I'm 3 months post RNY bypass. I'm tolerating all foods, doing great! My question is how do I do Thanksgiving? Am I allowed to indulge a bit? Am I allowed to not stretch my pouch, but eat and not worry about the calories for the day? What's the rule here? My thought was to graze a little, eat portions appropriate for my pouch size, but not to euro about the calories for the day, then send all the unhealthy stuff home with company so it's gone. I'll keep the turkey. Is this okay? Can I have a small piece of pie? I think if I talk it out here, I'll have a better plan of attack.

Since there is a lot of different foods on the table at holiday meals I just take a spoonful of each of them. I don’t have a deviled egg because they are so dense. Deserts are trickier because sometimes they make me dump & sometimes they don’t 🤷 just be aware that you might need to lay down.

4 hours ago, toodlerue said:

Since there is a lot of different foods on the table at holiday meals I just take a spoonful of each of them. I don’t have a deviled egg because they are so dense. Deserts are trickier because sometimes they make me dump & sometimes they don’t 🤷 just be aware that you might need to lay down.

I know I'm a bit fearful because I have not ventured into any unhealthy things so far. I have stuck strictly to low sugar foods. I like the spoon of this and that.... taste it, but don't have much. Do you worry adlbout calorie counting on holidays? Or send impossible since I'm not making everything.

I’ve never thought about calories that much. My program was more about protein.

You may find it comes down to how much your restriction will allow you and what your tummy will tolerate. At only three months out everything is still pretty sensitive - your restriction and your tummy & the foods it will tolerate. You don’t want to make yourself suck. My advice would be to go slowly and not push too hard. You won’t stretch your tummy out eating a bit more than you usually do on one day so don’t worry about that. I wasn’t a calorie counter either but I was always conscious of not excessively exceeding a reasonable calorie intake. And sending the leftovers home with others is a great idea - I did this too when hosting so I wouldn’t have anything to tempt me after everyone left.

Eat slowly. Listen to your body. Keep your fluids up. You know the drill and get back on your plan the next day.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

Edited November 12, 2025Nov 12 by Arabesque

i realize its easy for me to say because i'm 7+ years out, but the one thing i wish i could somehow impart (successfully) to all those starting this process is that:

THERE ARE NO RULES.

we are all so different and what works for one person may or not make work for another. based on what i have seen and read over the years, the folks who are successful IN THE LONG TERM are those who are able to ADAPT. they change their behaviour based on their own current environment, not what it was like for them before, or what they think or were told it should be. these "successful" folks understand that things change, and that there are ups and downs and they don't spiral in the throes of it all.

for this upcoming thanksgiving, IF you can, just listen to your body. if it can eat more, AND you really want to, then go ahead. if you can't, then don't. you will learn quickly what you can handle and how you feel after ingesting whatever you thought you could. remember how you felt and how your body responded and put this knowledge towards future situations. you are still early in the game. pay attention to what works and what doesn't and you'll be better armed for the future.

remember: you WILL eff up. we all do/did. take it as a learning experience and keep on keeping on.

good luck!