Sample Menu from dietitian for Week Five 1141 Calories, 103g Protein

[Creekimp13 5,841]

If you're talking about ancient Hunter Gatherers...they lived 200,000 to 1.8 million years ago...and while we can make a lot of guesses about their habits, not a lot can be gleaned about their metabolisms through archaeological evidence.

The oldest written language, Sumerian, is only 5000 years old. So there's really no recorded history of true "hunter gatherers" that were early hominids.

We have some bones and fossils...which don't tell us a hell of a lot about diet. We know they were tool users and ate some animals, but really have little evidence of what plants they ate and how their diets broke down....or how often they ate. Guesses are simply guesses.

If you're talking about modern day primative cultures of people who "hunt and gather" resources as opposed to utilizing agriculture....an excellent example would be Alaskan Native Tribes.

Having spent a year with Athabascan Indians as a kid in Alaska, I can report with authority that most Athabascans are very round stout chunky people...since about 50% of their diet comes from animal fat.

Their fry bread was delicious...as were their smoked salmon sticks. Moose was excellent, too.

But skinny? Those folks are NOT:)

Edited January 3, 2018 by Creekimp13

[aberry 52]

I honestly love her doctor’s plan. I think it makes sense to get as normal of a healthy and balanced eating style as possible. If you can learn and incorporate the style now, then it won’t be as shocking and worrisome later on. When you’re like a year or more post op going, “help I can eat 1200 calories, is this bad?” Type of thing.

But, I went into this knowing that’s what I wanted. I want to have a healthy and balanced eating style. I want a normal relationship with food. I don’t want to be on a super restrictive diet for the rest of my life. I don’t want to freak out if I eat bread or a dessert every now and then. To me, that just wouldn’t be sustainable or a healthy lifestyle.

I did have a horrible relationship with food and binged a ton. I like that I’m relearning how foods should be taken in and what a balanced diet really means. I’ve also discovered I love a lot of the healthy foods and I’m not super interested in the shitty foods. Probably because I’m so recently post op, but I think if I continue and make this habitual, it will (hopefully) stick.

Idk, anyway, I’m anywhere between 500-1000 calories a day. I’m trying to get closer to 1000 a day, but some days I’m just not successful. And that’s fine.


5’6”
25 yo
SW: 256
CW: 236.9

*12/04/2017*

[EagerPenguin 159]

9 hours ago, amybeth150 said:

I’m almost 7 weeks out of surgery and I cannot fathom eating this much. I can’t fit more than 2-3 oz at a time. Am I the only one?

Nope, not the only one. I don't know how I'd get all my fluids in with all that eating.

[Creekimp13 5,841]

I can't eat more than 3 ounces at a time, either. But three little meals and snacks...adds up nicely, particularly when you're doing nutritionally dense foods:)

Fluids haven't been a challenge for me since the first half of week one. By the end of week one, I could easily drink 64oz+ per day using the techniques they taught us. By week three drinking freely was pretty comfortable.

[orionburn 1,024]

14 hours ago, Creekimp13 said:

I'm loving that we're moving away from so many Protein supplements, eating real food, balancing healthy carbs, and getting some plant Protein in there. And fruits and veggies make me smile! Couple more weeks until salad...and I'm dying for one:)

As weird as it was salads was one thing I was looking forward to the most and missed so much in the early days. It's a mainstay in my diet again thankfully.

[Creekimp13 5,841]

Isn't that crazy? I used to love mashed potatoes before surgery and I was so excited to see them on my diet. Then, I had some and it was anticlimactic. Just kinda...Huh. They were good...not saying they weren't....but after about a third of a cup, I was done.

Now I'm craving crunchy green peppers, artisan romaine, carrots, fresh mushrooms. it's different...but kinda cool:)

Oh man....and this one salad I'm dying for has mandarin oranges, granny smith apple, avacado, strawberries and balsamic glazed chicken. That one has been missed:)

Edited January 3, 2018 by Creekimp13

[KimTriesRNY 1,853]

24 minutes ago, Creekimp13 said:

Fluids haven't been a challenge for me since the first half of week one. By the end of week one, I could easily drink 64oz+ per day using the techniques they taught us. By week three drinking freely was pretty comfortable.

I have a hard time with getting my drinks in and I know it’s going to get worse when I go back to work. I used to drink over 80 oz a day now I struggle to get 32 oz. Any technique or tip you can share?

[Creekimp13 5,841]

On day two, my group has us line up four one ounce medicine cups full of tepid to room temperature clear fluids each hour. (after a day or so, you alternate one hour of clear fluids, one hour of Protein drink...but always four one ounce cups per hour)

We were to drink each cup in 15 minutes. Ten little sips per one ounce cup. So, really teenie tiny sips.

We were told not to nap during the day longer than 30 minutes, so we didn't lose too many waking hours that we should be drinking. Drinking is the big job the first week. Drink, suck on the lung clearing tube, go for two little walks per hour.

If you're awake 16 hours per day...that's 64 ounces. I was able to do that on day two without any issues.

Essentially, all you do each day for the first few days.... is keep a chart of drinking a million little medicine cups of fluids......but you can do it, and the more you drink, the easier it gets.

By about a week out, the same ounce that used to take me 15 minutes and ten sips to drink...was taking just a couple minutes...and five little sips. I could see the improvement each day. By week three, I could drink almost as freely as pre-surgically.

The key, I think...is consistantly drinking every single hour you're awake. Working up from teenie tiny amounts...and keeping really good records so you know where you're at and have proof that things are improving. I'm really comforted by data. LOL.

When the nurses got out all those little cups, I thought it was kinda crazy....but they made a believer out of me. It's scary not to be able to drink. When I could drink without restriction and could get my daily intake in without any struggle...it took some stress off for sure.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Creekimp13

[Creekimp13 5,841]

Maybe at work you could set a timer for each hour...and put out four little one ounce medicine cups on your desk each hour...so that you can see them....and try to make a goal of drinking one every 15 minutes? Or if that's impractical....get a skinny tall 4 ounce glass and mark the ounces off with a pen?

One ounce in 15 minutes is a much more do-able goal...and more satisfying to achieve....than feeling overwhelmed by staring at a large water bottle that hardly moves.

I know it's just a way to look at it....but having it broken down into little goals was key for me. Success feels good...even an ounce at a time. And the more ounces you drink...I swear it gets easier.