by Me | Oct 21, 2018 | Food & Diet, Post-Surgery
OK… I’ve survived 2 weeks of liquids and 2 weeks of mush puree… for the next 2 weeks I graduate to “soft food”
Here are the “key points of my diet for the next 2 weeks :
- Separate Liquids from Solids – wait 10 minutes before eating and 30 minutes after eating before having something to drink
- Eat Mindfully – take it slowly (30 seconds between mouthfulls) and Chew Chew Chew…Stop eating as soon as I start feeling full
- Focus on Proteins and Fluids (for faster recovery and muscle mass maintenance) – and eat protein First.
- Daily Multivitamin / Calcium Supplements (I will probably be taking these for the rest of my life)
- Avoid High Kilojoule fluids (these will slow down weight loss)
- Aim for 3 small meals a day – with 1-2 healthy snacks if physically hungry
Here are some of the things I could/should be eating for different meals :
Breakfast
High Fibre cereal and with low fat milk- Bircher Muesli
- Oats/Porridge
- Scrambled/Poached egg
- Soft Fruit
Lunch
- Omelette/Frittata
Fresh Salad with lean protein- Mini wrap with lean protein and salad
Dinner
- Mince based meals with softly cooked veggies
- Slow cooked casseroles
- Steamed/poached fish
- (minimise pasta/rice/noodles/potato)
Healthy Snacks
Low fat yoghurt- 1 piece of soft fruit (banana, melon, berries)
- Low fat cheese (cottage cheese or Babybel Light)
by Me | Oct 20, 2018 | Food & Diet, Post-Surgery
1 month know since my surgery and I am still feeling awesome !!!
I have still lost 9Kg since surgery a month ago (I actually put on some weight a couple of days this week – which is apparently not unusual) and am still feeling great…
I saw the dietician again yesterday – and had my 1st post-surgery checkup with the surgeon…
I have a new food plan for the next 2 weeks (week 5 & 6), which I will post about separately… and I need to drink more water (I’ve been a bit slack on hydration). but I am mostly (apart from the odd sausage roll and pizza) on track food-wise.
My liver biopsy (taken during surgery) has come back positive for Cirrhosis – which is a shame, but not unexpected. I will create a separate post/page about Liver Cirrhosis and it’s implications… but I am VERY glad that the surgeon decided to proceed with the Gastric Bypass – as this is the best “treatment” for my liver issues.
I am still medication free for Diabetes (and have been for a month), and my blood sugar is behaving very nicely 🙂
by Me | Oct 12, 2018 | Food & Diet, Post-Surgery
3 weeks know since my surgery and I am still feeling GREAT !!!
I have now lost 9Kg since surgery and am still feeling great… and continue to lose weight – but today… for the first time (probably of many) I Threw Up !!!
I was warned to expect this.. getting used to quantities and types of food I can eat is a normal part of the process… but it still came as a little bit of a surprise… I admit I am pushing the envelope a little on my diet, and today I thought I could manage a sausage roll – as long as I chewed it up well.
I did manage three quarters of it before I started to feel full and a little uncomfortable (which is not unusual), so I stopped. However, this time, after about 5 minutes I suddenly (without any warning) felt the need to throw up.
It wasn’t much … just a couple of mouthfulls… but interestingly (to me anyway), it wasn’t the sausage roll that I threw up, it was a clear slimy “liquid”…. no sausage roll (chewed or otherwise) in sight.
OK… I know I should still really be on “mush” (I have another week officially) but in the last few days I have been eating a few “other” things (some chips, some BBQ shapes), but consciously chewing them very well before swallowing.
I know once I start “eating real food”, that throwing up is a normal part of the process in coming to terms with the types and quantities of food that I can eat… and I have been told that the “types” of food can be a more significant factor that the quantity. In this case, I didn’t eat very much, but I am guessing my new stomach is not used to high carb/fatty foods.
I promise to eat better (at least until my next appointment next week with the dietician/surgeon) 🙂
p.s. although I was tempted… I didn’t go back later and finish off he sausage roll 🙂
by Me | Oct 4, 2018 | Diabetes, Post-Surgery
Well no… Not Really… I am not actually cured (I still have susceptibility to Diabetes II), but at the moment my blood sugar is being controlled without the need for medication. Medically speaking, there is no cure for diabetes but it can go into “remission.” Diabetes in remission simply means the body does not show any signs of diabetes. However, the disease is technically still there.
I was diagnosed with Diabetes II in several years ago, and since then have been battling to control my blood sugar – initially with diet/exercise, but for the last couple of years I have required medication and Insulin injections.
The long term effects of Diabetes are NASTY…(increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and problems with the kidneys, eyes, feet and nerves)…. and controlling my Diabetes is one of the main reasons I decided to go ahead with Bariatric Surgery – the weight loss was a convenient side effect 🙂
I had actually lost about 10Kg in weight prior to surgery (primarily because I lost my sense of taste) and I had already significantly cut down on medications before I even had the surgery… Bariatric Surgery is also known to reduce the dependency on medication to control Blood Sugar – partly because of the associated weight loss, but also because it seems to change the way the gut behaves (changes typically occur even before weight loss could be considered a contributory factor)
I have not had ANY Diabetes medication since the evening of my surgery and my blood sugar has been a very stable 6ish… although I need to keep monitoring regularly because once I start on food again (even mush) I am anticipating that this may change.
by Me | Oct 4, 2018 | Food & Diet, Post-Surgery
2 weeks know since my surgery and I am feeling GREAT !!!
I have lost 8Kg since surgery and people have started to notice and comment…. Some have said that I am “looking a lot younger”… and I have even been called “boyish” !!!
I have survived my 2 week liquid diet…. It was actually a lot easier than I had anticipated…. I was not at any stage hungry – and had to actually remind myself to “eat” and drink.
I mostly ended up “eating” Up and Go (various flavours), Woolies Fresh Soups (Pea & Ham was my favourite), and Protein Water…. although towards the end I must admit I did sneak a few Jatz biscuits and BBQ Shapes (which I made sure that I chewed to a paste before swallowing).
I also had some fruit juices and blitzed up some fruit smoothies which made a nice change.
On just one occassion I think I ate too much and started to feel a bit uncomfortable… not even close to throwing up… but I did have some intestinal pain and diarrhoea…. I’m guessing this may be a little of what I need to watch out for when I start eating solids.
Now I get to start on “mush” – which actually isn’t quite as bad as it sounds, because I can have things like Scrambled or Poached eggs, and even mince (with lots of sauce)… I will do a more detailed post soon on what I get to eat for the next 2 weeks 🙂
by Me | Sep 28, 2018 | Post-Surgery
One week ago I was lying in my hospital “recovering” from surgery… I was feeling a bit woozy, a bit uncomfortable and a bit “out of control” because I was connected to drips, oxygen, monitors and air pumps… but I was calm, relaxed and not in any pain at all 🙂
Its been an interesting week… but has been much easier than I had expected, or even hoped.
I was discharged the day after surgery, so have been able to sleep better in my own bed (without machines, tubes, or nurses prodding and poking). I have not been in any pain, have had very little discomfort, have not needed any pain or diabetes medication, and am feeling GREAT.
I have been on a liquid diet all week, but have not been hungry at all, and have lost nearly another 7Kg (amazing what not eating anything can do for you). My biggest challenge has been reminding myself that I need regular hydration and Protein (to encourage healing).
