This one's for my husband

[pschmolle 0]

Hey Everyone-

My husband is pretty supportive, but wonders how his life will change once the surgery is over. Do you all still feel like cooking even though you can't or won't enjoy everything? Has going out for dinner? Have any of your roles changed with your spouse since sugery? I can't wait to hear from you!

[angelface 1]

I was wondering the same thing.

[BandedMomX6 1]

I did not want to be tempted to eat the foods so the original plan was for dh to cook for a while after surgery. WELL, that just did not work for us. He tried his best, :cursing:but I finally took over. Kids gotta eat, kwim?

I eat whatever everyone else is eating but I just modify my meal. For example, if I am making spaghetti for the family, I have some of the salad, with some of the meat from the sauce & skip the Pasta. I make an 'Italian salad.' It is v. delicious. I don't miss the Pasta at all! I do the same with rice dishes.

If I make tuna subs for the family, I just have the tuna salad, sans the bread. I can't really digest chicken very easily so if I grill chicken for them I either poach or grill a piece of fish for me. You get the idea.:sad:

The only thing that has changed is that many times I get up and leave the dining room table. Eating with my family for some reason, makes me eat too fast. :tt1: I get anxious, cutting up food, pouring drinks, etc. Somedays are hectic. A few times I swallowed without even chewing!!! :ohmy:So dh knows if he sees me lift my plate and walk away he takes over. He's been great. I encourage you to bring your spouses with you to all the informational before hand stuff.

Yes, things will change, but your health is so important that the changes seem insignificant.

[Shinyhappymommy 2]

We didn't really plan it, but my husband took over cooking for about month. It was so good when I was on liquids and pureed foods to not have to cook food. In fact, it was when I had done the cooking that I felt almost entitled to eat it and ended up eating solid food sooner than I should have. Not terribly soon, but sooner than my doc's suggested time line. It really helped me to have a dh who was supportive and ready to step in. The family ate a whole lot of Tuna/Hamburger/Chicken Helper during that month.

[BandedMomX6 1]

eating out will change too... you'll save lots of money. I share with everyone, kids, dh, friends... whomever I go out with I share, or I get a kids meal and barely finish it. I do not however, do fast food. I don't even miss it either.

[MerryHearted 20]

When we go out to eat I rarely order my own meal. If I do, there's lots of leftovers. Usually I'll just eat a little off DH's plate, or order a small side salad for myself and then eat a little of his meat.

DH cooks for our family, as he's a stay at home dad. He's been wonderfully accomodating. Like BandedMomx6, I just eat slightly differently than the family. They usually have some sort of starch - Pasta, bread, rice, potato or noodles. The simpler we keep our meals, the easier this is. i.e. a casserole with everything all mixed together doesn't work so well for me, but grilled or roasted meat served with side dishes of veggies and starch works fine -- I can eat the meat & veggies while they can add in the starch. We try to stick with whole grains anyway since it's healthier.

We also like doing "build-it-yourself" type meals like tacos, burritos, baked potato bar, and stir-fry where we provide a bunch of ingredients and each person gets to pick what they want their meal to have.

DH is also good at hiding goodies if I need him to. :cry_smile: Remarkably good, since there have been times that I've actually hunted in desperation for the chocolate that I know he has stashed somewhere, but have not managed to find it! :crying:

[BandedMomX6 1]

DH cooks for our family, as he's a stay at home dad. He's been wonderfully accomodating.

My dh is a slow cook with little confidence. He can grill anything, but I am a stay at home mom and frankly the poor guy works so many hours that it wasn't practical for us. But sometimes I get it started and he'll take over.

How lucky for you that dh cooks!

DH is also good at hiding goodies if I need him to. :cry_smile: Remarkably good, since there have been times that I've actually hunted in desperation for the chocolate that I know he has stashed somewhere, but have not managed to find it! :crying:

DH needs to learn this trick! Easter candy is sitting next to his bed in a bag! LOL:drool:

[newhope4me 0]

when i first got home, i went all out for my family, even though i was on Clear Liquids. i guess i felt just because i couldnt enjoy it, i would enjoy it vicariously through them.

Now that i'm eating solid food (anxiously awaiting my first fill next week), i am switching the entire family over to healthier food. Turkey burgers, turkey bacon, low fat cheese nips, low fat cheese, low fat pnut butter, low sugar jelly, fresh fruits, veggies, etc. The only one to complain is my son, who a strong wind would blow away, there are things that are unhealthy in the house that i told him he could finish up. He's moving out this weekend (sniff sniff, but he's 21), so i'm going to have him take all that with him.

Actually, hubby is a Marine, and needed to lose a few pounds to stay regulation, and my daughter should have learned healthy eating habits low ago, so i think this is best for all of us. once a week i let them eat junk food, but even that, no one is eating as much as we used to. which the money we save on junk food and Snacks, we spend on the healthier foods.

i think it depends on the person, where as i loved to cook the big meal when i first got home, someone else (as mentioned) is not going to want to be around it. it took hubby a while to learn not to offer me his leftovers or a bite of this or that, since it was habit for him. but now he's more, "can u have that?"

[tapshoes 2]

DH and I both enjoy cooking. Post-band has meant that there have been a few adjustments to how we cook, and the amount we cook, but other than that we are doing as we always have. More approach is not to cut out any foods (I interpret that as 'dieting', and I am NOT dieting), but rather to have much smaller portions. So if it is Pasta, DH has his usual serving, and I may have 1/8th of a cup of Pasta, but much more sauce scooping out the meats.

We have only recently resumed going out for the occasional (not fast food) dinner - and we have ordered 1 meal and 2 forks. Most servings in restaurants are too big normally; this way I eat the little I want, and DH has the rest. Minimal waste, and as a by-product, a healthier portion size for DH as well. In another restaurant, because we wanted different things, I had the appetizer only.

It may take some time to adjust to cooking smaller portions, but you get used to it.

[Long2BFree 12]

Just curious to know if restaurants are accomodating when you only order one meal but share a littel bit? Many restaurants around here charge extra if you ask for a plate to share a meal. Will they actually sell you a kids meal?