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Eating as a empty nester



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I became an empty nester in July when my twenty year old son with Autism moved in with caregivers. Natural growth for him and a chance to catch a breath for me.

I have been having a hard time cook Gand eating for one. Plus I increased my hours at work . At first I was eating a lot of tv. Dinners, Cereal or ice cream.
I’ve finally started cooking big meals on the week and then freezing it for the week and this seems to work better.
Are there other empty nesters and what and how do you eat.?

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My nest is empty and just cooking for myself has become interesting, so I can only imagine postop.

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Not an empty nester, but I live alone.

i cook a lot on weekends and freeze. One thing that has helped is getting a vaccuum sealer. I cook batches of food, freeze them in individual quantities in normal tupperware, then once it is frozen, I transfer the frozen block of food to a vac sealed bag. Lasts forever. I also tend to make 2-3 things at once, then I have about a month of food.

Some stuff I make (I'm a pescatarian, so you could always add meat):

  • Chili
  • ricotta bake (I use eggface's recipe and add sauteed spinach)
  • sauces (curries, Tomato sauces, etc) - freeze in ice cube trays and pull out a cube or two to put over tofu, fish, shrimp, etc. I really like the sauce for the fire roasted tilapia from bariatric foodie - I just make the sauce and add to individual fish when I make it
  • Beans ( I don't like canned beans, so I made from dry and freeze)
  • Lentils/dals, etc

Some other easy stuff

  • eggs - I scramble an egg, add salsa and cheese, and eat with a single serve of guac; or make fancy baked eggs. I also like Shakshuka eggs - I make a big batch of the sauce, then freeze and can make a single egg in a small pan.
  • yogurt with frozen fruit (yep - for dinner)
  • Shrimp - easy to thaw just a few and really quick to cook
  • Frozen fish from costco - they're individually packaged, so easy to take out 1 filet.

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    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

    • NovelTee

      I'm not at all hungry on this liquid pre-op diet, but I miss the sensation of chewing. It's been about two weeks––surgery is in two days––and I can't imagine how I'll feel a couple of weeks post-op. Tonight, I randomly stumbled upon a mukbang channel on YouTube, and it was strangely soothing... is it just me, or is this a thing? 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        I actually watched cooking shows during my pre-op, like Great British Baking Show. It was a little bizarre, but didn't make me hungry. I think it was also soothing in a way.

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      · 3 replies
      1. NickelChip

        Well, there is actually a formula for "Ideal Body Weight" and you can use a calculator to figure it out for you. This one also does an adjusted weight for a person who starts out overweight or obese. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight

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      2. Clueless_girl

        I did find different calculators but I couldn't find any that accounted for body frame. But you're right, it is just a number. It was just disheartening to see that although I lost 60% of my excess weight, it's still not in the "normal/healthy" range..

      3. NickelChip

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      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla.
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