8 posts tagged “gastric bypass”

Although you pack a powerful punch at 54g Protein and only 4 Carbs, you're still bloody disgusting.

Yuck

Ha! I just realized that I'm writing this after getting back from a delicious Easter dinner at the restaurant I work at. I'm nice and full now so I guess it's as good a time as any to talk about post surgery eating.

Part IV: Take it slow

I was so excited to eat real food after a week on liquid soups and jello (neither of which I can stomach today) that when my mom took me out for a fish taco I wolfed it down. Bad idea. Vomiting with fresh staples and stitches on/in your stomach. Very bad idea.  Not only that, I bit of fish got stuck and I had to wait two days for it to pass -aka back to liquids!- before I could eat again!

The whole point is that I didn't even taste a single bite in my excitement to eat. Which, if you ever slow down and pay attention to your food, you'll probably notice that you don't really taste it either. Shame, really. Food should be savoured!

So take a bite. And chew. Roll it around if you have to, and chew slowly. Doc's say it takes about 20 minutes for your body to relay to your head that it's time to stop, and if you swallow that pasta bowl whole in 10 minutes you get that "oh my sweet Jesus I think I popped a button on my pants!" feeling. While you're at it, sprinkle some pepper on those steamed veggies that you're ignoring on the side of your plate and eat some of those too. I try to follow the rule my doctor told me: protein first, then veggies/fruit and then complex carbs. I loves me some garlic mashed potatoes, but if I don't eat at least half my veggies I don't allow myself to eat them. It's just that simple.

Part V: Just Say No

For the longest time post-surgery, I hated going out to eat. Not only was I going to pay full price for a meal that I would take two bites of and be full, but there was always that *@##$ bread basket. Why did I still feel obligated to reach my grubby little hand in there to partake in the bread? Knowing that if I ate that bread, there was no way I was going to fit real food in?

Because I still hadn't learned.

The bread basket looks nice, and I come from a family where there's always a fresh hot loaf of French, just begging to be slathered in butter and eaten. But remember, this is a change and ya gotta learn to say no.  Now, let's be honest here: I will be the first person in the basket on "free day" which is Sunday's for me. Every other day of the week, it's "no thank you, can I have the appetizer salad".

Because if you're really hungry, you want to make sure you eat something with some sort of nutritional value. And who can say know to a really good salad? Honestly? (No, you can't)

Part VI: Make it Good

Okay. Food for me is like a first impression. I only get one to three bites to make my tastebuds dance otherwise I'm too full to complain about it. Not only do I like my food to look bright and vibrant (more colors = more good stuff for you) but the flavors have to be poppin'. So I mainly go for spicy food, and things that have a listing of a lot of ingredients. Changes are, it's going to be awesome and what little bit of it will be enjoyable. Food should taste good! Food should be fun! Someone please tell me how delicious those three pieces of Popeye's Chicken you ate compared to a Lemon Herb Chicken? I'll bet it's not even as half as good. So be selective with your food, because if you are cutting back, the last thing you want to be is miserable. You'll give up right away! So spice it up: make some homemade marinades (or look for low sodium ones) and stick whatever meat you're cooking that night in for a half hour. Get familiar with herbs: parsley and thyme are favorites of mine. If you really like it, make a herb garden in your home. Herbs are cheap and if you kill them (repeatedly) you won't feel too horrible.

Part VII: Don't be too hard on yourself

You've done it. I've done it. Slipped up and figured that all that hard work has gone down the drain. Well it hasn't. So if you succumb to that sudden KitKat craving, no probs. Just start again tomorrow, cuz you can't go back but you can make sure that you make better choices tomorrow. I mentioned earlier that I have Sunday as my free day as kind of a pressure reliever. I don't go crazy mind you, but like tonight, I did dip into the bread basket AND I had dessert. I pick a meal, and spoil myself on it. Dieting is hard enough, and you don't need the added stress. I do keep treats around in case the sweet tooth hits. My favorite is Dreyer's All Fruit bars, and frozen Dove Chocolate squares. And frozen grapes. I'll grab a frozen fruit bar, or a couple of pieces of chocolate and the emergency passes. And I start fresh the next day.

I hope this helps someone out there. I do go to the gym, and if I can't go to the gym I make sure to move around a lot at work. If you can't afford a gym, then grab your shoes and walk in a park or around the block. And if you live somewhere back East and are swamped with snow, turn up your radio put on some tunes and dance around like mad for an hour. Cardio sorted. I'll post some recipes later on this week, and some links to some helpful webbys and things. I'm not a doctor or anything, please remember that this is just from my own experiences. Good luck and please let me know if this info helps!

A little over a year ago, I had a live changing procedure done called a gastric bypass. It's been called "cheating" by a lot of people, and to those people I give a big F.U. Anyhow, one of the many things I learned or relearned was how to eat.

I'm not saying that this works for every human being; everyone is different. However if you've tried everything under the sun and still can't lost some poundage, why not try it this way?

Part I: Are you really hungry?

I am an emotional eater. When I'm happy I eat. When I'm cool, I eat. And when I'm unhappy I overeat. It's almost a knee-jerk reaction, but in the months before my surgery I would be at my desk and go "Oooh, I'm so hungry! I want a KitKat!" and then commence eating the one I bought with my breakfast donut. The first thing they taught us is decide if your hunger is mental or physical. If you stomach is starting to rumble and you probably hadn't eaten, then it's physical and you should probably grab something. If you just ate Chinese and are stuffed, and then you start craving tandoori chicken, it's probably mental. It's a whole system of wants and needs.

You just have to make sure your needs are good for you and make sure your wants are necessary.

I started writing down the times when I would start craving different foods; and it turns out I started getting the munchies in the late afternoon. So I stocked up on some fruit that had crunch or was a pain to eat like apples and oranges, and a huge bottle of water so if it turned out I was indeed hungry, I had a different option to the KitKat or chips.

Part II: Cut out the bad stuff

Two of the main "no-no" foods of a beginning gastric bypass patient are: Carbonated and sugary beverages and red meat. I made a rash decision and went cold turkey on both of those - and couldn't talk properly to anyone for a week. What I found out was is that carbonation (along with caffeine) actually triggers hunger and makes you eat more than you normally would. Take a look: when you get a soda, do you normally just purchase a soda or is it a soda and chips? Coffee and a pastry? Believe me, I didn't notice these things until I really started looking and then I decided to pay more attention to what I was eating.

I replaced the sodas and punches with water, and if I really wanted juice, I was all about the 100% variety. Coffee and red meat was the hardest, and the headaches were killer! Slowly I started replacing other things: white bread with wheat, fries with fruit. Ranch dressing with a vinaigrette, taking the stairs instead of elevators. Start replacing your "bad foods" with healthier alternatives. You get so used to making the changes that it seems like you've always done it. I am adding red meat to my diet as we speak; mainly because it's really hard to cater prime rib and not be able to taste test. It won't be as big of a part of my diet as it once was.

Oh yeah, just cutting out those foods? I lost 20lbs in two months.

Part III: Water water everywhere...

I drank so much water that I felt like I was floating. Water played such a huge part because it not only helps to detoxify the system, I was able to use it as a hunger controlling tool. Before every meal, I would drink a glass/cup/vessel of water about 20 minutes before I was going to eat, along with eating throughout the day. It help two ways: it helped me get used to the full feeling I would experience after surgery and it also helped me get my 8 glasses of water a day. You'll be amazed at how energetic you'll feel and ladies: it makes your skin look faaabulous!

These three things helped me get in shape prior to surgery. Yes! Believe it or not they make you get in shape before hand, and in fact I had to lose at least 20 lbs before they would even do the surgery.

I think I'll write another entry on post- bypass eating -- it's another beast altogether!

Show us a picture of where you used to be.

300lbs...not there anymore!

My appointment went swimmingly today! I'm all set :) Nothings rattling around and everything is in good working order. Nice!

As a celebration, my mom took me to P.F. Changs for some dumplings. Now, I typically don't like P.F. Changs, but they seem to be the only place in San Diego that I can get some half decent steamed dumplings. I mean seriously. So we talked over tea and dumplings and since we're actually having some sort of cold weather, it was really nice. Mom FTW indeed.

It was a very, very good day. I'm so happy to be alive.

Oh, did I mention I'm about to cater a wedding for 250 people? Yikes! (Bring it on!)

I talked to Daniel again today. He's fast becoming my favorite person on the planet, because he always makes me smile/giggle/guffaw. AND! He's coming out for a visit sometime this summer, which means I get to go to...Disneyland! YAY!

(Did I mention I was happy to be alive?)

Tomorrow is my anniversary appointment for my gastric bypass surgery. On the 17th (my birthday! *hint hint*) it will be one year to the day that my life changed so dramatically for the better. I'm so happy that I've had it done, despite all the pain, it was well worth it! I'm scanning in some before pictures tomorrow, and I'll take 1 year after pictures on the 17th. Team Ceji FTW!

(That's all.)

Pleurisy. What a little bitch.

Are there any snacks, food or candy that are no longer made that you desperately miss?

This one isn't so much that they've stopped making it, but that there's just not one in my area. Being bred from Southern parents means that I've got a firm grasp on Southern fast food and random junk foods. There is one fast food chain that I miss a lot, and the nearest one is 2 hours away in Anaheim. I'm talking about Sonic. Now, the food isn't all that great (and since I can't eat red meat, the selection is even smaller) but come on. Choice of Tater Tots over Fries? Tots hands down! Cherry Limeade? Not at Mickey D's! and grilled cheese on Texas toast? W.T.F. Delicioso. Sonic is partially the reason why I go to Disneyland every two months or so. I'm addicted ya'll and a ticket to Disneyland and gas money is a hell of a lot cheaper than a plane ticket to Ft. Smith, Arkansas. And a lot more enjoyable too.

Also: with all this food talk, it's probably good to note that I have passed the 100lb mark since having my gastric bypass. Respec.