The Dreaded Holidays

[BeanieSprouts 171]

Hello Guys, Gals and Esteemed Individuals of Differing Genders,

We are less than two weeks away from the Culinary Battle of the year, Thanksgiving. Do y'all have plans? Do you have anything you're stressing out about? Anything you miss the taste of and want to wls-ify?

Thankfully, this is both the first year I live on my own AND my first Thanksgiving featuring Tiny Tum. So I'm going to be making food myself, bringing a pre-portioned plate to my parents' house and going from there. And I WILL find a way to make Protein pumpkin Pie.

[Jazzy1125 1,010]

This year is my first year with my tiny tum also. Only i will be 2 weeks post op thanksgiving day. Normally thanksgiving is me and my kids get together. My daughter works at Disney and has to work during the day. My son is now a vegetarian (recently converted, maybe 5 months ago) and now i will be able to have only puree. I believe this year we are skipping the festivities, and are just going to hang out together in the evening and my son and i will do a mini day trip until my daughter gets out of work -instead of spending the day in the kitchen cooking stuff none of us will eat.

[Swanton_Bomb 522]

I am only going to be two weeks out and starting purees, so I am faking the flu and staying home (I have only told two people about my surgery). I posted about this the other day and a lot of people thought that was sad, but honestly, even in a good year I find family get-togethers stressful, and I don't think sitting one out will be too bad. Christmas will be harder because I won't be able to avoid it, but I will be on normal food by then and will be able to eat fish, which is what my family does on Christmas. I hope that by Easter I will have developed good habits and will understand the limits of my sleeve, and will be able to eat small portions and little tastes of what I like, with my focus on the Protein.

I will really, really, miss all the sweets at Christmas. For Thanksgiving I will miss stuffing the most. Turkey, veggies and even potatoes are ok on my plan, but stuffing is my favorite. More than anything, to be completely honest, I will miss the excess. I will miss the pleasure of being able to just indulge in hours of gorging and mindless eating. I am just a few days post op, so I don't know how this surgery will affect me, but I hope I will have more control over food and that I will be able to conquer these big food holidays, but I also know that it isn't a few days a year that made me obese. It was daily fast food, gallons of sugary liquids and constant snacking.

[Oct517 527]

Slightly stressed about the upcoming Holidays but determined to make it through. I'll be about 7 weeks out by then, so I can eat a little bit of turkey and some other stuff if I want. I guess my main fear is that I'll try to overeat and get sick which thankfully hasn't happened yet. I may skip out on the food part all together just to avoid this possibility and stick with my own pre-made meals and Protein Shakes. I was never a huge fan of turkey anyways. I'll miss the pies though!

[FluffyChix 17,418]

21 hours ago, BeanieSprouts said:

Hello Guys, Gals and Esteemed Individuals of Differing Genders,

We are less than two weeks away from the Culinary Battle of the year, Thanksgiving. Do y'all have plans? Do you have anything you're stressing out about? Anything you miss the taste of and want to wls-ify?

Thankfully, this is both the first year I live on my own AND my first Thanksgiving featuring Tiny Tum. So I'm going to be making food myself, bringing a pre-portioned plate to my parents' house and going from there. And I WILL find a way to make Protein pumpkin Pie.

Here's one I haven't tried. But it looks very interesting! I'd use vanilla Premier Protein in place of the coconut milk. And I'd use 2% Cottage cheese (Daisy) rather than FF.

[FluffyChix 17,418]

No stress here. Taking a couple of side dishes: salad with purple onion, pomegranate seeds, prosciutto, basil and spring greens; brussels sprouts for roasting; smashed roasted cauliflower to go with our turkey.

[BeanieSprouts 171]

33 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

No stress here. Taking a couple of side dishes: salad with purple onion, pomegranate seeds, prosciutto, basil and spring greens; brussels sprouts for roasting; smashed roasted cauliflower to go with our turkey.

That salad sounds AMAZING. Mashed cauliflower is making it to my baby plate too! My parents are the sort who forgo vegetables and instead have like...twice baked mac and cheese or something. So I know I need to be prepared.

For everyone going through puree and liquid while the holidays are going on, you can do this!! Thanksgiving will come again next year, and all those flavors you love will be that much more special. I'm several months out, and I had mine right before Easter. I mean..it's a huge eating holiday for my family (what holiday isnt, tbh) and I made it through. Stay strong!

[FluffyChix 17,418]

Just now, BeanieSprouts said:

That salad sounds AMAZING. Mashed cauliflower is making it to my baby plate too! My parents are the sort who forgo vegetables and instead have like...twice baked mac and cheese or something. So I know I need to be prepared.

For everyone going through puree and liquid while the holidays are going on, you can do this!! Thanksgiving will come again next year, and all those flavors you love will be that much more special. I'm several months out, and I had mine right before Easter. I mean..it's a huge eating holiday for my family (what holiday isnt, tbh) and I made it through. Stay strong!

Ha on your parents! My brother's table is All. The. Gooey Carbs + 1 small roasted turkey. LOL!!!

His motto is: Everything is better with a stick of buttah in it and more topping it!

And the dressing is my go-to that I keep here and use on all salads. LOL:

1 tbsp Country Dijon

2 large cloves garlic (pressed)

1/2 tsp Worcestershire

1/8 tsp Tabasco Sauce

3/4 c Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar

1c EVOO (we use this unfiltered one that isn't super peppery)

1/4c Water

1 pinch sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Combine in a jar with a tight lid or a shaker bottle. shake before each use.

[Frustr8 7,886]

Don't ya know, A stick of Real Butter makes everythi,g slide down so much more EASY! I didn't do my Dietary Downfall single- handedly I ha d LITS AND LITS of help. Even had one relative tell me " it'll put hair on your chest" now what possible good is a hairy chest going to do a plump little girl?

[Jolexis 203]

I'm nervous but I think I'll get through it. My mom and I aren't cooking this year for the family (too expensive and dont want the mess) and I procrastinated on dinner reservations so we're trying something different and ordering a catered meal for the 7 of us. My absolute favorite is my moms sausage stuffing and I'm not having that this year so I banking on that helping me through.

Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

[Kay07 734]

I will be at my in-laws and they are very much everything served swimming in butter. BUT this year they are super in arms about my husband's heart surgery so they have been revamping recipes to be healthy. Hopefully this will translate to wls friendly options. I'll probably prep a few things before thanksgiving (we are there for several days) and stashing it in the fridge just in case.

[JessLess 1,163]

I was going to my aunt's and told her about my surgery, thought everything would be cool. Just found out we are going to my cousin's house with her. I barely know him and his wife and there will be 16 people there. Hope no one notices me pushing food around on my plate and not eating it. Maybe they have a dog?

[GotProlactinoma 458]

This is my second holiday season since the surgery and I have no fears or worries any more about holidays.

I see a lot of my fellow sleevers are indeed still feeling like the holidays are a threat to maintaining weight loss, and it makes me sad. I feel so relieved not to have any temptations. It’s not because of the surgery. That only gave me some very needed Portion Control. I lost all the weight I had to lose and I’m living a great life full of good healthy food and tons of exercise or running around with the kids.

The secret, I have found, to no more temptation EVER, is to use the first month(s) after surgery to rid sugar and most carbs from my life. You only need Protein and Water at first. Nothing else. So don’t eat any sweets from day one after surgery. You will never ever get a clean slate like post surgery to get bad carbs and sugar permanently out of your diet. We were all carb addicted and we all got really fat from it. We are absolutely forced to get a restart after surgery. We HAVE to take advantage of it.

i avoided all sugar, and all sweet-tasting things, after surgery. There is no reason to eat sweetened protein powder with “sweet” flavors. I drank absolutely unflavored whey powder in milk or water. It was fine,I was eating to survive, not for goodies. I added one powdered carb for the gut bugs who need to be satisfied or they will make you crave sugar. I used inulin powder but you can also use potato starch, 1 tbsp a day in your Protein Drink.

And as I added food back in, I stuck with protein, healthy fats, and some vegetables, including starchy root veggies for the gut bugs. I never added any baked goods, breads, rices, etc. No dessert except 90% or more dark chocolate. I have some Beans, some homemade “seed granola,” but nothing else. For 6 months I had no fruit, just because eating anything that tastes sweet keeps you craving it. Now I eat maybe 1/2 c fruit a day, but I don’t really want it much.

Everything like baked goods or bread or dessert makes me feel sick even just in my mouth before swallowing. I don’t try it any more, haven’t attempted in many months to test it. I want to only feel good after food. My diet is settled. So I will be making a big thanksgiving for family with pies and other things I can’t eat, and I don’t care. I hope they are yummy and that people like them, but I don’t care for them myself. I honestly don’t want them in my mouth. All sweet tooth is GONE. I’m happy with 1/2 c of seed granola in full milk, or a nice piece of 92% dark chocolate. Those are my midnight Snacks or goodies. I have no need of anything else.

Im not usually losing weight still, but I tend to still lose about 1 lb every 2 months. I am saving up for body surgeries to help with the wrinkles and loose skin.

it is a relief not to worry about holidays, and still get to make Cookies and goodies with the kids. It’s my dream come true. I made it easy by just taking advantage of the diet restart after surgery to stop all sweet tasting foods. Eating protein laced with fake sugar, and fakey things like sugar free Jello, will NOT help you get rid of sweet cravings. I wish my experience could maybe help someone at the beginning of this journey. Getting rid of the sweet cravings is as important as the surgery itself, for keeping off the weight, I’ve found. Happy Thanksgiving!

[Geodude 66]

I feel for you all. I guess luckily, I'll still be on my Phase 1 diet on Thanksgiving. So, I don't really have to worry about eating smart. I'll just be sipping Protein Shakes. Although, I do expect to suffer from the smells a bit.

[Frustr8 7,886]

Never Dread, would you prefer Obese and Dead? No matter what comes, and my own has not been a bed of wildflowers let alone Roses, it is better than Sadly Obese , dead or nearly so, and feeling without hope! I'm still looking forward with hope in my ❤, if I can do it on almost 3 months of liquid diet, 5 ulcers, two in my pouch near the structured stomal opening, 3 on the back wall of the jejunem (2nd half small intestine) and I can still look forward to a brighter future, Don't YOU think YOu CAN ALSO?😛🙏😪