As you can guess from the heading this is what today’s post is all about. My first nutrition appointment was today and after getting stuck in traffic and ending up about 10 minutes late, which I apologized profusely for, the session was worthwhile and very informative. The nutritionist has been one of the most knowledgeable people regarding this surgery, besides the RN in the surgeons office, that I have met thus far.
I am still wrestling with fears that I will not be able to live this lifestyle, and trust me once you start this process you will see that it definitely is a lifestyle. It’s a lifestyle of making conscientious food choices that in a nut shell aren’t going to interfere with the healing process, and later on aren’t going to send you running for the nearest rest room to relieve your agony either from the front or the back! As the nutritionist said today all your favorite foods are still going to be there or you’re still going to be able to enjoy them but on a much smaller scale.
This is not a bad thing. America really is obsessed with food and the portion sizes are incredibly rediculous. We could feed a small third world country with what some restaurants throw away because they make meals for 4 and they’re only serving 1. That being said I learned the “plate” method today. This is based on a 9 in plate. I had already switched over to eating off of smaller plates awhile ago so this did not surprise me. The plate method consists of half the plate being protein and the other half being split between veggies and a startch. Nothing so crazy. What is crazy to me and something that I have to work on way before the surgery is this whole no drinking while eating. This concept boggles my mind and I don’t know if I can do it. The rule is no drinking 15 min before a meal or 30-45 min after. Maybe I won’t miss liquids that much aftet surgery, but right now this is going to be a challenge.
Some other fun facts to know:
- Limit caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated beverages.
- Eliminate fruit juices.
- Drink water like it’s your job, at least 64oz!
- Eat protein at each meal.
- Eat more fruits and veggies–2 choices of each every day.
- Choose more whole grains.
- Limit high fat, high sugar foods.
We also came up with some goals to work on prior to surgery. Some are going to be more difficult than others, especially motivating to get my butt up and move more, but that’s a post for another day.