We have the most charming lady on the LivingAfterWLS site. Her name is Rachel and she’s almost 4-months out of surgery. She recently wrote to say, “I am struggling to find some kind of regular eating plan. I was wondering how you manage things on a day to day basis. I've been eating A LOT of cottage cheese!”
This is a GREAT question! While I’m not certain that what I do day-to-day is perfect, I know it works for me giving me optimum energy and health. So I outlined my plan for Rachel. After reading it she summarized, “It sounds like you're saying that you strictly control two meals a day and then give yourself more freedom with dinner. That sounds totally reasonable.”
Here is my regular eating plan:
For breakfast and lunch I eat the same things almost every day. Breakfast is most often 1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 cup of Kashi Go-Lean High Protein cereal or cottage cheese with 1/2 cup sugar free jell-o or cottage cheese with 1 hard-cooked egg. I also have a cup of coffee about an hour after breakfast - but that is not recommended during the phase of weight loss.
For lunch I like tuna mixed with a little miracle whip, or canned chicken fixed the same. Sometimes I'll have shrimp 6-8 peeled shrimp or those imitation seafood flakes. Usually I add a piece of low-fat mozzarella cheese and then some fruit, whatever in season. We live in the country so the temptation of fast food does not exist for me (lucky thing). If I do have lunch out when we are in the city I'll get a salad with the chicken and eat the chicken, or get a sandwich and eat the insides, not the bread. I may taste the bread, but not eat much of it.
Now for dinner - that is when I get my variety. Again, we are in the country, so I cook almost every night of the week. I really love to learn new recipes and experiment with finding "safe" foods that both my husband and I will enjoy. (he's a normal tummy). We have lots of fish, chicken, beef and pork. We have basically eliminated starch such as potatoes, pasta and rice. He is not a huge fan and I get sick easily on starch. Side dishes are generally steamed. I've never been able to tolerate raw veggies since the WLS, but I often make salad for him.
Now, Rachel, this all sounds very blah and basic I imagine. It took me a long time for me to accept that if I eat my safe foods for breakfast & lunch I will feel good and chemically balanced all day. Dinners seem like such a treat because of the variety, so it is working for me (finally!). It takes a long time to resolve and accept a regular eating plan. There are still days when I want to rebel against the WLS - and I usually end up regretting it when I do.
So readers, that’s how I face my food day. What do you find yourself eating? Do you have an eating plan? Please post your suggestions for Rachel and the others who are finding their way.
Best Wishes,
Kaye
3 comments:
I eat more than Kaye, that's for sure!
I work a regular desk job M-F, so my food schedule is fairly regulated. Here it is:
Breakfast
30g of fat free sliced turkey breast
1 cup of dry cereal (Kashi, Fiber One, Special K low carb...I mix it up)
Snack
Protein bar with less than 5g sugar
Lunch
Frozen Lean Cuisine or Smart One...I don't eat the starch that comes with the meal. It's usually gross and I don't feel well after I eat it.
some fresh fruit (berries, usually)
raw carrots or squash
If I don't have the fruit, I'll have some whole grain crackers or a slice of toasted multi grain bread
Snack
V-8 juice or SF Jello
Dinner
20g of lean protein (chicken or fish)
Cooked veggies
Slice of toast or some fresh fruit
On the weekends, I usually skip the snacks, as I'm too busy enjoying life! Breakfast is always hot (scrambled eggs w/cheese and toast)
Lunch is a frozen South Beach Pizza or something equally as fun
Dinner on Saturday is my "free" meal. It's the one meal during the week that I don't worry about how many grams of fat/protein/carbs are going into my mouth. It usually ends up being Mexican food. Dinner on Sunday is like my M-F dinner. It works for me. I end up getting over 100g of protein each day. This is what it takes to make me feel my best. Keep in mind that I didn't get to this volume until I was about 18 months post-op. Fresh fruit and raw veggies were not tolerated until just a few months ago. Keep your protein intake up and keep your quantities of everything else as low as you can for as long as you can. Once your appetite comes back, you'll be thankful that you were disciplined in the early months! Good luck to you!
Well, if this doesn't prove how different we all are nothing will. There is no way I could eat the way Kaye and Kim do.
I am VERY intolerant of any type of carbohydrate but fats are no problem. I follow a low carb WOE. I use heavy cream, real butter, no flour etc. I cook from scratch. I even make my own ketchup.
I still drink protein shakes throughout the day. I have 1 in the morning, as an afternoon snack, and then in the evening before bed. I often eat LC yogurts with the shake in the morning for breakfast.
I keep things made up in the fridge at all times, deviled eggs(different varieties), ham, turkey, chicken, cheese(variety).
I don't tolerate beef too well or chicken breasts. They tend to get hung. I make a big pot of cabbage soup every so often. I'll eat a small amount whenever I get the urge.
Lunch is my largest meal. I cook for my parents(they live next door). Variety is my motto. I would go bonkers trying to eat the way Kaye does. I ate that way at first but it wasn't for me. I make alot of desserts. My dad loves sweets. Of course they are all low carb and sugar free. I've even got this great German Chocolate Cake recipe. We make it for special occassions.
My whole point is to try what works for you. Experiment, live a little. Just make sure you take your vitamins, drink your water and get your protein.
(From our community member Karen)
Dear Kaye,
I did not save the post that I had originally sent so I thought I would just tell you a litttle bit about myself and my eating.
I had lap gastric bypass 4/22/04. My start wt. was 373 lbs and today my wt. is 157 lbs. My goal wt. is 149 lbs. I am 5'5 and was told that according to the "Wt/Ht" charts 149 lbs is the wt. I need to be in order to not be considered obese!
I am 16 months post op and I can definitly eat much more than when I first had wt. loss surgery.
I am very disciplined with my eating and I exercise at least 3 times per week at the gym. I keep a daily food diary which really helps me to be aware and accountable. For me, journaling is a great factor for my success and literally takes only a few minutes out of my life to document.
Here is a recent day of food that I documented in my journal. I'm curious to know if this seems like too much food. I know I certainly feel satisfied and I'm still losing wt. I follow the advice of my dietician who instructed me to eat protein first, eat slow, stop when full.
She said I do not have to decrease my carbs.....as a matter of fact, the ADA is increasing the standards for carb intake. I try to make smart, healthy food choices. I have NEVER experienced dumping syndrome yet but I know that it could occur at any time!
Thank you for your wonderful web site......
Karen
10am
egg beaters 1/2 cup
veggie canadian bacon 1 serv.
low fat swiss cheese -1 slice
7 grain english muffin-1
fat free cream cheese- t tbs
"0" cal butter spray
cal-345, fat-4, carbs-32,prot-45, fiber-3
3pm
Breyers light yogurt-8oz
Kashi cereal 3/4 cup
cal-220, fat-3, carbs-41, prot-12, fiber-5
6:30pm
organic potato leek soup- 1 cup
Amy's organic black beans - 1/2 cup
cal-210, fat-2.5, carbs 35, protein-11, fiber-8
10pm
Black tip shark - 5 oz
squash zucchini- 3 oz
onions - 1oz
teriyaki sauce- 1 tbs
tomato slices- 4 oz
low fat feta cheese 1/4 cup
cal-341, fat 13.3, carbs-16.1, protein-39.05, fiber-2.5
Daily total
Cal 1,116, Fat-22.8, Carbs 124.1, Protein 107.05, fiber- 18.5
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