Today, I wanted to talk about some of the food I’ve been eating and some of the new discoveries I’ve made.
When I attended my nutrition seminar last month, we were sent home with an almost overwhelming amount of paperwork pertaining to the new diet and eating habits we’d all have to undertake prior to surgery (the diet will be different after surgery, though we did start to touch on that during the seminar). As a self-proclaimed sugar addict and veggie hater, this was daunting, scary, and overwhelming for me at first. But like any good librarian would do, I quickly started to research. How much protein should I have? What about carbs? What’s the best option for a zero calorie sweetener? I emailed my dietitian several times during the first week with quesions, and also prowled bariatric groups and websites for more ideas. Though my diet is nowhere near perfect yet, I’ve started to learn a lot more and am now much more vested in making healthier choices and looking at food labels again.
Essentially, in these several months prior to surgery, bariatric patients are expected to start cleaning up our eating habits and transitioning to a healthier lifestyle to prepare us for life after surgery. Regular appointments, food tracking, and goal setting with our dietitian will help us learn the best ways to eat, and keep us on track. Right now, according to my dietitian, my biggest focus needs to be on eating balanced meals and figuring out portion control. This is also the time to get started on other habits as well, like: cutting back on sugar, increasing protein, veggies, and fruit, eating out less, saying adios to caffeine, carbonation, and alcohol, and choosing healthy fats and carbs instead of unhealthy, processed ones. All that said, I am still learning as I go. My veggie intake is still too low, and my sweet tooth is still in effect (though I’ve switched mostly to sugar-free options). I also need to rely a bit less on protein shakes and bars, but they’re helping me hit my goals right now. I have a long ways to go still, but I’m making progress. I thought I’d share with you a list of some of the things I’ve been eating, and I’ll link where I can.
- Overnight oats (right now, I generally use the following in various combinations: almond milk, Swerve brown “sugar,” almond slices, bananas, sugar free chocolate chips). We are encouraged to eat healthy starches and whole grains. I love this for breakfast!
- Burrito bowls with brown rice (using any combination of these for toppings: guacamole, turkey bacon, light sour cream, chicken, brussels sprouts)
- Air fried brussels sprouts with lots of seasonings
- Turkey bacon (great in the air fryer, and even good when mixed with the brussels sprouts!)
- Greek yogurt (I like the tilts with mix in toppings, my favorite being the coconut with almonds and chocolate)
- Mozzarella cheese sticks
- Peach fruit cups
- Chicken thighs (or breasts) with marinade and artichoke hearts (cooked in the crockpot)
- Quiche with veggies (crustless, or made with Keto dough)
- Protein shakes (no more than one a day, usually just for a snack a couple days a week at work (I like Fairlife, Quest, Pure Protein)
- Protein bars (my favorites are Power Crunchwhich are wafer bars, and Quest bars)
- Eat Me Guilt Free brownies with a little light whipped cream on top!
- Sugar free instant pudding (my favorite is pistachio)
- Sugar free jello
- Cheddar Folio wraps (so good!) with grilled chicken strips (bought frozen) and guacamole or roasted red peppers, rolled into a wrap “sandwich”
- Turkey cold cuts
- Apple sauce (unsweetened)
- Crystal Light to drink… mmm!
As you can see, my diet still needs some work, but it looks a hell of a lot better than it did two months ago. Of course I am sometimes still indulging in treats, or going out to eat, but for the most part, I’m focusing on getting enough protein while lowering my carb intake and sugar consumption. Jerry also makes a lot of Keto things that I enjoy (he’s made bagels, breadsticks, crust, and even brownies once!), so that helps with the carb cravings now and again. If you have any other food ideas, please send them my way! I’m not a great cook and I sometimes get stuck in a rut of eating the same things again and again. I will say, we love having an air fryer. It definitely makes vegetables more palatable for me, and I’m hoping to try green beans in there next. As you can see, I do NOT eat nearly enough vegetables, so I’m working on that.
I’ll be back again soon with this series in the next couple of weeks, as I have my next several appointments coming up shortly!
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