Question:
I really like to eat meat.

My date is 8/05/2002. I am starting to get worried I just saw my dietitian. She told me that after the sx I need to eat every 2 hrs. I am hoping to go back to work on the 4th week. How do I find time to do this at work. And get all the vitimans I need. thanks    — Melissa E. (posted on June 21, 2002)

June 21, 2002
I have never been able to eat six meals and get in the needed liquids. Since I went back to work I eat three meals and a snack. I sip my liquids at work which helps control my hunger. I am still losing well. I think the docs recommend eating extra meals to help you adjust to food, get adequate nutrients, and relearn to eat. If you can eat six times a day at work, be sure that what you do eat is what your body needs. Remember plenty of protein and take your supplements!
   — Rhonda H.

June 21, 2002
I eat every few hours and it is not a problem for me. I eat breakfast at home, then a protein bar at my desk for mid-morning. I eat an early lunch, then have the leftovers mid-afternoon. If I am leaving work late, I may have a few nuts to tide me over til dinner. Dinner at home, then a snack before bedtime if I am hungry. You can look at my profile for examples of what I ate at 4 mos and 9 mos post op. I still pretty much eat the same as 9 mos post. If you are taking the standard vitamin regimen (multi-vit with iron, liquid/sublingual b12, calcium citrate) every day, then you don't have to worry about your vitamin intake--just make sure you get your protein! I usually keep a can of nuts and/or some jerky in my desk. Peanut butter is good too.
   — ctyst

June 21, 2002
I am 3.5 months post-op and just take snacks to work. Protien bars are great and easy for at work snacks.
   — Dell H.

June 21, 2002
Melissa, I take my 2 chewable vitamins and calcium every evening before bed (B-12 shots once a month). That should be no problem for you. For work, if you do not have a refrigerator at work,bring a small cooler to leave by your desk. I have peanut butter crackers, plain crackers and nuts in my desk drawer, protein bars in my purse, and snack pack sized cottage cheese in the fridge. I also bring fruit from home as a snack, cheese sticks, and eat the leftover lunch before I go home to tide me over until dinner. Its very possible to eat 6 times a day-I did it early one and probably do so 4 or 5 times a day now.
   — Cindy R.

June 26, 2002
Don't forget, you're not going to be eating 6 regular meals! Most of your meals are just going to really be "snacks": a cheese stick, or a protein drink, or a very small serving or fruit..... I find that I'm actually spending a lot LESS time eating now that I'm post op.
   — Kathy J.

June 26, 2002
Many of us take a protein shake on the way to work. When I was a fresh postie, I made a sandwich and cut it into quareters & put each quarter in a separate baggie. It took me about 10 min to eat my quater in the early days. But it helped me form the small frequent meal habit, vs grazing or the starve & stuff method. I eat when I take vites and I take vites when I eat.
   — vitalady