Long term food choices post sleeve

[lsmit452 13]

Hi everyone,

I am almost 3 weeks post-op and I'm having a lot of anxiety about being able to make this lifestyle change. I can definitely do the smaller portions and get the recommended amount of Protein. What I'm worried about is choosing the healthy foods vs the foods that I'm used to (For example, someone suggested using almond butter instead of peanut butter). My question is, have you switched to all healthy food or do you still eat some of the same stuff and were able to keep the weight off?

Please don't attack me, I am already anxious enough about not being "ready" to make the lifestyle change despite already having the surgery.

Thanks,

Lindsey

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[Bufflehead 6,358]

Hi Lindsey. I don't eat "all" healthy food, but healthy food is my regular diet. I save the non-healthy food for special occasions. I quickly found that if I try to eat non-healthy food "in moderation" -- well, apparently I suck at moderation. Everything goes downhill for me -- except my weight, which goes up! So for me, it is best to stick to healthy food except on special holidays and for rare treats. Other people have different ways of managing post-op eating. I think it's important to work hard on figuring out what works best for you once you get to maintenance. I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all plan. I just advise keeping an open mind and being willing to change up your plan if you find that what you are doing is not working for you. Good luck!

[LipstickLady 25,682]

High Protein, low carb. I choose high fat, but that's a personal decision. I still eat a taste of PB now and then, but it's not as important in my life as it used to be.

Tastes and cravings change and you will figure it out if you keep an open mind and concentrate on eating healthier foods and smaller portions. Find new foods you love that meet your dietary requirements instead of focusing on what you can't have that you used to love. Those foods did you no favors. They got you here.

I have found great joy in tasting new seafood salads at my Fresh Market. Yesterday I got a raw salmon and seaweed salad, the day before, a shrimp bruschetta salad (no bread involved). Today I got a delicious Thai curry shrimp and peanut salad.

I look for high flavor, awesome variety, expensive foods with great quality ingredients. I can't eat but 1/4 - 1/2 cup, so it still costs less than a McD's meal.

I am far more a foodie now than I was because my restriction is tight and I don't want to waste a bite. Now, though, I am a skinny person asking for samples instead of a fatty too embarrassed to.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I guess it depends on what you mean about foods you are used to versus healthy foods. For instance, I still eat Peanut Butter every once in a while --- just not very often because the Protein to calorie ratio isn't great. I am a year out and make almost all of my food choices based on the Protein content.

Pre-op, I lived on carbs. Now, I don't.

It hasn't felt like a burden or that I am deprived. As a matter of fact, most of the flavor in food is in the Proteins (probably the fats).

I choose small quantities of delicious, nutritious foods most of the time now because I want to.

Breads, rice, Pasta, etc. are pretty much just filler that I don't need or really want any more for that matter.

If I do choose something with healthy carbs (like oatmeal), I just do my best to add protein to it.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

P.S., you don't have to make every meal decision for a lifetime today. You get to eat three or more times a day for the rest of your life.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

P.S., you don't have to make every meal decision for a lifetime today. You get to eat three or more times a day for the rest of your life.

This.

[Dub 9,922]

Lindsey,

Congrats on your decision to move forward.

I'm 7 months post-op from my sleeve and very, very happy with the results thus far. I have a long way to go....but I've never been more sure in my life that I'll get there. It's a wonderful certainty. One that makes me grin at awkward times, crack jokes in serious moments and otherwise go through life in a more upbeat way than I ever have. Ever.

The really cool thing about that last paragraph is that I'm just one of many around here on BP that can say the same thing. We are living proof that things can get better.

I say all that to say this......it has been a process. 7 months ago I could begin to see how it would unfold....how I would feel.....what size clothes I would be wearing.....what I would be eating, etc.

All I had 7 months ago was the very straightforward plan that my surgeon laid out......simple and easily done. I had to trust & believe that I would be able to grow and develop my menu later on as my stomach capacity moved up to 1 full cup of food per meal by the one year mark....as my surgeon promised. I trusted. I believed.

It's been very simple and straightforward.

I learned that I could always kick the weight loss up a notch or two by doing a Protein shake only diet at any time I cared to do so. Every so often I'll bust through a stall with a 2-3 day liquid only reset.

I learned that I could get in the needed Protein with my 1/2 cup meal sizes that I was doing at the 6 month mark. My surgeon then encouraged me to increase to 3/4 cup sizes for the next few months and to continue with current protein amount but to add green vegetables to fill the new capacity.

The last few weeks have found me adding broccoli, kale, spinach, grilled asparagus and the like to my meals. I love the Fiber increase but know there are other menu refinements in my future.

I love grilling and for the most part I've been able to enjoy this hugely during my weight loss. Now, though....I'm also enjoying getting that crunchy food satisfaction from the vegetables. Good stuff.

I watched the Forks Over Knives movie and the related Engine 2 Diet movie yesterday. Good stuff. Very thought provoking. There are certainly meal ideas and themes that I can adopt to my way of eating. My stomach capacity is never going to allow me to eat the volumes of plant based foods that these two suggest.......but it does open up the realm of making vegetable smoothies to get in more of these into my system.

It's a process.

It's been initially about getting the weight off my frame. Certainly that's been a healthy thing.

Now it's about refining my diet and enjoying taking it to knew healthy levels. Hoping to get more heart healthy, too.

I never could have seen the myself drinking Protein shakes, low sugar vegetable juices and enjoying packs of flavored tuna this time last year. Then....I was all about shoving down pizza, Pasta and other similar garbage. I was sedentary and running on polluted arteries and my body was telling on me.

Now....I'm reaching for a better life through improved health. I want to be off of as many medications as possible. Just the amounts and frequencies of NSAIDS intake alone has been hugely decreased. Co-morbidities are slipping away......slipping away in small doses.......good stuff.

Take the small steps you can see now. They will lead you to other steps....other possibilities, some that you can't even begin to envision now, but they will be clear later on......Trust & Believe.

[lsmit452 13]

Thank you, everyone! I'm looking up recipes on Pinterest to change my meals to something with higher Protein. Some of this stuff looks great!!

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[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

What wonderful responses you've had on this thread!

I'm 21 months post-op, have lost all my excess weight (100 pounds) and now maintaining easily at 135 pounds. Currently (and I emphasize "currently" because things could change, which would mean I'd have to change what I'm doing) ...

* I love food! Love the taste of it, the varieties of it, the nutrition of it, the discoveries, the freedom, and the fact that I am no longer afraid of food. food has become a resource to me, as well as a pleasure.

* Since I'm now on maintenance (eating about 1800 cals/day) about 75% of my calories come from nutritious food. The other 25% of my calories come from from good-tasting, but un-nutritious things like alcohol (one drink a day), sugar treats (e.g., 1 biscotti, 2 squares of dark chocolate), or a starchy item (e.g., small biscuit).

* I eat a lot of animal and plant Protein, aim for 5 veggies and fruits a day, whole grains, and mostly healthy fats and oils (although I do have a little butter).

* I eat full-fat cheese, skim milk, low-fat yogurt -- weird combo, I know, but I like it.

* I minimize fast food -- have it rarely.

* Only rarely do I eat white bread, white rice, white potatoes, white flour Pasta. Instead, I eat whole grain breads, brown rice, sweet potatoes, whole wheat, protein-enhanced Pasta.

* I make most of my eating decisions when I make grocery lists and shop for food. If trigger and unnutritious foods are not in the house, I can't eat them. That's a very good piece of advice for you.

* I cook a lot more than I used to -- which reflects how rarely I eat "fast food" these days.

* I plan my meals and I track all my food and drink intake in My Fitness Pal. I love it. Frankly, for me, it's the second best tool I use to maintain my weight; the first best tool, of course, is my sleeve.

* I still (most days) drink a Protein Drink for Breakfast. I just like the taste, and it gives me a great start to the day of 25 grams of Protein for only 170 calories.

* I take my very few meds (thyroid and H2 blocker antacid) and my Vitamins and other dietary supplements daily and on time.

* So far, no food is permanently off limits -- although a lot of foods are on the "only once a week" list or "once in a blue moon" list or "only at X restaurant" list.

* I'm still learning a lot about nutrition, metabolism, and eating mindfully. I expect I'll never stop learning. I hope not.

[Ele marie 92]

I have made a shake out of the Premier Protein shake a banana Greek yogurt and Peanut Butter. I didn't drink a lot of it. But it was yummy!

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[lsmit452 13]

Thanks so much!!! VSGAnn2014 that was super helpful!! I really appreciate it!

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[Cape Crooner 589]

I'm 7 months out and lost all my weight in record time. I ate exactly what they told me to eat and logged every single morsel from the orientation through solid foods (at which point I had lost the majority of my weight loss goal.

Once they gave me "the green light" to eat normally, I very slowly added in new foods.

I'm now in maintenance and I weigh in on most mornings. If I go over goal weight, I go back to my 1,000 calorie/day diet.

In terms of food, I defer carbs as long as possible each day. I eat a lot of Atkins type meals (17 of my 21 meals a week).

I allow myself 2-4 meals a week of whatever I want. My major taboo is fries, but I only eat 5-8 and share the rest.

You'll learn a lot about eating right during your pre opt and post opt diets. Don't forget it when you get the green light, just tweak it.

You'll do great!

Edited May 17, 2016 by Cape Crooner

[chrisredjeep 357]

Great advice from some bariatric pals there.