out.

I asked about gummy vitamins and chewable medications...he said gummies are fine but tend to be incomplete and that yes I can take tablets but to cut them into three pieces to ensure my body can break them down. I am planning to switch to non chewable forms as soon as I run out of my current 'stash.'

EDIT: Forgot QOTD: My work place has snacks and treats several times each month but there is usually a healthier option available. I also have started bringing in left overs of things I make low crab/high protein and share that with co-workers. They all seem to be enjoying my stuff and several of them now have Instant Pots.

Menu: B: Chobani Simply 100 "Crunch"; L: Roast beef slices 2oz and 2 Tillamook cheddar cheese slices 1 small tortilla; S: Apple; Dinner: Beanless chili; ES: Chobani Simply 100; Totals: Cal 880; Protein 75; Carb 78; Fat 30

Accountability: Weight this morning 126 and still not smoking. Started to feel that "night time feeding frenzy insomnia" thing starting last night when I laid down so I took a muscle relaxer and slept like a baby. Not sure that is a healthy solution but man it was good to sleep.

Have a great day everyone!

~Elizabeth

I wish I had a stash of muscle relaxers!

I used to take Benadryl before bed but I switched to the Cost****irkland brand) Nighttime Sleep Aid and it's WONDERFUL. Helps me drift right off to sleep and stay asleep! Perhaps give it a try?

As a former smoker, I am just beyond proud of you for quitting smoking. You are doing so awesome. Your heart and lungs thank you :)