Food Cost

[redsonia80 2]

Hi Everyone,

I haven't gotten my surgery date yet. I am still doing the requirements such as going to the nutritionist. But as I prepare, how much should I plan on spending on food monthly?

Sorry if this question has been asked before!

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[nicktol 11]

This is a good question. I want to know too! How much on average does everyone spend on food post-op??

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[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

It depends a lot on where you live, what you like to eat and where you shop.

I eat about a pound of dense Protein a day, at 18 months. What that Protein is and how much it costs varies based not what I want and what is available.

Early on you need to budget for Protein shakes. Just don't buy too much at once. Buy as you go. Stocking up is a waste of money.

[redsonia80 2]

Okay! Great! Thanks for your response especially the tips about the Protein shakes.

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[Wonder WomanNJ 119]

keep in mind whether you will be making your own meals or buying. You should get a diet plan from your nutritionist, they will outline what you will be eating week 1, weeks 2 -3, 4 and so forth.

I am 1 week post-op an I can tell you that I have invested in Protein shakes, Jello and tea.

For next week, I am moving on to pureed foods and so I will go to the farmers market so that I can make hi-protein meals and freeze them. It's easier to take with you. all in all remember whatever you do, you're spending less than the "old" you.

[redsonia80 2]

Thank you Wonder Woman! Are you finding the meal prep easy?

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[Wonder WomanNJ 119]

Yes. Like everything else - you're going to need to do some planning.

For week 1 made my own Jello (it's cheaper).

For week 2 which I am entering in 2 days, I took a look at the list of allowed foods that the nutritionist gave me; Then I went on pinterest and punched in for example: Broccoli, pureed foods

You get lots of good ideas. Some that you can't use yet but otherwise, good ideas. OH - I also googled "list of high Protein foods" and I got this: https://authoritynutrition.com/20-delicious-high-protein-foods/ . Again, make sure they are on the list of things you can eat and if they are, look up recipes for them.

Get yourself 4 oz either plastic or mason jars with a lid, something like this: https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-19695/Jars/Canning-Jars-4-oz?pricode=WZ495&gadtype=pla&id=S-19695&gclid=CIHv2N-ul9ECFVOHswodI2ECtA&gclsrc=aw.ds so that you can freeze your food and it won't go bad. This way, you'll have food for a week.

I have a Ninja blender but I'm suspecting a regular blender will be fine too, set to Puree.

Best of luck and reach out if when you get your date! xoxo

[Hammer_Down 631]

I work as a long haul trucker with my spouse. So our food costs were higher than most. We could prepare meals on the road, but we both work 70 hours each in 6.5 days and don't have a whole lot of ambition for meal prep during that gruelling regime.

Unfortunately, I also have expensive tastes. Hamburgers and sandwiches aren't my thing, I'm more of a blue rare steak and salads person.

So our food costs have gone waaaaay down. I make a pot of Soup or chili and portion it for the week, freeze the rest and it lasts almost a month.

We inherited a bunch of ham and turkey leftovers, and I'm willing to bet we'll live on that for more than a month. So, a 12-15lb turkey or 7-8lb ham where I live is about $25 bucks. Cook it, portion it and add the cost of buying 2 large salads a week (about $9 each), and for 2 adults to live we're looking at a monthly food bill of about $100.

[The New Kel 1,312]

It will depend a lot on where you live, and what foods you choose in life post surgery.

For me, I eat way less, but, I eat (choose) much higher quality foods that I did before. So the $ equals about the same as before surgery. Quality over quantity, same overall cost at the end of the month.

Side note: Whole Foods is now killing my budget. They have the best stuff...but dang it's soooo expensive.

[redsonia80 2]

Hammer_Down - congrats on doing this while working long hours! Thanks for the response! Do you ever get tired of eating the same thing for a week?

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[Hammer_Down 631]

@@redsonia80

It depends on what it is. I like salty food, so adding salt and lots of pepper to almost anything will make me want to eat it.

I no longer look forward to eating, it's kind of a chore now. I don't snack between meals either, so when I eat it's really just a few bites of something and that's it. At 2 months out, I'm more than halfway to goal and so far i'm not sick of the same foods day in and day out.