Question:
I am 8 1/2 months post-op
so far I have lost 95 pound. How much should I be eating at this time. for example, I am able to eat a junior whopper and water for lunch with no problem, I can eat a piece of fish but nothing with it, at one sitting. for breakfast I can eat one egg, half toast and coffee. Is this enough in a day? Please give me an idea of how much I can be able to consume in one day. how much is a 1/2 cup or cup of food. Do this equal to a junior whopper? Thanks Guys — blank first name B. (posted on May 6, 2002)
May 6, 2002
Hi! I'm just shy of 9 mos. post op and what you're eatings sounds close to
what I'm eating. I can eat the Jr. Whopper, too, minus maybe one or two
bites (NO fries, NO soda). I thought I was CRAZY for being able to eat it,
but I've only had it 3 times in 9 months, so I'm not terribly worried about
eating garbage. Yesterday for breakfast I had 1/2 english muffin, a poached
egg, one slice of canadian bacon and a couple bites of hash browns. For
lunch I had a half a skewer of pork loin roast and veggies and had the
other half for dinner. But sometimes I can't eat much at all. Saturday I
tried to eat some leftover chicken breast for lunch and only got about 3 -
4 bites down before I felt full. I just go with the flow. Some days I can
eat more, some days I can't. I just try to listen to my body and eat
accordingly. I've lost 70lbs so far, but was a "light weight" to
begin with at 232.5 preop. I don't know if we're doing things right, but I
always drink the water and eat the proteins first.....I'm interested to
hear what others say. Congrats on your outstanding weight loss so far and
Good Luck with the rest of your journey!
— Jenper
May 6, 2002
Ok I am not that far out but but here's my two cents for what it's worth
(or not worth:-) it sounds like you are drinking with your meals which we
were taught is a no no as it pushes things through to fast and doesn't give
you that full feeling and robs your body of nutrients. Also a whopper
junior is soooo high in calories, fat and carbs. It's not that you are
eating too much you aren't eating the right things and drinking with your
meals... just my personal opinion.
— Allie A.
May 6, 2002
It never ceases to amaze me.!! Why would you eat a whopper when you could
get in almost all your protein for the day with that amount of calories? It
seems to me if you eat this much fat and carbs you are dooming yourself to
failure. Please speak to your DR and dietian about what to eat so you don't
fail. --- Good Luck
— Robert L.
May 6, 2002
I'm normally very passive and wouldn't be argumentative here but I feel
like my opinion is a fair one. The question was asked "Why would you
eat a whopper junior?" WHY? Because we're human - that's why. If we
could've found satisfaction eating baked chicken and steamed vegetables 3
meals a day, 7 days a week then we wouldn't need weight loss surgery - we
could just be on a diet forever. I have been at goal for almost 9 months.
I eat a Happy Meal or Whopper Junior about once a week. I usually leave
off 1 piece of the bread (but not always) and eat 1/2 of the fries (give or
take). I eat it because it makes me happy - I eat it because it makes me
NORMAL - I eat it because it doesn't make me OBESE. Some WLS patients find
satisfaction in being totally structured and sticking very close to a
strict diet. Other WLS patients find satisfaction in the fact that they
can occasionally indulge in their favorite foods while still maintaining
weight loss. Both of these plans are perfectly O.K. I don't think it's
fair to suggest that occasionally eating fast food is wrong. It's all part
of learning self control, finding balance and being normal. As far as
drinking with your meals - she didn't say how much she is drinking so it
isn't fair to make the assumption that she's drinking alot. I take a few
sips of water with my meal simply to make the meal more comfortable - not
enough to overfill my stomach, stretch it out or flush out the food - just
a few small sips. Of course if the poster is drinking alot with a meal
then that's something that needs some improvement. I hope I haven't
offended anyone but I simply don't think it's fair to flame someone for
eating foods they enjoy. This surgery isn't a punishment - it's a tool to
help us find our way back to normalcy. Best wishes to everyone.
— ronascott
May 6, 2002
Rona, I LOVE your answer! This is what it is all about. Having surgery is a
tool to help us regain some sense of normalcy to our lives. Wonderful
advice. =)
— ScatCat
May 6, 2002
It never ceases to AMAZE me that people can be so judgmental. If not ever
eating anything you think is unhealthy is right for you, fine. That does
not mean that what you're doing is right for everyone. If any group of
people in the world should know this, people who are or have been MO should
know that there is no such thing as one size fits all, no matter what it
refers to.
— garw
May 6, 2002
Rock on, Rona!! I feel the same way. I watched someone at support group
ask why they could eat an entire grilled cheese sandwich at about 9 wks
post op and not feel too full. He had everyone from the mediators to
pre/post ops telling him that he shouldn't be questioning why he can do
that, he just *shouldn't* be doing that. I felt badly for him, and I'm
sure none of those responses helped him one bit. We're not children here
and don't need scolding!
— GGinMA
May 6, 2002
Congrats on losing 95 pounds!! I think that a whopper junior might be just
a tad bit more than 1/2 a cup, depending on whether you eat the bread or
not. Either way, I think you must be doing something right--your weight
loss is just where I would like to be when I'm 8.5 months post-op!! On
another note, I notice that the same individuals slam people over and over
again, no matter what their question is. I wish we had an IGNORE MEMBER
feature on this site!
— Jennifer C
May 6, 2002
Rona, excellent answer. I LOVE living a normal life and do not miss having
baked chicken ALL THE TIME. This is a question that I love seeing as I
just got back from traveling today. In one airport there was only a BK for
something to eat(very small airport) and had hours to kill and it was lunch
time. I went to BK and decided that I wanted all of the 'fresh veggies' on
top of my burger, so I chose the Whopper Jr. It looked very small wrapped
up in that paper and that pleased me. It was so juicy and the tomatoes and
lettuce and pickles were so flavorful. I thorougly enjoyed my W JR. It
was the first one I have had being 6 months post-op. I didn't feel guilty
at all about my choice as I usually make great choices with very few
exceptions (but there are exceptions). I was able to eat the entire thing
and started worrying. I didn't eat any fries or drink anything (so nothing
was pushed through). It had me worried and I was hesitant in asking about
the very same thing the poster asked in fear of being flamed for a bad food
choice or eating way too much. I love you guys, you made my day!! I feel
absolutely normal. Oh, BTW, the airline straps fit with 12 inches pulled
through on both flights!! Cause for celebration!! Yippeeee
— Cheri M.
May 6, 2002
I am 9.5 months out - down 95 lbs, 42 to go. I started at 287. I can eat
about 2/3 to 3/4 of a CHICKEN whopper junior (I don't eat red meat) and
about half a small fries. (In fact, that's what I just had for lunch.) Is
it the healthiest lunch I could choose, probably not. But it's what I
wanted. I'd rather enjoy "normal" food now - in moderation -
than not enjoy "diet" food all the time. I'm still losing and
I'm happy. Neither of which I was before surgery!! I try not to drink with
meals - as it does tend to help me stay full longer when I don't. Be kind
to yourself! OPEN RNY 7/17/01.
— blee01
May 6, 2002
I, too, rarely jump in on the controversial questions,but it is the all or
nothing thinking (like Robert's) that led me to being MO. I was such a
perfectionist and this need for control led me to eating binges, etc... I
was also the perfect "dieter". However, this never lasted long.
Fortunately for me, I have a surgeon who believes in living a normal life.
(normal people occasionally eat at BK!). I have never been on a diet since
surgery, and I will NEVER again be!! That said, I am soooo enjoying this
freedom of choice that I have. If I WANT to eat something fast food, I can.
The deprivation and labeling of foods as good or bad, is what caused me to
binge and gain weight. When I am out at a social event, there is no longer
the concern about what others are thinking about me. I have such liberty to
eat what I want. (instead of eating like a bird in public and then pigging
out in private!). Please don't let anyone make you feel guilty. You have a
wonderful tool that will let you live a normal life. Like others have said,
some people choose to continue to live a life of restriction/deprivation
following their surgery. That is their choice. However, that life is not
for me. If my choice does not agree with yours, please don't assume that I
am doomed for failure! Your approach may lead you there. We shall see...
Shelley
— Shelley.
May 6, 2002
I gotta admit I had the same reaction to several of those early responses.
I looked up Whopper Jr in my trusty "Complete Book of Food
Counts" book & found: Whopper Jr- 400 calories, 19 g protein, if
you get your Whopper Jr w/o mayo it drops to 320 calories (same
protein--duh!). So if you get it w/o mayo it has basically the same
calories as a Lean Cuisine & approx 25 to 30% of your protein. This is
not something I would suggest for someone fresh out of surgery, but by 8+
months post I can't see the harm in an occasional meal like this. Most of
us dream of being able to eat like "normal" folks. Well, most of
us can't..all the time. But we CAN have these occasional indulgences...in
my opinion...without sabotaging the whole thing! Besides, at the 400
calories, 20 g protein level per meal, 3 meals per day would only be a
total intake of 1200 calories & 60 grams of protein. Not too far off
desired at that! NOT that this would be the desired daily intake, just
making a point. I am 2 years post op & these amounts seem totally
reasonable to me. I was probably at about the same point when I had my
first McDonald's hamburger. I didn't eat the top bread & it took me
about 30 minutes to eat the burger. Then I had another one, oh, about 3 or
4 months later & every few months or so, I have a fast food sandwich.
Some times I can eat it all, sometimes hardly at all, it just depends. I
agree with a previous poster who said some people NEED that strict regimen
& that's how they find their success, but we do NOT all react or deal
with things in the same way. What I think is most important is 1) your
health- making sure you have your labs done on time & that they show
you're getting proper nutrition, 2) your weight loss- if your weight loss
is continuing at a satisfactory pace (for you), you must be doing fairly
well, 3) developing good habits- by this I mean knowing what food choices
are best, knowing what portion sizes are appropriate & making wise
choices....most of the time, and 4)finding a life style you can live
with-some of us will do great with a very strict regimen, others will need
more flexibility or variety to feel satisfied. The truly successful WLSer
needs to find a way to satisfy all 4 parts. And it CAN be done, but I don't
think one size fits all, either.
— Kathy W.
May 6, 2002
The thing that jumped out at me is that you're eating and drinking, which
my dr said is one of the fastest ways to stretch the pouch and get hungrier
faster. As for the amount, it sounds good although I can't eat both sides
of a bun cause it sits heavy in my tummy. After 7 months I know there are
things that don't make me feel as good as others after I eat them. You
could go to a wls friendly nutritionist... call your surgeon and ask if
they know of any. The price of one or two sessions might be money well
spent to find out what your choices can be and what they equal. Equal is so
difficult because when you chew popcorn or lettuce it basically dissolves,
watermelon is basically red water, so I can eat a lot more of those than
something more dense, like meat. I also don't see a lot of fruits or vegies
in your diet, which you didn't ask for but might be nice to add:) But as i
see other posters pointed out, you didn't ask for nutritional advice but
for amount advice, if you're curious you might write everything down you
eat for a day or two and go to something like fitday.com and find out
exactly what you are consuming in the amount of calories, fat, etc. I can
eat more than you can... but there are people who can eat less, comparing
is difficult because we all live in our own bodies. For example, I can eat
about 3 oz of fish, 1/4 cup of vegies(like green beans or broccoli) and a
sf fudgesycle for desert. I also usually have a snack around 3.. I try for
fruit/vegie and a pro, so it might be 1/2 an apple with some cheese or a
small salad with chopped hard boiled egg and ham on top. Good luck:)
— Becky K.
May 6, 2002
One more thing, I don't think pointing out most drs don't recommend eating
and drinking together is judgemental. My dr says an ounce of liquids with
meals to moisten the mouth, I use a shot glass so I don't go over. But if
someone is concerned about the amount they are eating it's not judgemental
to point to something that could be increasing the amount, for example
stretching the tummy by eating and drinking at the same time.
jmho:) Becky
— Becky K.
May 6, 2002
Oh dear. I'm a terrible example to follow. I eat fast food probably 5
days a week. I do obsess about keeping the milk & sugar out, and
keeping the supplements doing IN, but I eat way too many meals in the car
or on the go to have to worry about counting every calorie or thinking they
nourish me. At nearly 8 yrs, I can eat part of a whopper jr
"salad", because I love the goodies on it. MOST of it. I eat thru
the middle to get the veggies, so I leave a "smile" shaped hunk.
I can eat 2-3 fries, but I don't like BK fries, so not there. LOL! Of all
you said, the only red flag I got was the drinking with meals. Try drinking
up to your first bite and then eat your meal for a few days and see if your
volume changes any. That'll give you your answer.
— vitalady
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