Food addiction concerns

[Bloodhound 17]

10 hours ago, Sunnyway said:

Yes, you should learn to cook for yourself. There are many bariatric cookbooks with simple recipes. Start with Soups. Vegetable Soups are so easy. I'll give you a recipe in a moment.

My 70 year old brother has been learning how to cook and BAKE!. Amazing! I never thought he could do it. He's been doing a great job searching the internet for recipes and exchanging recipes with friends. You can do it too.

Now, here is the Weight Loss Magic Soup recipe, only 57 cal per cup. It's filling and delicious.

32 oz chicken stock

3 cups V-8 juice (you can use low-sodium V8 or even Tomato juice, homemade or store bought)

2 cans Italian diced tomatoes

1 small onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 package sliced mushrooms

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

2 cups fresh or frozen green Beans

1 can kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

3-4 cups shredded cabbage

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a large frying pan sprayed with cooking spray, sauté garlic, onions, carrots, and mushrooms for about 5 minutes.

In a large crockpot, combine sautéed garlic and vegetables with the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until vegetables are cooked. (I have made this in a large stock pot on the stove instead of in a crock pot, simmering on medium heat.)

This makes a large batch of Soup. If you would like to freeze portions of it to use later, undercook the vegetables just a little. Pour the soup into freezer Ziplock bags and let as much air out as you can. Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once the soup is frozen flat, it is easy to layer in your freezer and won't take up much room. To thaw, place the bag in the fridge for 24 hours and then reheat.

https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/weight-loss-magic-soup/

There is a bariatric food delivery service. They make it fresh at the time of order. Can this substitute for cooking? I abhor cooking for just myself.

[Bloodhound 17]

11 hours ago, Sunnyway said:

No. Before I even met with the bariatric clinic to inquire about revision I did a two-week liquid diet just to see if I could do it. (It turns out that my clinic doesn't use that technique for liver reduction.) liquid Protein Shakes and powders are very filling. They are not like the old "Slender" shakes in a can. I would drink them and ask "Where is the rest ov my lunch? "

No, I'm quite satisfied drinking Protein shakes, supplemented with broth, sugar-free Jello and sugar-free Popsicles. I won't say it was totally easy, but it was not as hard as I expected and I lost over 10 pounds during those two weeks.

Do a practice run. Try it now for about four days just to see how it goes for you.

By instant change, I mean in urges to eat sugar.

[Bloodhound 17]

Maybe I am not in the right headspace for this surgery. I thought maybe since I'd be forced into it, I'd have to acclimate during the post-op diet. But now I am worried I will eat solids or just fail. Maybe this isn't for me. It sounds like most people start the liquid diet first. Thanks so much for all your replies.

[Sunnyway 344]

57 minutes ago, Bloodhound said:

There is a bariatric food delivery service. They make it fresh at the time of order. Can this substitute for cooking? I abhor cooking for just myself.

I'm not familiar with any bariatric food delivery service. Post surgery you will be able to eat very little. This will continue for six months or longer. If more food is delivered than you can consume, you'll be wasting both food and the money you spent for the service. You really should learn to do some cooking for yourself. On Amazon search for "bariatric cookbooks" to see the variety available. Read the reviews and look for those books that contain "easy" recipes. Come on now--be brave!

[Arabesque 7,218]

On 8/30/2021 at 11:21 AM, Bloodhound said:

I heard the cravings come back at about a year. Have you heard anything to this contrary?

The cravings usually stay with us we just learn how to recognise & better manage them or they’re not as strong. I think cutting a lot of the foods that fed cravings out of our diets pre & post surgery helps educate us & re sensitise our tastebuds to what may really be too sweet.

[vikingbeast 987]

If you read back through posts here, you'll see hundreds, if not thousands, of posts talking about how people were just simply... not interested in food after the surgery. Like, just didn't care about it and had to sip Protein Drinks to get their Protein in at first.

As I think I said earlier, I put myself on a pre-op diet so I didn't go from "full steam ahead" to "have a couple Protein Shakes a day" overnight. I cut out all sugar (the protein shakes are sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners, I forget which—stevia maybe).

Last night, I held up my end of a bargain with my kid and took her to our favorite ice cream shop. I ordered myself a scoop of my favorite ice cream... ate a small bite... and went "ugh, why is this so sweet" and put the rest in the freezer for my kid to eat later.

It was a shocking moment, because I could easily plough through two or three big scoops of that stuff beforehand.

Your body will do the change. But if you think you need to test the waters, commit to two weeks' time on a pre-surgery diet. Maybe not the full liquid one, but one that's calorie restricted and very low carb. You can do two weeks. Anyone can do two weeks. But that's two weeks straight, not "I've been good for three days and deserve a little treat."

If you can't do that, then at least you'll know before you do this major, life-altering thing, and you could go seek help.

But you've got this. I'm sure of it.

[vikingbeast 987]

My meal prep service that I've used for a long time allows me to customize my meals—3, 4, 5, or 6 ounces of Protein, zero or 1/2 cup or 1 cup of veg, zero or 1/2 cup or 1 cup of carbs, etc. Then they make it and deliver it to my door Sunday night for the week ahead. They do all the macro counting. Is it the tastiest stuff on earth? No. But it's filling and well made.

It wouldn't work for right after surgery, but it might a bit down the road, even if you end up splitting each meal in half.

[Bloodhound 17]

1 hour ago, vikingbeast said:

My meal prep service that I've used for a long time allows me to customize my meals—3, 4, 5, or 6 ounces of Protein, zero or 1/2 cup or 1 cup of veg, zero or 1/2 cup or 1 cup of carbs, etc. Then they make it and deliver it to my door Sunday night for the week ahead. They do all the macro counting. Is it the tastiest stuff on earth? No. But it's filling and well made.

It wouldn't work for right after surgery, but it might a bit down the road, even if you end up splitting each meal in half.

Have you checked out this bariatric delivery service? https://www.baribox.org. I'm going to do a separate post on it to see if there are any reviews.

[Bloodhound 17]

2 hours ago, Sunnyway said:

I'm not familiar with any bariatric food delivery service. Post surgery you will be able to eat very little. This will continue for six months or longer. If more food is delivered than you can consume, you'll be wasting both food and the money you spent for the service. You really should learn to do some cooking for yourself. On Amazon search for "bariatric cookbooks" to see the variety available. Read the reviews and look for those books that contain "easy" recipes. Come on now--be brave!

https://www.baribox.org

[Bloodhound 17]

Thanks for all the comments so far!

[Bloodhound 17]

3 hours ago, Bloodhound said:

There is a bariatric food delivery service. They make it fresh at the time of order. Can this substitute for cooking? I abhor cooking for just myself.

That sounds delicious surgery or no!

[Bloodhound 17]

3 hours ago, Bloodhound said:

There is a bariatric food delivery service. They make it fresh at the time of order. Can this substitute for cooking? I abhor cooking for just myself.

That sounds delicious, Sunnyway!

[Bloodhound 17]

1 hour ago, Arabesque said:

The cravings usually stay with us we just learn how to recognise & better manage them or they’re not as strong. I think cutting a lot of the foods that fed cravings out of our diets pre & post surgery helps educate us & re sensitise our tastebuds to what may really be too sweet.

Interesting. Thanks, it reminds me that maybe I need more coping mechanism development before. I have this surgery.

[Sunnyway 344]

8 hours ago, Bloodhound said:

https://www.baribox.org

VERY expensive!!

[vikingbeast 987]

10 hours ago, Bloodhound said:

Have you checked out this bariatric delivery service? https://www.baribox.org. I'm going to do a separate post on it to see if there are any reviews.

I just looked. Their price is shocking. They cost more than my meal service and I would get twice or three times as many meals out of my existing service since I would have to cut the portions.

Edited August 31, 2021 by vikingbeast