Question:
Post-Ops Returning to Work Food Issues

I'm just curious. For those of you who have returned to work after your surgery, Here are a few work related food questions: How have you handled making sure you get your meal in on a regular bases? At home, you have more flexibility to when you will have your meals. At work you have maybe a break in the morning, possible a schedule lunchtime btw 12-2 and maybe an afternoon break. But as we all know when the office is crazy or if you work in a demanding place, you might not get to have those breaks and lunch sometimes comes later then expected if at all. ( I used to work in advertising and i know I had some strange times to eat, many times why lunchtime was when I wanted it, and just as many times if a client meeting was scheduled or deadlines for editing came up, well many A coffee went cold and lunches half eaten.) How did you deal with co-workers inviting you to eat out for lunch? or eating in with co-workers in the cafe? Office parties: celebrating co-workers - birthdays, promotions, anniversaries, engagments, baby showers...etc? Dining out with clients? In-house meetings where food was supplied which we know are usually made up of lots of high fat and sugery things? I haven't seen that addressed and I just wanted to know how any of you that are post-op have dealt with these working co-related eating situations    — Gwen M. (posted on October 23, 2001)

October 22, 2001
Gwen, I have a couple of suggestions for you. First of all, whenever you are eating with friends or clients and it is a buffet style dinner, dip a couple of small spoonfulls of food, but when you spoon it into your plate, kinda spread it out. As you eat, kinda push the food into small piles. Sounds crazy, but it makes it seem like you have eaten much more than you have. When eating with out and anyone asks about why I am eating so little, I just simply state that I am watching what I eat. Those around you have probably seen you diet on numerous occasions and will not question farther. When I eat out, I usually order soup. Soup tends to go down easy and it is harder for anyone to tell how much you have eaten. Hope that helps!!
   — Lori B.

October 22, 2001
I have a couple of things I do when I don't have a chance for a normal meal. They may not be the most nutritious but they work in a cinch. I keep a baggie of beef jerky in my purse...it's tasty, high protein and takes awhile to chew...just a few bites satisfies. I also keep an unpopped bag of low fat buttered popcorn in my bag (I have a mircowave at work)...not the most nutritious, but very filling, also a bag of pretzels near by helps with those long afternoons without a break. Hope this helps. -Kim
   — KimBo36

October 22, 2001
I am pre-op, but I *do* understand your concerns...they are similar to mine! I have a VERY structured job where I consult to schools/run meetings daily. There are emergencies that arise at least 1x/day, and I was very worried about my food intake after surgery. What I started to do about 3 months ago was to bring a small cooler (one of those cute little Playmate coolers!) to work with me, stocked with all types of food for my day. I am working on eating a good deal of protein, getting in lots of fluids, and taking it easy on the carbohydrates, which is much like my post-op diet will be (except now I eat "more" than I will post-op!). Yes, sometimes I feel silly with my "cooler", BUT I have (a) gotten into the habit of bringing what I need to work with me, (b) my staff is now used to seeing me eat out of my cooler, knowing that I am concentrating on watching what I eat, and (c) I am TAKING the breaks I need to eat 4-6x/day. I never did that before! Now, I still have a concern about how LONG it will take me to eat after surgery, and I will just have to bring my water/CIB/protein shake/protein bar into my meetings with me. Most of my staff knows about the surgery, but the people for whom I run meetings don't need to know, and if I need to answer for "eating" during a meeting, I will simply state that my blood sugar needs to be carefully regulated, which isn't a lie. As far as parties and such, I have been avoiding sugar/fats for the past year, so I don't think people will notice anything "different" about me. Again, my family and friends know about my surgery, so it really won't be an issue. Good luck to you!
   — [Anonymous]

October 22, 2001
I am four months post op. My work is from home, but I have since surgery been to Reno with all the buffets and on a cruise with all that food and out in restaurants at least every other day with others. The popcorn & pretzel idea is "ok" but too many carbs are not good. You can easily carry string cheese (individually wrapped) in your purse. Especially when it is not summer. You can easily keep a small jar of peanut butter and a few crackers in your desk. This does not take long to eat and should not disturb your work. Soup--well, soup may not be the best choice because it can/will push your food on thru your pouch and your hunger will return earlier than expected. There are many protein bars out there. The jerky is a good suggestion. I live on the coast and happen to love fish. So a lot of my protein is fish and it agrees with me. You can also keep a crab cocktail or shrimp cocktail handy. Another favorite of mine is meatloaf and beans. I cook like I did when the kids were home, only I freeze in small portions. With the microwave I can fix anything in a hurry. When we are out, I like to order my own meal. Most my friends/family do not know that I had this surgery. I had gotten some negative reactions early on, so I did not want to give anyone the opportunity to tell me I took "the easy way out..." (which this is not! It is a tool). I push a lot of food around and I now waste a lot of food. AND I almost always take a to-go box home. It seems I CAN throw the box away after a day or two, but I cannot throw it away the same day. (I used to eat my leftovers and everybody else's leftovers too! LOL) By ordering my own meals, I do not feel deprived nor do I feel out of place. Good luck.
   — Barbara B.

October 22, 2001
Hi Gwen, Lots of good suggestions below....I would like to add that yogurt FF/low sugar is a great fast lunch,cheese and crackers,those tuna packs etc. If I am out to dinner and someone comments on the small amount of food I am eating I say I had a hugh lunch and not really hungry...can be used at lunch by saying you are planning a hugh dinner. Good luck!
   — Diane Z.

October 24, 2001
Nobody can MAKE you not take your lunch. It's time for you to be assertive... "I had stomach surgery recently and I must take a break to eat." or "Would it bother you if I ate a small meal while we work? I am on a pretty rigid diet program." or whatever makes you feel comfortable. Your health MUST be more important than your work right now. As for eating out with people, soup or baked potato (with just a little butter) are my "safe" mainstays. And you can always refuse birthday cake by saying "Please no cake for me, I'm on a diet, but happy birthday!" -- I did this yesterday and as long as you don't drool, nobody will think anything of it. People are on diets all the time. I have a dorm-sized fridge in my office and in it I always have lots of low-sugar fat-free yogurt. Nobody cares if you eat that in a meeting. I also keep little 1 oz. individually wrapped pieces of cheese in there for a protein fix, and I have my protein shake mix and container, since nobody cares if you drink stuff during a meeting, you can drink a meal. I also have Dinty Moore beef stew, beef ravioli, and baked beans, all in microwave containers. I can usually eat 1/2 to 2/3 of one of those, and nobody cares if you eat that in front of them either, usually. As I said, it's all about attitude, and remember, it's always better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. :-)
   — Julia M.

October 24, 2001
Errr Julia No one is more assertive then I am My question was posted as an open discussion. I want to place a topic that might have been in the minds of people returning to work and I wanted to get feed back just to stimulate conversation on handling work related food issues. I KNOW HOW I would handle it I was wondering how others have. I believe you took what you read out of contents and hadn't read it careful I stated my reason for posting it. It was a DISCUSSION topic not MY PERSON siutation. But thank you anyway for your input ;0)
   — Gwen M.

October 26, 2001
Gwen what a great question. I work in the entertainment industry and there is no such thing as a typical lunch and we never have "breaks". I haven't returned to work but I will probably use the excuse an old boss used - low blood sugar. That way she always ate when and where she wanted. I have no idea if it was true but people were always accommodating to her eating.
   — Elizabeth A.