Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Is there any savings on food after surgery ?



Recommended Posts

I have a silly question...did anyone save money on food after the surgery ... I'm spending sooo much money on food and snacking all day...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes. I eat about 1/4 of what I did before. Eating out is something we still do several times per week. I have become a pro at eating on the cheap. I can have a $3.00 side salad and eat a few bites of my kid's chicken. I can make a bag of beef Jerky last for three days. Anytime I order a sandwich it makes two seperate meals for me. I can order an appetizer as a meal, or just a cup of Soup. Many times my daighter will order one entree and I will ask for a small plate and have a sampling of her meal.

You can definelty save money.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Before surgery, I was pretty frugal about how much I spent each day on food. I estimated that I was spending about $15 a day on my meals. After surgery, my costs have gone down to around $6 a day. I figured my food bill savings would recoup my out of pocket expense for surgery sometime around year 4 post-op. :-P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I spend more because I mostly eat fresh produce now, which is much more expensive than processed, packaged foods. My main staple Protein is frozen fish and tuna. I do my best to buy large quantities of that when it is on sale. Also, my Protein powder is quite expensive. I don't buy as much of it as I use to, but it does add up, nonetheless.

Before surgery, I could buy a weeks worth of food for myself under $15, which consisted of ramen noodles, spaghetti sauce and noodles, cheap Cereal, pretzels/chips, and various snack food that you can get for $1 a box at Dollar Tree.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I spend less on me ... but my family's meals is pretty much the same. I have always packed my lunch for for work so now it lasts a bit longer. I do find that I stop at the grocery more often though because I eat fresh foods so I buy smaller portions and replenish every few days.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

@@shaqkhi I'd say yes and no, yes on the amount of food I buy but I buy higher quality foods which cost more than the junk food.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Absolutely saving money -

Eating out - I usually don't order anything for myself unless my husband is ordering something I don't want. We have gotten in the habit of splitting an entree. He realizes that portion sizes are way out of control when you eat out. The appetizer menu is also my friend.

At home - even though I'm buying higher quality ingredients (I figure I'm going to eat good food if I'm eating less than a cup of food), I'm saving money. I buy good quality meats, but again, not eating much. I've trained my family in what a portion of Protein is - they might eat more than a portion size, but they are eating less than they used to.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I definitely spend less eating out - I travel a great deal for my job and when I eat out, get Soup or a small sandwich, which is 2 meals for me. I also eat things that are inexpensive like a side order of pinto Beans as a meal, so that has definitely gone down. I do spend on Protein drinks; however I only have to buy for myself. I do not keep junk foods in my house, and do not consume anything carbonated or any item with caffeine, so that probably helps. I try for higher quality which may cost more, but it lasts lots longer since I eat far less.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am spending the same, but I now go to Whole Foods and get a quarter pound of "grass fed, organic" meats. If you are going to be able to eat 3-4 ozs of something, I want it to taste really good. So it's all quality over quantity.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I spend less. I was already eating quality foods most of the time but the quantity was too much. Now if we go out to eat, I get 3-4 meals off an entree or I will get a side salad and have a few bites of the hubby's Protein. I only do one Protein shake a day so Protein costs more but it lasts me a while. Thankfully the hubby eats the same foods as me just more so it all works out for us.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My Mediterranean chef boyfriend does the cooking here, and he shops in the European style of picking up fresh foods about every other day. We get more from Pete's Fresh instead of Aldi's, but we still get dairy, eggs, and tuna at Aldi's. So, I was eating an excellent Mediterranen diet before surgery, but my portions were horribly distorted. With that big ol' stomach and 53" belly, you would think I was a linebacker.

As much as I loved homemade pastas and raviolis, I do not eat them at all now.

Where we save big money is that I am not going through drivethroughs on the way to work and back, and nothing from snack and soda machines. Retiring helped in that respect, but when I am out and about, I am not stopping at McDonalds. No more drinking two 2-litres of Pepsi every day, either. Tap Water is a lot cheaper than soda pop.

We also have the luxury of a big back yard (rare in the Chicago area). He has a Mediterranean garden back there and grows zuchinni, tomatoes, sunchokes, basil, squash, and green Beans. That helps keep costs down during the summer.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks guys that's what I thought... Right now I'm so preoccupied with food that I spend so much... I live on the Caribbean so even snack are expensive ...

A stressful day menu will be like bf 10 EC ( 4 U.S.) lunch 15-18 EC (6-7 us) and about 10 on Snacks in between and about 13 -16 EC for a kfc wing combo and that's a day...

I would always say I should eat less so I can save more ... On good days I'm pretty good but for the last 3 months ... It has been so stressful on work etc that I have been indulging and the thing that gets me is that once I open a snack/ meal I eat it all.

I have been weaning my self and practicing mindful eating... 2 days now and was using this enquiry to help support my decision to look at pros and cons of my eating... As a part of my preparation before pre op...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Eating out yes for sure!

At home not so much bc as others have said, I buy higher quality and expensive Protein powder!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I spend a lot less. I buy so little at a time. Will ask the butcher for 1 italian sausage or 2 ounces of Chorizo. Most of my money goes for greek yogurt and Protein shakes. The premium shakes being on sale at costco this month helped.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

im noticing with the diet the nut put me on im buying less already and i am eating out less and i am losing weight so thats good i just cant wait until a can of tuna lasts 2 meals that will be awesome

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • KeeWee

      It's been 10 long years! Here is my VSG weight loss surgiversary update..
      https://www.ae1bmerchme.com/post/10-year-surgiversary-update-for-2024 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×