Question:
Eating????

How long after RYN surgery are you able to eat normal food and go out to resturants? Are you ever able to eat any kind of desserts, fries, McDonalds or do you just not care to eat them. I have read where people do eat fries and stuff. Do you find it hard to not drink with your meals. Does anyone out there drink with their meals. I'm getting RYN on Monday so I want to be prepared for what I can eat later on.    — cuppaloopy (posted on December 23, 2009)


December 23, 2009
You are not supposed to have any sugar that means desserts.. As far as resturants I usually eat half of my food and take the rest home for lunch the next day. I usually make about 3 or 4 meals out of that. Never never drink when you eat. Wait at LEAST
   — okbuffy

December 23, 2009
Sorry I hit a button and it posted to early. But never eat with your meals, wait at least 30 minutes. My doctor says an hour. If you don't you will stretch your stoma and you don't want that. I do not crave the foods that I used to crave so when I am faced with fast food and stuff like that I really don't even want it. But don't get back in the habit of eating that. Thats what got you in this predicament anyway. You need to eat healthy, protein first, then veggies, fruit.. I had my RYN 21 months ago and have lost 220 pounds. Do not get back into your old habits you have come too far by getting the surgery to just go back and start back to your old habits. Good luck and do everything your doctors says to do.
   — okbuffy

December 23, 2009
I am 3 monthes Post surgery RNY and I eat fries once in a while but not many. It's not something you should get in the habit of though because it's a hard habit to break. Also not drinking with meals is my biggest struggle, it's tough but not impossible. Good luck with surgery it is worth it.
   — lorettaplatt

December 23, 2009
Places and foods like McDonalds, Burger King etc are what partially got us in the fix we are in now. Desserts should also be a thing of the past. Once you are off sugar....STAY OFF SUGARS. We are given this second chance and should do everything we can to celebrate it. Stay away from ALL fast food. Start treating yourself to homecooked and portioned controlled meals. Fast food is stuffed with fats, carbs and sugars........ As for drinking. My surgeon recommended no drink 1 hour prior and 1/2 hour following a meal. Start with your protein and then veges and a small amount of starch. I do keep a small lemon water with me to take a sip and swish with my meal if my mouth or food gets dry....but only a small sip. Keeping the food in our stomachs is key for the absorption of nutrients. I will keep you in thought and prayer for your success in all of this.
   — karensaporito

December 23, 2009
Buffy is so correct, but also she meant do not drink liquids 30 minutes before and after you eat. You went to extreme measures to lose this weight, like all of us, so why even entertain junk foods???? You must change your thinking about nutrition, go to your support group classes. Good luck
   — FSUMom

December 24, 2009
Hello, Best of luck on your up commin surgery! Will keep you in my prayers. As for eating and drinking...follow your Drs & NUTs directions to a tee. My surg was 7/08 and have lost 136lbs. I do have a desserts...SUGAR FREE ONLY. and in very small (as is all our foods) amounts. I could not comprehend before hand that my tastes & likes would change...THEY did. I may enjoy the smells of some foods but do not need to taste/eat them. It is so hard to understand how our bodies re-adjust themselves but they do. You should do just fine..keep your eyes on the prize...a healthier,longer life. And LOTS of new (smaller) clothes.
   — tootsie52

December 24, 2009
Dear Barbara, it seems to me that you've asked these same questions several times here on this board. I don't know if you're not getting the answers you want, or what...but I know we all keep telling you the same thing. Basically, you have worked very hard to get approval for this surgery, so it must be important to you to take the weight off and keep it off. Fast foods, and too much food, are the main reasons a lot of us are here. I get so upset when I see the fast food commercials, because some of my favorite foods are MacDonald's Filet of Fish with extra Tartar Sauce (2 of them), or Burger King's Sausage and Egg Croissanwich with extra mayo (2 of them, too) or a big juicy Burger King Whopper with Cheese. My mouth actually waters when I see these commercials. But I am stubborn....bound and determined NOT to regain a single pound of the 132 that I've lost, so I either turn the TV to another channel so that I don't have to watch the commercial or I pick up a book or magazine to distract myself. Yeah, I'd LOVE to have a nice big slice of meat lovers pizza with extra cheese, or the stuffed crust things you get at Pizza Hut, but it is SOOOOOOOO not on my eating plan anymore. I refuse to let it past my lips. I guess I should say that there might be a time when I would be with people who are eating pizza, and I MIGHT pick out a few pieces of the sausage or pepperoni and eat it, and I have to admit that I've been with my partner when she's gone through Burger King and gotten stuff that I liked and I've actually eaten ONE cheesy tot. But - and here's the issue - CAN YOU STOP AT JUST A TASTE?? CAN YOU STOP AT JUST ONE?? I can. Now, I've gone out to restaurants and ordered from the regular menu, usually grilled fish or some kind of chicken, but I ask them to 1) hold the starches like rice or potatoes or bread, and 2) to box up half of it before it even comes out to the table. Then, when it does come out, I make sure I eat the protein first, then a couple of bites of the vegetables. This last Saturday, I went to breakfast with some friends... we went to IHOP. They have a "healthy choices" menu on the back that offers Egg Beaters instead of real eggs, and turkey bacon instead of real bacon, and fruit or whole wheat toast. I asked for the "Two x two x two" item (2 EggBeaters, two strips of turkey bacon, and two pieces of whole wheat toast), and I asked them to hold the toast, and no, I didn't want to substitute whole wheat pancakes with that, but I WOULD take a small bowl of fruit. It was a good thing that I was vigilant because when they brought the dish out, I saw that it had been made with real eggs (high in fat) and I had to send it back. I ate half the eggs, the turkey bacon, and a few pieces of cantaloup and honeydew melon...and left the rest on my plate. I make it a point to drink right up until we get out of the car to enter the restaurant, because I know it will be at least 15 minutes until I get my meal. But I DON'T drink for at least another hour, maybe more. I have actually taken one or two small bites of dessert-type things - literally, the tip of a piece of cheese cake, or a teaspoon of real (not sugar-free) jello, or a single SMALL bite of a cookie. But it stops there. I've found that all I really want is a taste, and once I get that, my mouth is satisfied and my head is not screaming for more nor is it telling me that I'm being deprived. It's too important to me to keep the weight off. More important than eating anything at MacDonalds ever again, or eating anything at Burger King EVER AGAIN. And yes, I DO miss the feeling of being able to eat a whole Santa Fe Grill Prime Rib sandwich with Cilantro Mayo - but is it worth it to me to stretch my pouch out and regain the weight that I have been working so hard to shed??? Not on your life. Or should I say, not on MY life. I am 4 pounds from my surgeon's goal (I am almost 10 months out), but I am still 14 pounds from my OWN goal, and I want to be there by the time I hit my one year surgiversary. And I think I'll do it, too. But if I was constantly worrying about eating "normal" food and going to restaurants, I'd be a basket case. Let's just say that your (our) whole attitude towards food - of any kind - needs to change, or you (we) will not be sucessful with this surgery. Good luck to you, and I hope that you are able to stick to your guns and work your way through this liquid diet part - because it sounds like you're feeling angry and deprived. I'm sending you lots of calming energy to help you get through this phase.
   — Erica Alikchihoo

December 24, 2009
When i am with someone that goes to a fast food place i order the burger by itself.No bun.I eat just the meat.I might eat two or three fries.If I want chicken i will get just the piece of grilled chicken by itself. I put just enough of whatever i am drinking on my tongue just to absorb to satisfy.I never let any go down to my stomach.Then maybe 30 minutes later i can have a regular sip.Best Wishes and Merry christmas
   — carolyn1970

December 26, 2009
Sometimes I can understand if you are out or dont have time to plan or its an emergency that you may have to stop at a fast food place. Tips that have been passed to me are the chicken wrap at McDonalds (just one little tiny thing)or the chili at Wendys. My goal is to plan and pack as much as possible but with the understanding I may have to stop occasionally. I too am pretty good with one bite and my daughter used my splenda and made choc chips for Christmas and they were pretty good. I am not going back to fat!
   — kmom1420

December 27, 2009
You can make sugar free low cacrb desserts for yourself. You could get fries and bake them in the oven and then lightly salt them. McDonalds has a grilled chicken that you can get without the bun and then use the onion, lettuce, and tomato with their low cal dressing to have a mini salad with your chicken...the ranch dressing is ggod for keep the chicken moist. Best bet is to make those visits a very rare occassion.
   — jvannatta

December 27, 2009
Your tastes will change... at least in the beginning... I will be 4 weeks tomorrow, and NOTHING tastes the same.. lol.. I can not even THINK about fast food... don't care for it, and I was AWFUL with it before... I would have sold one of my twins for Mc Donald's french fries.. lol.. or a cheesesteak sandwich, and honestly, could care less... I am taking advantage of this time to form a little bit of a healthier change... Just in Case things change... lol.. Good luck, and believe me it's a work in progress... I wanted a Big Mac more than my own life for the first week, now I could care less.... Good luck to you in your surgery... and keep posting your ??? that's what this is for...
   — mommyoftwinz

December 28, 2009
The surgery is a tool. ..Re educating yourself on healthy eating is up to you. If you want to be successful...and I am sure you do..as we all do,then take the time post op, when we have no appetite, and can do without these foods,.. to retrain your body and mouth into eating what is healthy for us and will give us the biggest bang for our bite. We want nutrient rich foods that isn't high in calories or fat. We need protein first, and vitamins second. But all in all, we can find "normal" foods that give us what we want. Just have to learn to read labels etc.I always get soup broth when I am out..it makes me feel like I am getting food, but then I can go home and eat my real meal there. I am getting fluids and no one questions me. I just ask the wait staff to ladel out as much broth as possible. I never eat white stuff, like fries. I do eat potatos tho, on occasion. I am not big into the carbs,,,never was. And I never eat and drink together, and alwasy wait atleast 30 minutes, and usually longer, to drink after eating. I reached goal in 9.5 months, I lost 120 lbs and weigh 120 and have maintained for 9 months now. I am happier with myself than I have been in decades. Best of luck to you on surgery and after ! Hugs, kim
   — gpcmist




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