What's on your TUESDAY menu, RNY'ers

Hello Everyone:

It's really early . . . my usual insomnia. I was just reading the recent daily menu posts since I haven't been posting regularly . . . something I really need to commit to and follow through on.

I feel like I have been struggling since day one post-op. I thought I was so ready for my "new life" after RNY, but it's becoming more apparent every day that I was not.

After reading everyone's recent daily posts, I feel so upbeat and ready to take on this new lifestyle change head-on! I feel the strong camaraderie and support among you and it is inspiring. I love being a part of it!

Although this may sound odd, I am looking forward to my EGD on 12/11/18 for possible re-dilation of a stricture. I'm hoping that after the procedure, my food choices will broaden and each meal will no longer end with nausea.

QOTD: When do you put up your Christmas tree? Is it real or artificial? Do you have a particular color scheme or theme when you decorate it?

I usually put up my tree by the end of the first week of December. Usually, it's an artificial tree since my condo is small and I like to try different things each year. This year, I have a small wood tree like the one in the picture below. I'm going to see if I can decorate it with miniature red, glittery pine cones.

MEALS FOR TODAY:

Breakfast: 8 oz nonfat milk, SF chocolate syrup, protein powder

Snack: 2 oz pepper jack cheese

Lunch: 2.5 oz tuna pack, 1 tbsp sweet relish

Snack: 1 container of Oikos Triple Zero apple cinnamon Greek yogurt

Dinner: 2 to 3 oz pulled pork with 1 tsp barbecue sauce

---Joyce

It is hard to get into the right habits after WLS, especially if some things aren't working for you (like frequent nausea). I don't think I posted on the menu threads until I was eating all regular foods and feeling pretty normal. It took time to figure out what would fill me up, give me a lot of protein but not kill me on calories. I was never one of those people who never feel hungry. Maybe that's because I still struggle with head vs. real hunger though I'm getting better at distinguishing. In other words, things were a struggle for me until they became a habit (but that head hunger still poses a challenge frequently). I do try to post daily because it helps me to set the tone for the day. Even if I don't stay on plan that day, I reset on the next day.

QOTD: I always put my tree up as soon after Thanksgiving as possible because I love the lights. The other decorations come out as I have time. We are in Florida until 12/19, so we have a teeny tiny tree here (2 feet including the base), but I plan to put the tree up at home the day we arrive (7 feet). Our decorations at home are ornaments which we gave each other and the kids every year until we had too many. They replaced the store-bought bulbs we had in the beginning of our marriage 37 years ago.

2 Years 8 months post-op (maintaining below goal for 2 years)

Always lots of coffee...

B: eggs, cottage cheese and Canadian bacon

L: deli chicken

D: shrimp or rotisserie chicken

S: homemade cottage cheese

I love this room - it looks so comfortable and relaxing. Very pretty, too!

Thank you! Notice DH lying on the couch (LOL).

I saw that!!

Love your tree!

Hi Liz:

Thanks for letting me know it took awhile post-op for you to feel "normal" and that you also struggled for some time while you developed a routine. Somehow, I thought because I did all the "homework" given to me by my Bariatric Center pre-op, that I would suddenly have it mastered within the first few weeks after surgery!

I have just started having feelings of hunger recently. It began around when I developed trouble with nausea when I ate dense proteins. I know I'm not getting enough protein in daily. Every now and then, I have a "pity party" and eat a "slider food" just so I can feel like I'm able to eat something without becoming nauseated. Now, not only do I have to detox from carbohydrates again, but I don't know if my hunger is real hunger from not enough protein or "head hunger" because I'm feeling sorry for myself.

Your little tree is so cute. I never saw one that small that is all decorated and lit. I also love the fact that you can tell the story of your family by looking at the ornaments you collected over the years. What a nice tradition!

---Joyce

I love your tree,Joyce! I'm sorry to hear you've been struggling but I agree with you that posting here is very important. It keeps me accountable and thinking about the choices I'm making and whether they are the best ones for me. QOTD we don't put up a tree at Christmas as we have two crazy cats and Lily our boxer who noses everything and the chances of it staying upright would be slim. We did put up a tree here at the distribution center where we're working this month yesterday and it is a big one with pink and silver balls and ornaments. Accountability was good yesterday food and stepwise with 10,020 steps taken between work and a 3.2 mile walk with Lily. Weight today was 126.4 still. My body is definetely making me work to lose this regain. I'll get a walk in with Lily again today after work like last night--as far as we can go til it gets dark. Food for today B 1/2 c steel cut oats with protein and peanut butter L 2 slices turkey 1 slice cheese 3 or 4 grape tomatoes D 4 oz ground beef with cheese S string cheese sm meat stick. Have a great day everyone and make some smart choices too!

Hi Karen:

It's so good to hear that posting daily on the menu thread has served you well with your food choice accountability. It's really important for me to hear this from someone who has had amazing success over a long period of time!

If you and the other veterans can track what you eat daily for years, there is no reason why I can't make that effort. I'm hoping that this habit will set a strong foundation to allow me to succeed in this first year...the "honeymoon" year...and also in the long-term.

I like the way you end your posts with "Have a great day everyone and make some smart choices too!"

Jake and I say Hi to Lily, too!

---Joyce

Good morning! This journey is definitely not easy, that's for sure. I feel frustrated often that the weight isn't melting off me like I feel it does for everyone else. I still fight for every pound of lost weight. But on the plus side, even though it's slower progress than everyone else, it's more progress than I have been able to make in the past.

Today I'm taking a box to work to begin clearing out my personal things from my desk. I'll leave the essentials since I'll still need to work tomorrow, but I have all kinds of things at my desk like magnets on my drawers, Harry Potter POP figurines, etc. it feels surreal to be leaving but I'm excited for the new job!

qotd: no tree currently. Our house is so small we don't have anywhere to put one up or store it and our three cats would probably have it destroyed anyway. I do put up other decorations and lights.

breakfast: black coffee

snack: homemade turkey sausage and cheese egg cup

lunch: 4 oz turkey

dinner: chicken chili