Ideas for eating right?

Hey All!

I am struggling right now figuring out how to lose the weight I need before my surgery. It seems like I do great through most of the day then lose it at dinner and over eat and eat the wrong things and ruin my day. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or suggestions that has worked for them to overcome this?

Thanks!

-Haley

Is "doing great through most of the day" entail not eating? Because if so that's your problem. You should be eating several times during the day and then eating something like chicken over salad for dinner by 6:00 pm and that should be it. If you need a snack have some pickles and ham. No carbs after 5:00pm and it would be best just to limit carbs in general. No sugar whatsoever. Bread and starches should be minimal to none.

Also you want to move your body as much as possible. Exercise in the morning would be great. Everyday if you can.

I gained 14lbs during the nutrition phase. I eventually got myself together and lost 27lbs pre-op. The only thing I can say is you probably know what to do, so you have to get your mind right. Don't waste a awesome opportunity!! I tried my best to stay under 1200 cals per day, and I used my fitness pal to count calories. My program didn't require weightloss, but I felt like it was what I had to do for myself to prepare for a surgery I was already apprehensive about.

Be specific- what are you eating? What is your calorie goal? Are you monitoring carbs? What are you drinking?

what are your triggers?

Hey Peach! I'll reply to you and Scott both here.

I eat small meals of a little less than 200 calories at 8a, 11a, 2p, and supposed to continue at 5p and 7p but usually by the time I get home at 5 I don't have the energy/motivation to fix myself another healthy meal. I do good for my first three meals eating things like chicken/lean ham chunks, cheese, yogurt, etc, but I feel so hungry and tired and mentally drained by 5 that I just give in and order something that tastes "good".

I'm just drinking water (I am able to keep up with that lol) about 40oz per day at this point. I'm not mentoring carbs, and I think my triggers are when I get home my husband and 3 year old daughter and both on me about what are we going to eat and I don't want to fix them something they want and me something I should eat and wait another hour at lead to do it all, so I just get food.

Thanks for any help!

-Haley

I couldn't imagine dieting and running a family. Dieting is tough enough.

In my mind pre-op dieting is about two things. First it's about forming good eating habits. Sounds like you know what to do albeit you may benefit from eating a bit more in the afternoon if it will make you less hungry at night. Another thing is dense protein keeps you sated for longer than any other food. It just takes longer to digest and thus keeps you feeling fuller, longer. That dinner meal should be a slow long chew focused on meat.

Tne other big pre op diet benefit is losing liver weight. If you're obese you likely suffer from fatty liver disease. Now your surgeon needs to do a lot of work under your liver. Your liver needs to be lifted. The lighter your liver the less chance it gets damaged.

2 days after I was released I went back to the hospital because I thought I had a clot. I woke up with a new pain and I was cold and clammy etc. I sorta freaked out and the surgeon said well better safe than sorry so I went back to the ER and got an EKG & CT scan. Anyway it was a total false alarm but the attending surgeon came out and told me he saw a bit of necrosis (dead tissue) on my liver. But he said it's in the exact spot the retractor was used to lift up my liver during the surgery so I shouldn't really be concerned. So the heavier your liver the more pressure it endures being lifted and the more blood flow gets cut off.

A lot of people on here do some meal-prep on the weekends and put things in the freezer to pull out and throw in the oven/microwave for quick meals. You could do things like taco meat, then all you have to do is heat the meat and everyone can put together their own toppings/shells/etc

Measure out your dinner portion then immediately put any leftovers away so you aren't tempted to go back and pick at seconds. After dinner, focus on drinking water or hot tea, rather than snacking.

Did they give you a plan?

My first plan- when I was further away from surgery was at least 100g protein a day including a protein drink, and not more than 100g carbs.

Then for the last almost month, 3 protein drinks a day (4th allowed if needed) -not more than 200c and 5g sugar.each.. plain protein and veg or salad for dinner, and we were allowed an apple or a pear.

I would recommend getting an App like MyFitnessPal and logging everything you eat. I helps to see what you are eating on the screen and the calories and the breakdown of what percentage comes from protein, fats, and carbohydrates is amazing. The next thing I recommend is that you do a lot of pre-planning....I have a husband and teenage daughter, who is a competitive athlete so her first question as soon as she gets home is what food we are having for dinner. I would plan in advance what we are having for dinner and made sure that it worked with my plan too. I would make a protein and veggies and then add a rice or pasta dish for them that I would not eat. Lastly, if possible get rid of the things that you should not eat! This was not an option in my house but I did give my husband/ daughter a shelf in the pantry for their junk food and it is not at eye level, so out of sight out of mind.

It is not easy but you have to think of this as training yourself for your surgery. You are going to have the same challenges post-op that you have pre-op. Figuring out how to handle these now, will be a god-send later.

You can do this!!!