Question:
Drinking before and after meals/What are good meals to take for lunch?
Why do you have to wait 30 minutes before you eat and after you eat a meal. My Dr. told me and I forgot. I am 3 months out with gastric bypass and I have lost a total of 48 pounds. I know I could lose more but I have ran out of ideas for food. I am having a hard time with waiting 30 minutes to drink after a meal any suggestion will help me. Any ideas about food to take to work for lunch please help with any suggestions. Thanks to my OBH family. — fayfay35 (posted on April 17, 2008)
April 17, 2008
I know part of it is that the liquid makes you fuller faster and you could
wash the food out and not get the nutrients. I was told the same thing by
my doctor, but my girlfriend's doctor told her "small sips" of
water or other liquid would be okay. I have to take sips at times. I am 8
1/2 months postop RNY. Hope this helps. As for lunches, I make a half of
sandwich with rye bread (which has fewer calories than the Weight Watchers
bread) with 97% lean lunch meat that comes in the containers (like
Hatfield, store brand, etc.) and I use either mustard or reduced fat
mayonnaise. I also sometimes eat those small microwaveable bowls of
ravioli. Soup at hand is a good one too. Good luck!
— ALafferty
April 17, 2008
For lunches I have Beef Jerky, string cheese, nuts, yogurt, lunch meat. If
you have a microwave available you could do refried beans with cheese,
scrambled eggs with cheese and salsa. Today I had 1/2 an avocado.
— Juliez4
April 17, 2008
Instead of drinking we're told to have something like watermelon,
applesauce, etc. to help with dry foods or thirst during a meal. They
suggest we also do it preop to get used to it, and I can tell you it works!
— obeseforever
April 17, 2008
There are several reasons not to drink with meals before or after. One
reason, especially as new post op, your food sits above your stoma like a
clogged drain, in your pouch. Little by little the food passes thru nice
and slow...and your pouch stays fuller longer while your body has time to
aborb what ever it can. Now imagine your pouch as a clooged drain...You
add water and what happens? The water sits heavy on top of the food...1.
Stretching your pouch...2. Stretching your stoma.
After a while the stoma does stretch some and the water then washes the
pouch clean of food. What happens now is that you are hungrier faster. Your
body malabsorbs some foods that would have passed slower through your
body...The trouble with that is that you won't malabsorb the sugar or
calories, just the nutrients! Not good! Slider foods have the same
effect...They wash dense proteins from your pouch and ae so much easier to
eat that you need more and more...WHere denser proteins like meats would
keep yu fuller longer and with so much less calories. In the long run...you
want to still be eating without water because you will be able to eat much
more food and again...you won't malabsorb the calories. Just the
nutrients. White carbs make a nice slushy in your pouch that bacterias and
instinal flora LOVE to munch on and give you gas!!!! Here I am at 4
years...I can eat a whole container of cottage cheese...a box of cheese
nips but I will still get terribly full on 4 oz of chicken breast. So
while it is more satsifying to eat the wrong foods...It is important to eat
the right ones...and without water or slider foods. And limit those white
carbs and sugar...They are BIG smelly gassy foods for WLS people!
— .Anita R.
April 17, 2008
The reason for no drinking 30 min prior to and then 30 min after meals is
to make sure you are not filling up on liquids - you need the protein from
your meals. Also if you drink during or after a meal it tends to make your
food leave your stomach faster and then you will feel hungrier sooner. As
for lunch ideas - I like Lunchables, they are easy, cheap and are just the
right amount of food.
— vicki_lynn
April 17, 2008
Thanks for all of your input. This really helps me. I do not want to
stretch my pouch in no kind of way. I will wait on drinking. Thanks for you
all support I really appreciate it. That is why I am hungry all the time. I
really understand now. Thanks again for your help.
— fayfay35
April 17, 2008
I was going to respond to your question, but then I read the reply by Anita
R. and couldn't have put it any better so I won't try.
I try to stop drinking at least 30 mins. prior to a meal and not drink for
about an hour afterwards. Initially it was a challenge, but like
everything, I adjusted- it's all about exchanging habits to get you where
you want to go. The longer I let my food sit there without drinking, the
longer I stay full.
I also think because I now drink so much water throughout the day that I
don't really miss it at meals anymore. I drink about a gallon of distilled
water per day so I am never thirsty. I went to a water delivery system and
I love it.
I work from home so I don't have to pack a lunch and I have had the
LapBand, so my lunches are probably different than yours. I usually still
have quite a bit of restriction at lunch time so I tend to keep egg salad
or tuna salad on hand. In my dairy case- there are pre-boiled and
pre-peeled eggs- so easy to mix up a salad or just eat an egg for some
quick protein. I like to keep the smallest cans of Albacore tuna in water
for a quick salad. I also will make my "sandwiches" with a leaf
of butter lettuce, a slice of organic turkey or ham, a slice of cheese-
perhaps a little mayo- roll it up and yummo. Sandwich rolls with little or
no carbs and very filling. I can eat one or two. I don't eat the
microwavable bowls of pastas as they have too many carbs for me. I have
gone to a South Beach frozen dinner in a pinch- the ones for phase I that
don't have the carb sides and they are decent. I keep cheese, nuts, Snack
and Slim protein pudding, cottage cheese and beef jerky on hand for lunch
as well.
One of my new favorite finds is in the frozen vegetables section. There
are microwavable veggies now in individual servings which are so
convenient- love them so much better than canned vegetables. I really have
a hard time with most fresh veggies right now as I have quite a bit of
restriction. Cooked go down nicely though after I eat my protein of
course.
Hope this helps and good luck,
Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC
— DawnVic
April 17, 2008
Joyce - I usually bring left overs for lunch. I weigh out 3 oz of what
ever protein I had (chicken, ground turkey, etc) with some veggies and
small amount of baked potato and heat in microwave at work. I am 18 mos
out have lost 115 lbs and have been stable with that loss for quite a few
mos. Weighing and measuring your food is another tool to use (from weight
watcher days) Fruit or veggies for snacks. I basically eat what I want
only in moderation. That is also the key MODERATION Best of Luck
— niecie54
April 18, 2008
Hello Joyce,
Congratulations on your success, sounds like you got some great
responses. I have a few websites for you to check out for some recipes.
www.partnersforahealthylifestyle.org
www.wlsgirl.com
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/
Hope these are helpful! Keep up the good work!
Love, Wanda
— wandajomorgan
April 19, 2008
I'm 2 months out and only eat soft foods when away from home, cause there
are some foods I'm not sure will go down ok every time. I have chunky soup
sirloin burger soup for lunch every day, eat the little siroin burgers
first, then a little vegetable. It's high sodium, but lo fat & high
protein, works for me for now
— Susan C.
April 19, 2008
Forgot to mention - the chunky soups - eat the chunks but don't drink the
broth
— Susan C.
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