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How to Make the Most Out of Buffets



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I am not sure exactly what components I could tolerate in a smoothie. I haven't been able to tolerate any Protein powders, slimfast etc yet. Not allowed berries or fruit yet. And I can only take in a few ounces every hour so have to choose between Water for hydration and food. Still all very difficult, especially when I read of people eating so much at a time! I have no idea how they do it!

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I am not sure exactly what components I could tolerate in a smoothie. I haven't been able to tolerate any Protein powders, slimfast etc yet. Not allowed berries or fruit yet. And I can only take in a few ounces every hour so have to choose between Water for hydration and food. Still all very difficult, especially when I read of people eating so much at a time! I have no idea how they do it!

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I still do shake or 2 everyday. I order from unjury.com, they have a few choices to order from. They are pricey, but only one I can drink. I order vanilla, strawberry, and unflavored. This time I did order a chicken Soup just because I still have 11 pounds to lose and seems like that is the hardest to lose. I do drink with milk so that gives me more Protein.

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I am not sure exactly what components I could tolerate in a smoothie. I haven't been able to tolerate any Protein powders, slimfast etc yet. Not allowed berries or fruit yet. And I can only take in a few ounces every hour so have to choose between Water for hydration and food. Still all very difficult, especially when I read of people eating so much at a time! I have no idea how they do it!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have a stricture and a VERY tight sleeve so I was a very slow mover through the food stages. I drank the Carb Advantage (Sam's or Walmart) Protein shakes because they were a bit thinner than Premiere. I filled my Tervis Tumbler up to the brim with crushed ice and poured the shake over it. It took me hours to finish it, but the Tervis kept it cold.

This helped me get in a full Protein Drink as well as about 20oz of liquid from the ice. I had 2 of these daily along with as much 50/50 Gatorade Water I could handle.

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I think that my sleeve is quite small because the surgeon said something to me about how small he had made it.

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I don't do buffets. They are an absolute waste of money. I've had Chinese food since surgery, but was 9 months out and at goal weight. I ordered a small meal and ate on it for a week. As a rule of thumb when dining out, my husband and I share a meal. We always have leftovers. I refuse to waste food. If I can't re-heat it, I won't order it.

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@@GinaCampbell man, your story makes me so very thankful that I didn't have your complications. I'm blessed to be healthy and didn't have many problems at all with my sleeve or advancing through the food stages! I can related to your pizza hut problem. We went there after VBS to eat one night when I was 5 weeks out. I couldn't yet have salad. I wasn't brave enough to try Pasta lol.. they didn't have anything on the menu but wings and pizza so I wound up just eating the cheese and meat off some Pizza Crust. Your granddaughter is lucky to have a Grandma who cares so much!

I think you're right - I'll never be able to eat the quantity I used to at a buffet, and that's okay with me. I don't want to. I had surgery for a reason :D but this thread had given me so many great tips to make buffets worth it in their own way when I do wind up having to go to one.

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I do wonder if I will ever get well. Everything, and I mean everything from popsicles to Soup goes straight from mouth to exit point within an hour so this meal out will be tricky.

It's like I have dumping syndrome with everything. So I am housebound still except for hospital appts and this little trip out today. I had to stop trying to eat anything at 4 pm yesterday to make sure I don't have an accident this morning.

When I hear of people eating food successfully, I feel so sad that I don't know when I ever will.

They literally don't know what is wrong with me now.

So for today, I am going to fake a smile, and enjoy my little lovely.

I plan to simply order the same as my daughter and just move food around my plate!

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Have you tried looking on my protein.com. They have Protein Powder in individual sachets so that you can try different ones. This might be helpful for you to find one you can tolerate. Also Greek yoghurt is a good source of Protein. Fage 0% is lovely but quite expensive (available all UK supermarkets). Aldi do a fabulous Greek yoghurt which is so creamy and delicious. Make sure you buy Greek yogurt and not Greek style yoghurt as I find there is a huge difference in protein.

Sorry this hasn't helped with your pizza Hut problem.

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I have tried all different Protein powders, drinks, greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, regular milk, lacto free milk, eggs, cheese. You name it, I have tried it. Tried baby food, slim fast, complan, fortisip, nurishment etc.

Nothing stays in and most of them threaten to come back up.

Imodium doesn't stop the diarrhea nor does codeine phosphate.

The only relief I get from diarrhea is when I sleep and if I eat nothing.

So I drink Water in the morning, have chicken Soup at lunchtime and a beef based thicker soup or stew around 5 pm. I am in and out of the loo from morning and it stops when everything is out by around 7 pm.

Then it all starts again the next day.

If I try to eat more substantial meals ( small amounts of shredded chicken, beef, egg etc with mash ), I get dreadful cramping behind my belly button in addition.

I am supposed to be having a colonoscopy Thursday but am so scared that the enema I have to drink will hurt my stomach and cause me more pain but what can I do?

I did go with my little one to pizza hut and pushed bits around my plate.

There was nothing that I was really allowed to eat.

I would have been much happier just ordering some Water and just socialising.

My granddaughter would have been okay with that. It's the adults that seem to struggle.

Nevermind. From now on, I am just going to avoid meals out until I am more stable physically and mentally.

And yes, had to rush to the loo during lunch. pizza hut had really a really nice disabled toilet, I thank them!

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I recently went to a Chinese buffet as part of a birthday celebration for someone.

I was hungry since I skipped Breakfast in anticipation of this and ate too fast and a little too much -big mistake. Well, my sleeved stomach adjusted the level about 1/2 an hour later.

I rather go to a traditional restaurant and bring half the portion home.

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    • LeighaTR

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    • Doughgurl

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      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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