Pantry clean out to prepare for surgery

[lizonaplane 1,604]

I've been changing my diet a lot to prepare for WLS while I jump through insurance hoops. I stopped drinking diet soda in January (I was at a friend's house yesterday and all she had was diet soda since she's remodeling her kitchen so her sink wasn't working. I tried it and it was gross!!! I can't believe I used to drink five a day!), and I've been minimizing carbs and increasing Protein.

So... I'm cleaning out my pantry and it's insane. Over the pandemic I was baking every day for a while and I had about 15-20 bags of various types of flour saved up. I listed them on my local buy-nothing Facebook group (where I gave away all my baking!) and now they'll all be gone by tomorrow. Now I have room for my Protein Drinks that were all over my floor.

Have other people done a major pantry clean out while they prepared for surgery? Did it make you more sad or more happy? I can't tell how I feel yet.

[SummerTimeGirl 580]

My surgery is May 19th but I already changed my diet on March 1st in preparation (we stay very low carb, low/no sugar as much as possible). So yeah, my closets and fridge have been cleaned out of all processed/boxed foods and junk that we don't need or shouldn't have.

I've also begun the process of stocking my cabinets with Powerade Zeros, various Protein drinks/flavors, got my food scale, child size utensils, containers.........the only things I have left to get are some sugar free Jello and pudding, some Bone Broth, some flavorless Protein Powder, some sugar free popsicles and I think that's it. I even got my Biotene mouth spray and some extra chapstick for the hospital stay as others suggested. That, combined with what I already bought, should all get me through the first few weeks then I'll adjust or alter based on what I need/want from there.

I feel well prepared, or at least I will be, over the next few weeks.

As for how I feel, I'm just excited and ready to get it done and over with. As for the food, like I said, I've altered that over a month ago and had done this same thing in the past so I'm used to that and have no issues. I'm ready!!

Edited April 18, 2021 by SummerTimeGirl

[Arabesque 6,420]

I cleaned after surgery. It was surprising how much I had in my pantry. I mean how many bags of rice, Pasta, cous cous, does a person really need to have. I kept a single bag of plain flour & one of self rising flour (for cooking not baking) but I threw them out at the end of last year cause I hadn’t used them in 18 months.

I cleared out my freezer too. So much bread & mystery meals. 😱

I’m believe in the ‘if it’s not in your pantry you can’t eat it’ thinking so my pantry is pretty ‘clean’ now. The only processed foods are tins of tomatoes, Beans, lentils, creamed corn, multi grain crackers, rolled oats & a spare jar of Salad Dressing & pickled onions. And my freezer is filled with meals I made & frozen peas & corn for Soups.

I stocked up on allowed food, medications, etc. before surgery too @SummerTimeGirl. It did make life simpler those first few weeks after surgery.

Good luck with your surgeries.

Edited April 19, 2021 by Arabesque

[DoodlesMom 98]

I haven't done a cleanout but now I'm thinking about it. 😫 That's going to be a lot of work. It's a great idea though. I'll add it to my to-do list.

[lizonaplane 1,604]

I've bought a lot of foods too, like Bone Broth, and those "vitamin water" type beverages for after surgery, but my surgery is still months away so I haven't bought too much. And most of the food I'm buying now is refrigerated. I have canned Beans and tomatoes and coconut milk in my pantry, things like that. Also tons of spices.

I have gone through the fridge and freezer many times because I have a small (by American standards) fridge and freezer, since I live in a small apartment so I can't keep things in there too long. At least I live alone so I don't have to worry about having "junk food" around for family/friends.

[ms.sss 14,617]

22 hours ago, lizonaplane said:

Have other people done a major pantry clean out while they prepared for surgery? Did it make you more sad or more happy?

There are 4 of us in our house, and given that I was the only one who was having surgery, I left the pantry alone.

Having "off-plan" food in the house didn't bother me so it was ok, I was neither happy nor sad about it. I still cooked everyone's meals and basically just watched them eat it, ha. (tasting while cooking was a bit of a challenge though...but i digress...)

In the end, if it will help you to not have it around (and ideally not hurt anyone else), AND it is doable to do so, then I fully support tossing it all.

Good Luck! ❤️

[lizonaplane 1,604]

I think I'm only wondering if I'll miss having baking as a way to cope with sadness and anxiety. I baked a lot after my grandmother died and also during the first six months of the pandemic. I may be able to bake again someday, but for now I just don't feel able to bake and not eat too much of what I bake (during the pandemic I gave away a ton of what I made to my neighbors, but I still ate too much). So, giving away lots of baking supplies is a little sad.

[ms.sss 14,617]

14 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I think I'm only wondering if I'll miss having baking as a way to cope with sadness and anxiety. I baked a lot after my grandmother died and also during the first six months of the pandemic. I may be able to bake again someday, but for now I just don't feel able to bake and not eat too much of what I bake (during the pandemic I gave away a ton of what I made to my neighbors, but I still ate too much). So, giving away lots of baking supplies is a little sad.

Oh, I stress bake too (and happy bake, and boredom bake)...and yeah, I give the majority of it away. Delivering goodies to friends and family is actually one of the highlights of my week.

But...I get if having the temptation is just not worth you dealing with. Do stuff that makes things easier, and not harder, I like to say.

P.S. I'm assuming you are just talking about the perishable supplies being given away? Most baking ingredients have a relatively long-ish shelf life. They could probably keep until you are done with weight loss phase? Or you could have one last big bake to use it all up in one go!

Hope you figure out (and be at peace with) what is best for you ❤️

[lizonaplane 1,604]

3 minutes ago, ms.sss said:

Oh, I stress bake too (and happy bake, and boredom bake)...and yeah, I give the majority of it away. Delivering goodies to friends and family is actually one of the highlights of my week.

But...I get if having the temptation is just not worth you dealing with. Do stuff that makes things easier, and not harder, I like to say.

P.S. I'm assuming you are just talking about the perishable supplies being given away? Most baking ingredients have a relatively long-ish shelf life. They could probably keep until you are done with weight loss phase? Or you could have one last big bake to use it all up in one go!

Hope you figure out (and be at peace with) what is best for you ❤️

Well, these are not perishables, but they are already old and it was a ridiculous amount. Like 20 bags of various types of flour. So, I kept a bag of flour, but gave away the rest. And I gave away away things like merengue powder that I'd bought a year ago and never opened, a container of cocoa powder that someone gave me but I already had three others...

[ShoppGirl 3,340]

On 4/19/2021 at 10:02 AM, lizonaplane said:

I think I'm only wondering if I'll miss having baking as a way to cope with sadness and anxiety. I baked a lot after my grandmother died and also during the first six months of the pandemic. I may be able to bake again someday, but for now I just don't feel able to bake and not eat too much of what I bake (during the pandemic I gave away a ton of what I made to my neighbors, but I still ate too much). So, giving away lots of baking supplies is a little sad.

Maybe you can find some new reduced fat recipes and bake them so you can still do what you enjoy. It’s more of a challenge to make it healthy and tasty. Anyone can make fattening stuff taste good.

[lizonaplane 1,604]

1 minute ago, ShoppGirl said:

Maybe you can find some new reduced fat recipes and bake them so you can still do what you enjoy. It’s more of a challenge to make it healthy and tasty. Anyone can make fattening stuff taste good.

I don't worry about fat. It's carbs that are problematic for me, and it's hard to bake without flour and sugar (the substitutes just don't give the right structure/texture).

[ShoppGirl 3,340]

4 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I don't worry about fat. It's carbs that are problematic for me, and it's hard to bake without flour and sugar (the substitutes just don't give the right structure/texture).

Have you tried almond flour? I am by no means a baker but I used to watch that show low carb cookworx and the two doctors on there cooked everything low carb and one thing was waffles with almond flour and they weren’t bad. Also they made brownies that were low carb that I liked.

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-low-carb-cookworx-cookbook_mary-dan-eades_michael-r-eades/391039/item/12726915/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9_mDBhCGARIsAN3PaFO3Xd7qV6NJHtvPE1z4Y_4nYwPVVpgYrwpoJxX9kB9tltWTsD2GKmEaAlV_EALw_wcB#idiq=12726915&edition=4523156

Edited April 20, 2021 by ShoppGirl

[lizonaplane 1,604]

Just now, ShoppGirl said:

Have you tried almond flour? I am by no means a baker but I used to watch that show low carb cookworx and the two doctors on there cooked everything low carb and one thing was waffles with almond flour and they weren’t bad. Also they made brownies that were low carb that I liked.

I've tried almond flour and it really doesn't taste good enough to be worth the calories - it can have as many if not more than the calories of regular baked goods. And the texture is still wrong.

[ShoppGirl 3,340]

2 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I've tried almond flour and it really doesn't taste good enough to be worth the calories - it can have as many if not more than the calories of regular baked goods. And the texture is still wrong.

Maybe create a post asking for low carb baking recipes? ? Maybe someone out there is also a baker and has come up with something.

[lizonaplane 1,604]

Just now, ShoppGirl said:

Maybe create a post asking for low carb baking recipes? ? Maybe someone out there is also a baker and has come up with something.

I'd rather not bake than bake with "low carb" versions of ingredients. I know there are things you can make, but it's just not the same. When I'm ready to bake I will, but thank you for the suggestions.