Post Op Menu Ideas

Hey People, While I am waiting for my info to be sent to the insurance company, I am trying to get my mind set on some of the changes that I know I am going to have to make. Any menu idea to help me get through this painlessly?? LOL!  Thanks Eric 

Low carb lifestyle is the way I go. I was Somersizing (Suzanne Sommers esting program) before the surgery and lost 42 pounds in 8 months getting healthy as I could before surgery.  http://www.carb-lite.au.com has some great low carb recipes. Or go to the library and check out one of Suzanne's books. Lean protein and lots of veggies is the way to go! Beth B. in Chattanooga

Hey Eric! How is it in Chattanooga. I just got back from visting there on Sunday and Monday. We went to lookout Mountain and rode the Duck. And I got to eat at Sticky Fingers for the first time ever.  I think that was the BEST bar-b-que food I have had in a while! I wish they would bring one here to Nashville. ummm -got my mouth watering just thinking about it. Ok, moving on! In my personal opinion, trying to eat or diet before surgery based on what you "think" it is going to be like after surgery just doesn't work. The truth is, it will be a struggle before surgery to diet like that. After surgery, it will all come natural. It is hard to believe that but it is true. You will not have a choice but to eat a certain way after surgery and although it is not easy, it is something you adjust to really quickly. I always thought changing my eating habits was going to be so hard after surgery but as soon as I had surgery, my taste buds changed and since you can not eat but so little at a time and then you just become accoustomed to eating that way. You will be eating high protein "meals" the first few months so you just become used to it and will continue that even after recovering. As far as an idea of food, It is primarily like a low-carb thing since you will probably not be able to tolerate bread and pasta foods anymore. I know for the first few weeks, you will be on pureed and soft foods so you will be eating primarily yogurt and scrambled eggs and protein shakes. I lived on that chicken in a can (usually located by the tuna) that I mixed/lightly blended with some mustard or lite mayo, cheese and spices because I didn't like tuna but you can have tuna the same way. You can even have some peanut butter and mashed potatos w/ gravy but not often since they are not really nutritional but just for a change up I ate them - maybe once a week or every other week. I also lived on refried beans with cheese. You can get them in the can and heat them up with cheese on top or just get the pintos and cheese from Taco bell. Those are really good for you (low fat and lots of protein). I like ricotta cheese so you can make like a pastaless lasagna. Basically ricotta cheese mixed with an egg and spices (garlic and basil) and topped with no sugar added spaghetti sauce and shredded cheese and then baked.  That is pretty good. After you move to the meat stage, you can add hamburger meat to the spaghetti sauce. You can also get Boca burgers and eat those with some cheese and mustard or whatever you like on those. Those are soft and people can tolerate those better than ground beef right after surgery and they are full of protein. That or those frozen meatballs that you can heat up with some spagetti sauce. Then after those first couple of months, it is on to regular foods. You just have to stick with the same concept of high protein foods and start adding veggies into your meals and try to stay away from the carbs. And of course, no sugar but once you are out for several months, you can tolerate sugar free items when you need a taste for them. I am sure it will come to you. There are also a lot of receipes on the recipe forum board here. I wish you much success on your weight loss. Keep us updated on how you do.

Eric,

I am pre-op too and I have been wondering the same thing. "What am I gonna eat after surgery?!!" What has helped me the most is by going to the monthly luncheons and actually watching everyone eat. They probably get tired of me staring at them and what they are eating and how they are eating it but it has helped me some. Also, I don't know where you are having your surgery but at Centennial they give you a list of foods you can have at certain stages. I am going to rely heavily on that after surgery I'm sure. Maybe you can ask your surgeon's office or the dietician for a list of appropriate foods post-op. I think the main thing is to get in your protein and water and most people that I know have a protein supplement that they use daily. Many people have told me that my tastes will change after surgery and things that I like now will be horrible to me and vise verse.  So I am only going to buy a few protein supplements to have on hand after surgery.

As far as changing the way you eat for now....you can start eating 3 meals a day with no snacking, drinking 64 oz. water daily, don't drink 30 minutes before and after a meal,  and don't drink through a straw. I am already trying to do these things. But I thinkg it is going to be like Misty said, it will just come natural to us after surgery. I sure hope so anyway.

From one pre-opper to another, I wish you great success.

Melissa

Good Morning Eric! Misty and Melissa are right! but I know you are looking for some recipes to help you along.  I have been fairly lucky, I can eat almost anything without getting sick, save the last three meals!  Anyway, I eat a lot of chicken and tuna fish fixed the way Misty described with Mayo and seasonings.  I also love ground turkey burgers!  My SIL Melissa M. gave the DH, Scott and fabulous recipe fr them.  They are great fresh, but tend to get stuck when they are reheated.   1 lb of ground turkey 1 sm all container of snack size no suar added applesauce onions celery s/p mix will be soupy.  make your burgers to the size you want and freeze them.  once soild they cook up better and stay in one piece better.   Scott cooks them in carmalized onions.  He is also pre-op.  I can't eat but 1-2 onions.  Good luck and Ihope this helped you some. Beth

Hey Eric stay encouraged and just know that God will bring you out.  By the way my name is Tj I am 5wks post op.  

Thank you TJ. I will definitely stay encouraged. God Bless!

Eric I would like to suggest to you to start eliminating certain foods from your diet.  For example steak, caffeine, eat more raw fruit and vegetables.  They put you on a fast to shrink your liver prior to surgery. Look at my pics  I have lost over 30lbs in 6 wks 2 wks was pre surgery ...I will weigh in tommorrow when I go for blood work.

I actually started eliminating some things after my initial consult. I just had that much faith that I would be able to have the surgery this year. I wanted to start early. I'm not a big soup eater, but I have enen began to eat that more jsut to get used to the pureed meals. Thank you for the advice.

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