Foodie Life Post-op

[Slick300 1]

Hey everyone. Have been reading BP for a couple of months now, but this is my first post.

Still early in the process-have attended the required info session and am awaiting my consult. I'm on the smaller side of eligibility with BMI of 38 and severe obstructive sleep apnea. Original thought was VSG but will trust in surgeon's advice.

At any rate, as I go through all the pros and cons of this process in my head, I feel like i can take on and handle just about everything, but one glaring issue pops up....food and drink. I've spent most of my life with a love for great food and drink. I run the gamut on food from high end to low, ethnic to not and on drink all across the board from single malts to expertly made cocktails and obscure micro-brews. I simply love good stuff.

This love for food and beverage has been such a big part of my interests for so long, I fear how compromised this will be post-surgery. Has anyone out there been in a similar boat with the same interest? How has your involvement with food and drink been after surgery?

Thanks in advance for any input!

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[swimbikerun 1,045]

Yes. I still make things for others. I get a taste, now and then, depending on what it is. I have to be careful, really careful, otherwise, life goes on as before. I share food and enjoy doing it for others. I had that before, just don't mind it if life is a taste because so many other things occupy it now.

[Aggiemae 739]

The NUTS in m Bariatric Center say that foodies do very well after WLS.

We foodies love food and know it, you'd be amazed at how many overweight people deny their love of food or actually consider food their enemy.

As for me. I am 7 weeks post sleeve. Mostly solid food but red meat still doesn't go down well. About 600 calories, 25 grams of carbs. I am not hungry so that's plenty to get a taste of everything but desert when we go out and tasty small meals at home. We eat out 3 sometimes 4 times a week.

My surgeon said I could try alcohol and I has a sip of wine last week but seem to have no taste for it right now. I get 8 oz coffee drinks (instead of 20 oz) and drink about 4 oz before I am done. I use heavy cream in coffee at home because it is lower in carbs and I don't have a restriction on fat. I expect that at some point I will allow myself some sweets but right now I want to loose weight more that I want chocolate.

My hope is that I will be able to decide ahead of time that I will eat a certain food instead of impulsivity eating then regretted. I took a weekly, six month "lifestyle" class before surgery that has really helped my understand my eating issues and, so far, it has really helped me choose between short term pleasure and long term gain.

[ShelterDog64 2,364]

I was a HUGE foodie (no pun intended!) pre-op, and I think the sleeved life lends itself to being a foodie, honestly. For me, I'm eating what I want (minus tons of carbs, but I hardly miss all of that) but just in a vastly reduced volume, which doesn't change my enjoyment of food. My surgical program is all about Protein, fats and eating satisfying food; before, when I would do Weight Watchers or whatever the diet du jour was, I'd have to cut out fats and basically anything with taste or staying power...then I'd fail because my diet was so boring and Spartan.< /p>

I think you'll find that you can still enjoy the things you enjoy now, but it won't be the drive for volume that it used to be...in a way that makes us REAL foodies, since it's all about the taste now.

The alcohol is a different topic and one that brings about many different opinions. My team goes at this one as a moderation vs a removal from your life. Of course, if it's a problem for you, that's a whole other thing, but I was cleared for alcohol consumption when I was cleared to a full diet. I have a little wine or a few sips of beer, but I don't enjoy either as much as I used to and I do have to count them as carbs.

Good luck, and I think it's great that you're looking at yourself and your food lifestyle this critically

[SleeveSoon 191]

I was a foodie pre-sleeve. Post sleeve I would still consider myself a foodie, but with major changes. I avoid fried foods and starchy foods, but can usually find something to eat at a restaurant. Portion sizes are much smaller now and typically take home a doggie bag.

Pre-sleeve I was partial to bourbon and cigars. Post sleeve I cut out bourbon and cigars, but do enjoy red wine and craft beer in moderation.

[Airstream88 361]

The reality is that after WLS you still have to be obsessed with food, except in a different way. The emphasis is getting in your Protein and Fluid. So it requires constant planning to figure out how to make that Protein goal each and every day. It can be challenging.

Check out the following blogs: "The World According to Eggface" and "Bariatric Foodie". These are two women who have risen up to the challenge of life after WLS and still like to cook, just in a Bariatric friendly way.

Also BariatricEating.com has some really wonderful recipes that look just as good as any pre-WLS recipes.

As far as eating out, well it's a mixed bag. You can't eat that much (at 8 weeks I can eat almost 2 oz of meat and I'm done) so you take a lot of food home if you order a regular meal. Recently at a Mexican restaurant I ordered tortilla Soup (w/o tortilla strips) and shared guacamole (no chips) with my friend. I ate 1/3rd of the Soup and a few tablespoons of guac. You just have to plan ahead by looking at the menu and figuring out what has the least fat and sugar (to avoid dumping if you have Gastric Bypass).

I do not regret this surgery in the least.

[catwoman7 11,212]

I was a foodie then and I'm a foodie now. First few months you're pretty limited as to what you can eat, but after about the first six months, you can eat pretty much anything. I still cook and go out to eat, but I stick to bariatric-friendly fare - (non-fried) Protein, veggies, some complex carbs. I really haven't had much trouble. I just stay away from fried stuff and simple carbs (sugary and starchy things). I don't drink at all anymore, though. I was never a huge drinker, but I enjoyed a glass of wine now and then. But that's my choice - most people are able to drink occasionally once they're a few months out.

[Djmohr 6,965]

I was a definately foodie before and am still a foodie now. My tastes have simply changed and for the better.

The first 4 to 6 months I was pretty limited in what I would tolerate but I am over two years post op now. Honestly I can eat whatever I want but i am super particular about what I eat.

I love date night and enjoy trying new things. The good news is, I always have a lot of leftovers and hubby and I share things as well.

Prior to surgery I would have a cocktail when going out, now I absolutely LOVE decent wine so I choose that as my drink with dinner which I ONLY do when i go out. The rest of the time, I follow the not drinking with my meal rule to a tee.

Nothing passes these lips that doesnt taste good or makes me feel good. I figure, I can only eat so much so it damn well better be worth it. I also do restrict carbs and honestly i feel bad when I eat them so I choose to avoid them as much as possible.

I also love to cook and cook differently than I once did. Instead of all the Pasta (I am Italian), I enjoy cooking delicious Proteins and veggie dishes.

I still love food, its just different now.

[Vinasu 621]

On Saturday, I had a few friends over for "local" night. I bought local wines, fresh cheeses, and local charcuterie. I made a blackberry tart with berries I picked myself this summer.

I ate, I drank, I had a great time. The food was amazing, and I didn't go over 900 calories.

Surgery made me realize how much I ate was just "filler". It was stuff I ate because it was there and it was OK. Now, I eat only the best.

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[Montana Gal 448]

The best way for me to describe my Foodie life post op is quality versus quantity. If I am going to have 1/2 cup of food, it's going to be the best I can possibly make or find.

[BrookeTiffani 54]

I, personally, have been finding it fun taking recipes I enjoy and cleaning them up. Most of the time I cannot tell the difference in what I am eating compared to what I ate before.

[Travelher 915]

I am a foodie as well. I have also enjoyed the occasional glass of wine. I've enjoyed eating out since a few weeks post op. Having Soups in the purees stage and now regular foods. Am avoiding carbs but will do a tsp taste of my husband's Desserts. I most often just order from the appetizer menu or share my husbands meal. I think this is likely easier for foodies. It is easy to find delicious healthy food in foodie venues.

If you are someone who is used to fast food/junk food it will be harder to find tasty healthy options there.

Attached a picture of my salmon tartar from last week. It was amazing!

(no idea why the photo is posting upside down)

Edited December 14, 2016 by Travelher

[The New Kel 1,312]

@@Slick300,

You have received some spot on, amazing advice here in these responses. I really think this topic is important, at least to me and the many other foodies who undergo WLS.

I was just talking to my mom the other day, realizing that food preparation and the creating of dishes was a HUGE part of my life. I had nit even realized how much I loved the aspect of all things foodie.

Post-op, I would agree with those who are saying that having the sleeve actually makes you a perfect foodie. You are forced to be selective, choosing only the best things that give you the most taste and satisfaction. We simply don't have room in our sleeved stomachs to allow food that doesn't matter (excess carbs, etc.)

When you think about the great foodie stuff, at least for me, I think of high quality and creative meals. The emphasis is not on the size of the meal but the taste and the way it makes you feel. Being sleeved, we really learn to master the art of getting the Protein in, and also making it as enjoyable as possible.

If you have problems now with over-indulgence as in volume (most of us did pre-sleeve), or in eating excessive junk foods, or food addictions, then you will have to come to terms with the fact that your life and behaviors will forever be altered. If you proceed with surgery, you have to know, and be happy with, the knowledge that food as far as volume will never be the same.

Taste and creativity and preparing meals for others however doesn't change. I love good foods and at 2.5 months post-op I do not feel like I have lost the joy of my foodieness. Hope that helps! Good luck with your decision.

[The New Kel 1,312]

I forgot to add- regarding drinking.

Before surgery I loved wine. I still do, but less. I will have a good quality dry wine, maybe one glass every few days in the evening. I just don't want it like before. Also, your tolerance for alcohol goes way down so you will get intoxicated from a fraction of what you were used to.

I echo the sentiments so many have said here: Quality over quantity post-op.

[KristenVSG2014 1,872]

The best way for me to describe my Foodie life post op is quality versus quantity. If I am going to have 1/2 cup of food, it's going to be the best I can possibly make or find.

This. And tapas.

HW 290+/SW 261/GW 160/CW 159