As Promised- Diet info
This email begins a series sent to a friend considering bariatric surgery. I've decided to share my emails with her, since this uses some of the recipes and concepts previously expressed herein. I want to reiterate that the opinions expressed in my blog are my own. I am not a medical or nutritional professional. The information I give is based solely on my personal experience. Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV).
I promised I'd give you information on how to make the process of getting ready for bariatric surgery easier, so here goes. I'll be doing this in sections, mainly because it takes time to absorb the concepts and put them into practice. Not only that, but there's a lot of information to share! First we'll go over the boring, repetitive basics every yo-yo dieter knows. Still, this is important to remember. After all, practicing now means you avoid dumping syndrome later, and who really wants to feel nauseated, stomach cramps, weakness, shakiness, and sweating? Seriously, did it once. (shudder) Remember, these are lifelong habits. This is a "no turning back" surgery.
By the way, I will be occasionally inserting links to stuff I mention. This is a reference, and I get no compensation from sellers. I'm just showing you what I mean.
- Begin drinking sugar-free, decaf, non-carbonated beverages. Water is ideal, but boring only if you don't learn to flavor up now. There are a host of Crystal Lites, Mio, and other forms of sugar-free flavors to make drinking water a pleasure. Stock up, and don't be afraid to become a mixologist about it. Apple Mio and Blueberry Koolaid is awesome. There's even a coffee-flavored one. Even a sweet southern tea flavored one. We'll talk more about mixology later.
Finally, I drink a lot of lemonade. No, I don't squeeze lemons every morning. Nope! I buy lemon juice concentrate. I choose my glass, add ice, water, and sweetener. Then I add a few squirts of the lemon juice concentrate. Easy and cheap. Besides, I can mix it to my tastes. Some bariatric patients can't tolerate citrus, tomatoes, or other high-acid foods, but I can.
- This is a hard one. Do not drink while eating. Seriously. Learn this now. I'm still struggling with it. Wait approximately 30 minutes after eating to drink fluids. If you must (because you bit into a spicy pepper or something) sip, then put the drink out of reach. Drinking not only moves the food along, making you feel less full, but it can actually stretch your stomach over time. If you stretch your stomach, the amount of food it takes to feel full will increase and cause weight gain. I still use the timer function in the clock setting of my phone, setting it for 30 minutes. There's something about being forbidden to drink that makes me wild to drink. I'm perverse like that.
- Follow a nutrient rich diet, limit junk food and processed food. Because portion sizes will be significantly smaller, what you eat will matter a great deal more. You must make every morsel count. Nutritional deficiency is much, much more of a possibility. Half your intake will be specific vitamins made to help, but you may as well start reducing the processed foods, breads, fats, and sugars now. Think protein and veggies first. Then fruits. Maybe whole grains, nuts, and dairy, after you've healed up. I'll help you with recipes, but learning to live on mostly protein and veggies is challenging at first. The only whole grain I tolerate well is farro. (The example is the one I find in Publix near the rice.) It cooks like rice and freezes well. More on freezing portions later in another post.
- Avoid fats and sugars. Not only are fats and sugars loaded with calories, but they disagree with bariatric surgery very painfully. That's what caused my one and only dumping syndrome episode and I never want to repeat it. It was Cool Whip, which I did not know contained oil. Turns out whipping my own cream won't give me half the trouble. Thank goodness for my stand mixer!
- Eat SLOWLY. Chew thoroughly and mindfully. I have a bad habit of eating in front of the tv or computer. I had to start setting the table and eating there with nothing around me to distract me. I'm bored easily, but that's my problem. Cut everything extra small and take your time. Speaking of setting the table…
- Get a set of tiny dishes. Some patients go buy kiddie sets, but that's not necessary. I dug into my grandmother's china set. They used to eat much less 50+ years ago, so the dishes were smaller. I also haunted thrift stores until I found small microwavable items like Fiestaware, Corningware custard cups and 1-2 serving casserole dishes. This took awhile, so start now. You'll also want to get very small forks and spoons. Again, antiques are your friends. This is one time where a set of baby spoons are handy, as antiques. Some have longer handles, as do the old tea spoons. While you're there, grab extra measuring cups and measuring spoons. It's easier just to store the correct size measuring device with some of my recipes I'll give you, like my Cream of Anything soup. Put your large plates and bowls away for when you serve guests.
- Choose a physical activity you like and start doing it. I like walking because it's free, and I found a dance class that's free at my church. I also got lucky and found an elliptical at the ReStore for cheap. All it needed were new batteries and some WD-40.
- As a side note to this, get the free MyFitnessPal app for your phone and desktop. Register and begin to use the food diary. Being mindful means being aware and planning ahead. If you know you're going to have steak, salad, and baked potato for dinner you can record it in the morning, reserving those calories, carbs, and fats so you know what's really possible for lunch. There's even a place to record exercise and water intake. My exercise is often grocery shopping (walking), cooking dinner, cleaning, and gardening but it all counts.
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