So how do you other Foodies deal with being banded and your interest in food?

You know what I mean by Foodies, right? You know you like the history and the science behind how food is what it is.

It is such an integral part of who I am. I'm not really having issues reconciling my Banded self with my Foodie self, but I was wondering what others might be doing.

For example-I'm in love with steel cut oats instead of instant oatmeal. I'll eat goat cheese on a salad in place of American cheese. I've rediscovered root vegetables....

Please share your thoughts:hungry:

OH Juli

Texgirly - I'm with you - to hell with the chicken breast if I can eat beef! I'm not really craving beef yet, but just like the Mexican food craving, I'm sure it will come.

I have to confess, I nibbled some solid food on two occasions this week. I managed to skip the peanuts, popcorn, hotdogs, cracker jacks and beer at the baseball game on Tuesday, but after the game we walked over to Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse for a glass of wine and a crab cake (the best crab cake I've found in Houston!). I had two tiny bites but could tell I should stop there. One glass of wine. It was all fine. Last night after the Opera, we walked across the street and had 2 glasses of wine and shared a seafood sampler appetizer - I ate a small crab cake (not nearly as good as Vic & Anthony's), a piece of grilled shrimp, and 3 pieces of fried calamari. Of course, I chewed very carefully. It all went down too easily - I guess I'm more ready for that first fill than I thought. I definitly went over 1000 calories yesterday. I left room for the wine consumption in my plan for the day, but I did not anticipate eating anything after the performance last night. I'm back on thick liquids today but really looking forward to mushies on Tuesday. Scrambled eggs sound soooo good right now...

Cheers!

I'm with all of you, this is a great thread. When I was considering banding, my biggest concern was the impact on entertaining. I am 10 weeks post op and had my first dinner party at 3 weeks post op ... granted it was for a small group of very close friends who knew that I had surgery. It was a "mushie" dinner party, but they were great sports. I had them over last week and one person was obviously relieved when I served food that did not have the consistency of mashed potatoes!

I've also been focused on quality and making choices about what I really want to eat, versus making sure I am just filled.

So far, I am doing okay eating out, entertaining, etc., but I struggle for simple dinners at home. I am single so what I would normally cook lasts for days and I get tired of the same thing several nights in a row. I find myself staring at the fridge, not wanting to cook or cooking and having way too much. Any thoughts on meals for the single banded person?

Hi CynthiaMcC - I'm also a single gal who likes to cook. I've always cooked for 2-4 on the weekends and enjoyed the leftovers during the week when I'm not travelling. This could prove a little more challenging since I'll be eating so much less. I guess I'll just have to see how it goes.

Cheers!

Yes, I am a foodie too! I know more famous chefs than presidents. I don't go out to eat as much as I did prior to the band and am focusing more on getting my Protein in as I'm still considered a newbie in terms of getting the lap band system down and working.

I have noticed though because there are foods that I'm not eating that my tastes have changed and I like stronger flavors and use more spices etc... and maybe that's to make up for the lack of variety that I eat now.

PS. I did put Chinese food in the food processor right after surgery and it was not a good idea, but it kept me from craving it for a long time!!!! brandyII.

I'm single too, and only have my picky eater daughter with me 50% of the time.

I make meatballs and freeze them. Take out two at a time. Same with meat loaf. I make Soup and take in what I know I will not eat to work and share. I can tolerate something for about 4 meals then I'm just sick of it.

Fish that are individually quickly frozen and packaged you can grab only one at a time to thaw and cook...

And I've gotten used to throwing out food. It's just what happens.

i'm a self-confessed foodie too and i worried that my lap-band would prevent me from enjoying foods i love. well, that was dumb. i'm only 1.5 months from surgery, so i haven't gone out to too many restaurants. still, i have managed a couple of outings. i'm realizing it's all about choosing wisely and eating slow.

last night, we went out to babbo which is one of mario batali's places in the village. i've always loved the place, particularly it's amazing Pasta tasting menu. last night was the first time i've been back since being banded. gotta say, i was a little freaked out when i looked at the menu. i kept thinking, can i do this? should i do this?

luckily, the earlier part of my day was pretty low-cal. so i had a big ol time with a grilled octopus antipasti and an appetizer-sized portion of chianti "stained" papparedelle with a wild boar ragout. it wasn't easy, but i managed to leave a little pasta on my plate. whatever extra calories i may have consumed were well worth it, IMHO. just to make sure i didn't overdo, i went to spin class today and hopped on the elliptical afterwards.

it feels great to feel in control and act sensibly.

I've always considered myself a foodie too. I love to cook, love to watch all the cooking shows, history of food stuff, everything. The bad thing is that I can be a somewhat picky eater, though I'm much better than I used to. I'm only 2 weeks post-op, so I've only eaten at one restaurant since I've had my surgery and it's because they have a soup I can eat. I'm so looking forward to being able to cook again and eat 'real' food and go out to eat again with my mom after church!

hungery4help,

my daughter loves Mario and we were going to take her to the city for her bday gift. Maybe she'd like that restaurant, thanks for sparking an idea! brandyII

I suppose that is the real answer - it is not about quantity but about quality. I think that can pull me through once the liquid parts are over. As long as I can still have tiny amounts of some new foods once in awhile, I should be ok, but the thought of never eating ethnic foods or new dishes would kill me - it is a big part of our (dh and I) life. No more Country Buffet for me (or China Buffet) again- only foods are worth the space in what will be my tiny tummy!