Hey !

[Guest guest]

The word FAST should leave your vocabulary! Plan on savoring the

taste of what you eat. A meal should take about 20 minutes to a half

hour to finish. That said... I eat out twice as much as you do. The

kids made me breakfast at home for mothers day, it was the first

time the oven had been on since Thanksgiving. I have seven classes

at two different colleges going on, full time work, and Randy is

working crazy overtime right now. So we go to the local diner

frequently. Right out of the hospital we ate chicken noodle soup

without the chicken or noodles. Yesterday I had half an egg salad

sandwich and about four fries. Randy and I share a meal when we are

together , but lately that has been rare. Chicken is not my best

friend, it sits very heavy with me for a while. However, avacado is

good for us, so I do enjoy Carl's Jr taquitos. Salads are low cal

but often low protien too. I try to stick with as much protien as

possible. You will need lots and LOTS of protien! " Body for life "

has a crispy chex mix/chip tasing crispy thing....lots of protien

and not sweet but salty. Tuna salad is good. I'm also loving protien

bars. I started with BALANCE GOLD one of them is a Snickers clone,

and evolved to KASHI bars, they taste like rice crispy treats with

peanut butter and chocolate, but they don't have as much protien.

Citrus fruits right out of surgery can cause ulcers...we didn't know

that...UCLA told us afterward to stay away from apples and oranges

for about 4 monthes. Mostly I do kids meals when I'm out and about.

But the important thing to keep in mind is that this surgery is not

designed to trim your expenses, just your body. Don't avoid

splurging on things once in a while that you crave just because it

comes in big people sizes only. You shouldn't care if you spend

money on a favorite food and only eat the amount you should eat and

leave the majority of it behind or take it home. This is about the

quality of your life. Before surgery you would have spent that much

and eaten it all.....now just enjoy it and smile at what you didn't

inhale! Lots of people ask for the TO-GO container when the food

comes and pack up the extra right away to avoid grazing. I always

cut my food up first, then as soon as I am full I get rid of it.

Shrimp is another favorite for most people....sadly, I am DEATHLY

allergic to shellfish, nobody at the table can have it or I break

out in hives and have trouble breathing. But mostly before surgery,

start scoping things out where you eat. Get a fork for the taco and

eat the good stuff, get a good protien packed salad and leave most

of the lettuce, if you eat out because you are always on the go,

like me, keep lots of water, propel, fruit2O, and things in the

car...you should be drinking almost nonstop. No soda!!!! (OK I do

have one once in a while....but its flat and not fizzy) No

straws!!!! UCLA said it is really really bad to use straws! Keep

snacks that are good for you in your car. You will avoid shopping at

the gas station and picking out junk food. My stuff is always there,

between classes I snack on healthy stuff, not the candy and chip

machine....and healthy snacks can substitute for an unhealthy meal

once in a while. Ask for nutrition guides at fast food places now

and highlight the things you want to eat, keep the guide in the

glovebox, when you drive up, you won't be tempted to order a combo,

you can tailor your order to what you WANT. Also, try to stay as far

away from condiments as you can, dip your salad bite in the dressing

don't pour a whole container in the salad, ask for light mayo if you

must have it, I usually eat my stuff dry. Condiments are sneaky

calories! VERY SNEAKY!!!!Take care!!!!

Sue in Palmdale.