I am set to have my gastric sleeve next week (hooray!), and it has me thinking about my post op diet. I’m currently working a very demanding job, where every other month I’m working 80 hour work weeks for a month at a time. In the next few months I will also be starting night shifts as well (anticipate 3 months of night shifts per year).

In preparation for the surgery, I’ve taken two weeks off pre op, and am taking 8 weeks off post op, but my biggest worry is the time after that. Last year my worst food months by far were the long hours working, where I felt I had very little time to do anything, much less prep food.

Does anyone have experience with working long hours and how they kept up with their post op diet?

I don't have experience with that personally, but I'd suggest talking to your dietitian about it. Coming up with meal plans for diverse patients is literally a big part of what they do.

As I think through possible issues, a couple of things come to mind that you should discuss with them:

• What can you eat to meet your nutritional needs that don't require a lot of meal prep? Obviously there are protein shakes and meal replacement shakes, but as much as possible, it would be good to eat more real food.
• Are your caloric or macronutrient needs different due to the long work hours? The kind of work you do will probably dictate this to a large extent, as a physically demanding job like construction would be really different than what you'd need to power through long hours in front of a computer where mental acuity is important.

Best of luck.

Routinely knock out 60hr weeks.

I think I took three weeks off after the sleeve and that was largely due to a massive abdominal hernia that was repaired at the time of the sleeve surgery. It was my 3rd such repair...and has held up great these last 9 years.

You may be able to flip the script......and make those 80hr weeks your best weight loss weeks.

There is going to be a time when the protein shakes are the ticket...then maybe those small foil packs of tuna and salmon.

Food won't be an issue that occupies your thoughts. You'll laugh at the vending machines and shoot 'em the bird.

Make sure you buy all your necessary supplements & shakes and tuna packs and load up your desk or locker. Having those on hand will be one more way to keep food off your mind. You'll not be wondering what you are going to have for lunch every day. You'll have that covered.

8 weeks will be a great amount of time to recover and acclimate.

You'll lose a pile of weight in those 8 weeks, too. Those 80hr weeks are going to feel much, much shorter from this point forward.

Congrats.

Go kick some ass. You got this.

1 hour ago, Dub said:

You may be able to flip the script......and make those 80hr weeks your best weight loss weeks.

This is such a great perspective, I'm gonna try to reframe it as an opportunity during those long weeks. And to remember that I will feel very differently about food post-op than I am right now during liquid diet.

Thanks for the advice & words of encouragement!

1 hour ago, Chrys Kiy said:

This is such a great perspective, I'm gonna try to reframe it as an opportunity during those long weeks. And to remember that I will feel very differently about food post-op than I am right now during liquid diet.

Thanks for the advice & words of encouragement!

No....it is I who thanks you.

It is always GREAT seeing people looking ahead and gathering intel on the potential minefield they plan on crossing.

It is always GREAT seeing people finding ways to WIN.

This motivates the heck out of me.

I've been coming back here the last couple months after a long, long absence. It helps me tremendously seeing successful strategies being implemented.

This is how simple and easy it could be.

While showering, boil some eggs, add one egg to lunch box, stash rest in fridge for another day. My box would also contain cheese, add apple slices and peanut buttter to dunk apple in, Add packet protein crackers and deli meat. Add small salad , a protein shake and a protein yogurt or protein pudding. Small packs of nuts and jerky are great too.

You should find out what your diet plan is before buying and thinking about food for the post op period. Some have liquids for 11 days then they are on full liquids, then they go to puree foods and then there are others that are on protein only diets before they are checked out by their nutritionists. There are a wide variety of diets, and several people are giving you food choices and advice, I refer you to your team for the post op period of time, it takes a bit of time before you can eat all foods, in smaller amounts. So be careful with other's advice.

15 minutes ago, WendyJane said:

You should find out what your diet plan is before buying and thinking about food for the post op period. Some have liquids for 11 days then they are on full liquids, then they go to puree foods and then there are others that are on Protein only diets before they are checked out by their nutritionists. There are a wide variety of diets, and several people are giving you food choices and advice, I refer you to your team for the post op period of time, it takes a bit of time before you can eat all foods, in smaller amounts. So be careful with other's advice.

Yes, I already have my food plan for my 2 week post-op period as well as the 6 week period after. My bigger worry is the full Bariatric diet while I go back to work and making sure I can stick to something tenable.

I got several boxes that are for Bariatric patients that have 3 compartments, one for the big protein and then the other two for veggies/fruits and carbs. I go to work with one for each meal every day I go to work and I have what I am allowed to eat and that's it. When it is gone, it is gone. If I get hungry later, I may have a snack and that snack is a Protein shake. I like Premier Protein, and through Amazon you can get the variety pack and they have "sweet" ones that curb the urge to go to any vending machine or reaching for the chocolate on your bosses desk. Or mine. I prep for the whole week on Saturday and Sundays. I will bake chicken and then weigh out the appropriate amount of chicken and put it in the box, then the veggies and then the carb. I have them stacked in the fridge so when I pack my lunch, I just grab one or two and 2 Protein Shakes and I'm set for my long day.

Hope that helps!

Something else I do is bring tuna or salmon handi-packs to lunch with a plastic fork and eat that right out of the package, and a piece of fruit. There are so many options of those handi-packages too.

I have also done the 3 compartment lunch boxes with a protein, a fruit and a veggie to give me variety, you can stuff those boxes in your lunch box and have them always available for you in the refrigerator. Those boxes were a life saver for me, I just do my meal prep during the weekends or when I am off.

Have a great day.

@WendyJane thank you, really helpful suggestions! I like the idea of having something prepped in case I am needing variety.

The boxes I used for my meal preps/lunches are on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3MSDKQY?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Good luck!

It sounds like your going to be very busy so maybe you wont be so focused on food. A part of my success is attributed to meal prepping- I meal prep every single week. Sometimes I meal prep meals for grab or go or I will meal prep items for those tempting nights at home where I want to eat cereal or something that is not so great instead of cooking. you will get quicker at meal prep too, I used to take 2+ hours now I can whip up my meal prep in 1hour. I also learned to not complicate it. Easy meals can be just as delicious!

I bulk prep chicken breast, and ground beef, hard boiled eggs, wash and cut up veggies/fruits, make sure to have Greek yogurt and cottage cheese on hand, It does make life easier when your prepared!

Also having better choice snacks stocked up in the fridge/pantry helps too!

Cheese sticks, jerky, flavor packets for water (if you like that) protein shakes, protein powder, protein bars (recommend Built bar or fulfil bar), unsweetened almond milk. skinny syrups for coffee...theres more its just off the top of my head these things lol

@AmberFL I"m right there with you on the prepping. And having the "snacks" on hand, very important to stop the impulses. Excellent choices.