Question:
Eating ALMOST Anything!
I am about 2 1/2 months out from Open RNY surgery. I have lost 71 pounds from my top weight of 301. I feel like I am doing fantastic, but when I read certain posts on this board, I feel discouraged that I am not eating the way I should be. First off, I completely AVOID all sugar and carbonated beverages...haven't even tried them. But everything else: I have definitely had no problem trying. I eat basically normal food like the rest of my family, just in much smaller portions. I can still only get about 1-2 ounces of food in at a meal. But, I have had pizza, tacos, chips & salsa, bacon, almost any type of meat, all fruits,orange juice, all veggies(except for lettuce which upsets my pouch),all dairy products, waffles w/o syrup, butter goes ok,pistasios, peanuts, etc.etc. etc. Besides eating so very little, I can eat anything pretty much. Is this bad? My weight is coming off great, I am exercising, I am pretty sure I am getting enough protein, and I feel really good. I am so confused though about what exact amouts of carbs,fat, calories, protein etc. I should be getting. Being a busy mom with four kids and going to college full time, I just cant count EVERYTHING, and even if I did...I wouldnt know what to make of it! I didn't want this surgery so I COULD NEVER eat what I wanted again. I wanted it to control me from eating TOO much. Is this wrong? So CONFUSED! I dont want to mess thigs up, so should I completely eliminate some stuff from my diet forever? Thanks! (open RNY 7/23/02 -71 pounds) — Shawnie S. (posted on October 14, 2002)
October 14, 2002
Shawnee,
Hun don't be worried, as long as you don't eat what you aren't supposed to
a bit of pizza isn't going to kill you. Remember that we aren't on a diet,
we are learning to eat normal..so instead of my old normal of 3 or 4 pieces
of pizza I nibble on one piece and don't even finish it. I am much more
aware of the startch and crap in the crust and bread so I tend to make sure
I don't eat all of one piece. Your doing fine, give yourself some credit!
I am just about 3 months out with a loss of 70lbs., I work out at least 3xs
a week and eat "normally"..I don't eat cake, candy, cookies,
etc., but I know that if I have a tiny slice of junk during the holidays my
world isn't going to collapse b.c. I am not eating a whole slice or two or
three like before...we are doing it and we are going to win this fat
battle!!!
— Trish R.
October 14, 2002
Shawnie,
I just noticed after I posted below that you said you've eaten bacon, and a
few other things that you shouldn't...Please, please be careful..those are
hidden fat traps..a strip of bacon may not seem like a lot, but being that
we are on a 600 calorie (or whatever it is what your Dr. put you on) it
really is, focus on eating your carbs..b/c you can sabotage your
weightloss, slow it down, stop it or gain if you aren't careful.
— Trish R.
October 14, 2002
Shawnie....
Don't you worry! You are doing fine. I had my Open RNY on August 7th, which
puts me at about 9 weeks. I have lost 66 pounds. I started at 297 and am
now 230. My surgeon's post op diet is less restrictive than most. He has us
on a full diet as soon as we leave the hospital. In fact, we are given soft
foods (chicken and roast beef) while we are in the hospital! Needless to
say, he encourages us to try as many textured proteins as possible. If we
can't tolerate them, then we try them again at a later time. So far I
haven't had many foods I haven't been able to eat. I eat a wide variety of
foods. Like you, I stay away from all added sugar and junk food. I eat a
healthy diet that is filled with meats, vegetables, whole grains and fruit.
Some people say that carbs sabotage your weight loss...but I have to say
that the carbs they are talking about are the "bad" ones. I am
truly enjoying my fruits and veggies!!!! I am eating more healthy now than
I ever have...and it is showing! You and I have lost rather quickly...
HMMM!!!! Think there is something to be said about a wide variety in our
diet????? I say you are doing everything right hon!!!! Keep up the great
work!!!! Be the best loser you can be!!!! Hugs with Aloha, Kathie (in
Hawaii).........
— KathieInHawaii
October 14, 2002
I had this surgery to eat like a normal person, which sounds like what you
are doing. As long as you try to get in your protein first. And I do try
to make healthier choices. I actually prefer the healthier foods now. Oh,
they do have a sugar free syrup that you can eat on your pancake mornings!
Taste like the regular stuff! I was able to eat almost anything by that
point too.
— Cheri M.
October 14, 2002
Sounds to me like you are doing fine. My doctor released me to eat anything
I tolerated at 8 weeks. I too, stay away from sugar. I have never dumped
and don't plan on testing my limits. Always get your protein in first and
then the other stuff. I don't watch my fat intake that much cause we don't
absorb it all anyway. I try to watch out for the bad carbs though. You
really sound like you are doing just fine. Don't worry so much. As long as
the weight is coming off, you know you are doing ok. Don't freak out when
you hiyt a plateau either. It is just part of this process. We all hate
them but they pass. You are doing GREAT!
— Kim B.
October 15, 2002
hiya! sounds like you are doing fine...i too can eat just about anything i
want - just in much smaller portions. one slice of pizza as opposed to an
entire pizza - seriously!!
regarding the bacon: i wouldn't worry about eating one slice of bacon. yes
it has fat but it is also protein. our bodies still need some
fats/sugars/carbs - just not the excessive amounts like we ate pre op. i
center my meals around protein and i don't worry much about the fats/carbs
since we malabsorb and i've lost more than i'd planned on losing and all my
blood levels are normal. i eat regular cheese - i don't like the low/non
fat cheeses and i figure that i don't eat much at a time. i didn't have the
surgery to deny myself foods i like, i did it so i could eat like a
"normal" person. i do that now. i don't crave sugar like pre op.
if i want something sweet i can have a little and that more than satisfies
me. something i could never have done pre op. i facilitate a wls support
group and if you ever have any questions or need some info, you're more
than welcome to email me.
[email protected]
take care!
kate
open rny 6-14-01
pre op: 268lbs
goal: 135lbs
current: 126lbs
— jkb
October 15, 2002
I, too, can (and do) eat just about anything. I think it is a bonus. My
portions are limited and I do tend to eat a lot healthier now than I did in
the past. But I am not fanatical about it. The fact that I keep it simple
and loose makes maintenance a breeze. I stick to the "protein
first" rule and try to minimize white carbs. Beyond that, I only
monitor or spot check when I feel like my caloric intake may be getting out
of control. I use www.fitday.com to do that (it's free). I don't feel
guilty for anything I eat unless I eat it "wrong" (grazing or
using liquids to eat more of it). It is not the food itself that is bad,
but the circumvention of my tool. Hope this helps. Oh and I don't care for
bacon anymore, but if I wanted some I would have it. You can look at my
profile for samples of what I ate at 4.5 and 9 months out.
— ctyst
October 15, 2002
I don't eat sugar, pop and very little bread. Everything else, however, is
fair game for me. I tolorate everything with the exception of rice very
well. I think we are lucky to be able to do this. There are people who
can't tolorate much of anything. I am 9 moths post-op and down 162 pounds
(starting weight 338 now 176). This surgery did for me exactly what i
wanted it to, I can eat like a regular person. I don't obsess over food
choices or how much i can eat. I eat when i am hungry I do not feel
deprived of anything and therefore I have very little cravings. My
advice--RELAXE AND ENJOY THE RIDE--
— Angela A.
October 15, 2002
Hi Shawnie - I tell people all the time that this is the first time I
haven't had to diet since I'm a little kid. I can pretty much eat anything
I want - I just don't eat as much. The best thing is that I can do it
totally guilt-free. The only thing that I have difficulty with is bread,
which doesn't feel right in my pouch. You should be very proud of your
weight loss! - Mike
— Michael N.
October 15, 2002
Shawnie, you sound just like me. I too, eat anything I want...I was lucky,
like you apparently, that my weight just melted off of me without much
effort after the surgery. I had this surgery to be 'normal' and that to me
means that I eat what I want, what my family is eating, just in smaller
portions. I have recently gotten to the point where I had to up my carbs a
little bit because I had gotten down to where I was literally 1 lb away
from being a bmi of "underweight"...I recently put back on 4 lbs
and am back to my "ideal" weight for my height. If you are doing
well with your weight loss, then all the more power to you and good luck!!!
~CAE~
— Mustang
October 15, 2002
I'm sure someone has already said some of what I will say... but I didn't
read all the answers so here goes. <br><br>Just because you
can eat anything, doesn't necessarily mean you should, or that its good for
you. You don't have to diet, how you treat your pouch and your long term
nutritional intake is up to you... that said... my guess is that long term
success will mean that you will have to have some control in the future.
For me, and this is for ME... it makes the most sense to develop the best
habits I can right now when eating or not is easy, and to lose the most
weight I can right now by limiting my carbs and fat... and maximizing the
use of my tool. When I have to maintain my weight, hopefully, I'll have a
few good habits down pat.. and it will help me. <br><br> I
think losing weight in the beginning is very easy because it takes a lot of
calories to maintain the larger body... and we really don't eat much volume
and total calorie wise after surgery. I believe that WHAT you eat will
eventually become important... its less so early on.. but for me, I want to
count and do the very best I can. <br><br>Did you doctor give
you any guidelines, if so, I'd suggest following them to the extent that
you can.... and in the end, you must do what works best for you and your
lifestyle. We're all certainly busy people.. although I don't have four
kids and I'm not going to college full time. Good luck.
— Lisa C.
October 15, 2002
Thanks for all the responses! I feel the same as most of you...that I
didn't have this surgery to "diet" and deprive myself for the
rest of my life. I did it to be NORMAL again. I don't think just because I
CAN eat anything I want that I actually do. I don't think that a piece of
bacon or bite of a cheese puff ever made an obese person. It was a pound of
bacon and the whole bag of cheese puffs that did it. I think that it is
healthy to eat these things once in awhile, at least for our
"mental" well being. Power to those who have the awesome will
power to say no to ALL of the "bad" food the rest of their lives.
That just doesn't work for me! I do however, with this great tool now have
the power to say, "One bite is enough!" and that is perfect for
me. At least I can still enjoy things. I have dieted for 26 years of my
life and I am sick of saying "I can't have this or that!" It
never worked for me before. I would always deprive myself, yet I just got
fatter and fatter because of my binges. I dont feel the need to binge
anymore, because I feel satisfied with that one bite! I appreciate all your
comments...I feel so much better! THANK YOU!
— Shawnie S.
October 15, 2002
Shawnee thanks for this post it helped me a lot. When I thought about this
surgery and the eventual outcome for my life I thought I know skinny
healthy people who work out and eat properly but they have their days every
so often where they eat something they really want and then resume with the
health conscious eating. that is what I wanted for myself to eat to be
healthy and have my few indescretions (sp?) That sounds like what you are
doing and I am happy to hear that it is okay to do that and be successful.
Good Luck Peggy 9/20 -30#'s
— Peggy A.
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