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Returning to work, managing diet at work

S

Saska

Member
I plan to return to work on Monday after having had my gastric sleeve done on 1/30/17. I have had a difficult time tolerating foods over the last few weeks, and although this has improved I am now concerned with returning to work and being able to manage my diet while there. I work mostly in an office but am required to teach classes and be a user support for the computer software throughout the facility. If I am at my desk I can have my protein shakes nearby to remind me to drink them, but when I am away from my desk I won't have that visual reminder. Over the last few weeks I have found at times that I have been getting dehydrated from not drinking enough, or feeling dizzy because I had forgotten to eat/drink for an extended period of time. I am concerned that once I return to work I would become too busy to think about food or protein shakes and creating problems for myself.

Does anyone have any advice on how to adapt to returning to work?
 
I'm a worrier too. There is going to be a lot of people so proud of your weight loss. I'm betting there are more people that have wanted to do what you have accomplished. Take several protein drinks with you. There easy to get your protein in when in a new environment. Take a couple extra in case you lose one. As you get back into the routine then add food. It's good to have a big breakfast anyway. So start at home with food and keep it simple at work until you are comfortable. Don't try any new foods at work until you have tried them at home first. I switch from protein to water and back to protein through out the day. I have had people find my protein bottle and bring it back to me. They have been very supportive and I hope it will be the same for you too.
 
Anna( Lady Truck driver ) said:
I'm a worrier too. There is going to be a lot of people so proud of your weight loss. I'm betting there are more people that have wanted to do what you have accomplished. Take several protein drinks with you. There easy to get your protein in when in a new environment. Take a couple extra in case you lose one. As you get back into the routine then add food. It's good to have a big breakfast anyway. So start at home with food and keep it simple at work until you are comfortable. Don't try any new foods at work until you have tried them at home first. I switch from protein to water and back to protein through out the day. I have had people find my protein bottle and bring it back to me. They have been very supportive and I hope it will be the same for you too.
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Thank you for your encouragement. I plan to take the protein shakes with me for sure. I am going to make the shakes at home, using two packets in a 1 liter bottle (only 2/3 full so it would be like two drinks within the one bottle). I am also going to blend milk and a couple of banana's together for another bottle which will be breakfast and a snack during the day. I have soups and yoghurts that I can bring with me. What I don't finish I can leave in the fridge at work. I don't plan to introduce new foods while at work since I have had problems with the dumping syndrome since my second day post op. The banana's in milk has helped prevent that though. I am more worried about becoming dehydrated as it can get quite busy at work. My boss has a water bottle that will alarm if it isn't picked up after a period of time, I might try to find one of those bottles so it will remind me to drink when I get busy and focused on my work. My coworkers and boss have been amazing during this process. They have been so supportive which is fantastic. I know that they will be great when I return to work. It is funny, one of my coworkers decided while I was on the pre surgery liquid diet, that she would start a juicing diet so she can be supportive of me and not eat in front of me. I don't have a problem with people eating in front of me, but the thought of it was so nice.
 
Can
Saska said:
Thank you for your encouragement. I plan to take the protein shakes with me for sure. I am going to make the shakes at home, using two packets in a 1 liter bottle (only 2/3 full so it would be like two drinks within the one bottle). I am also going to blend milk and a couple of banana's together for another bottle which will be breakfast and a snack during the day. I have soups and yoghurts that I can bring with me. What I don't finish I can leave in the fridge at work. I don't plan to introduce new foods while at work since I have had problems with the dumping syndrome since my second day post op. The banana's in milk has helped prevent that though. I am more worried about becoming dehydrated as it can get quite busy at work. My boss has a water bottle that will alarm if it isn't picked up after a period of time, I might try to find one of those bottles so it will remind me to drink when I get busy and focused on my work. My coworkers and boss have been amazing during this process. They have been so supportive which is fantastic. I know that they will be great when I return to work. It is funny, one of my coworkers decided while I was on the pre surgery liquid diet, that she would start a juicing diet so she can be supportive of me and not eat in front of me. I don't have a problem with people eating in front of me, but the thought of it was so nice.
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You set alarms on your phone to help remind you ? I went back to work on the 16th of this month, had the sleeve done 01/23/17. Using my phone has helped me a lot.
 
Saska said:
Thank you for your encouragement. I plan to take the protein shakes with me for sure. I am going to make the shakes at home, using two packets in a 1 liter bottle (only 2/3 full so it would be like two drinks within the one bottle). I am also going to blend milk and a couple of banana's together for another bottle which will be breakfast and a snack during the day. I have soups and yoghurts that I can bring with me. What I don't finish I can leave in the fridge at work. I don't plan to introduce new foods while at work since I have had problems with the dumping syndrome since my second day post op. The banana's in milk has helped prevent that though. I am more worried about becoming dehydrated as it can get quite busy at work. My boss has a water bottle that will alarm if it isn't picked up after a period of time, I might try to find one of those bottles so it will remind me to drink when I get busy and focused on my work. My coworkers and boss have been amazing during this process. They have been so supportive which is fantastic. I know that they will be great when I return to work. It is funny, one of my coworkers decided while I was on the pre surgery liquid diet, that she would start a juicing diet so she can be supportive of me and not eat in front of me. I don't have a problem with people eating in front of me, but the thought of it was so nice.
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Saska, I agree with Lynn. I set alarms on my phone for everything I need to get done during the day, including alarms to remind me to drink water. I haven't heard of the water bottle with an alarm on it yet but that's a great idea too!! I'll have to look that up as well... I'm so happy to hear that your coworkers are being so supportive of you during this difficult time! That can make a world of a difference! :)
 
HeidiRose05 said:
Saska, I agree with Lynn. I set alarms on my phone for everything I need to get done during the day, including alarms to remind me to drink water. I haven't heard of the water bottle with an alarm on it yet but that's a great idea too!! I'll have to look that up as well... I'm so happy to hear that your coworkers are being so supportive of you during this difficult time! That can make a world of a difference! :)
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I just found that water bottle, it has a sensor on it. The sensor would be triggered if the bottle hasn't been picked up and opened after a certain period of time. I found it on Amazon.
 
Thanks so much Saska! I'll have to look it up on Amazon... maybe it will be cheaper there. I found one online called the HidrateSpark that looks really nice and the sensor is also compatible with fitbit, myfitnesspal, and other apps. It looks very sleek and I love the color selection but it is $55 so I'm going to keep looking around and hopefully find one cheaper. Thanks for the heads up about Amazon :)
 
Saska said:
I plan to return to work on Monday after having had my gastric sleeve done on 1/30/17. I have had a difficult time tolerating foods over the last few weeks, and although this has improved I am now concerned with returning to work and being able to manage my diet while there. I work mostly in an office but am required to teach classes and be a user support for the computer software throughout the facility. If I am at my desk I can have my protein shakes nearby to remind me to drink them, but when I am away from my desk I won't have that visual reminder. Over the last few weeks I have found at times that I have been getting dehydrated from not drinking enough, or feeling dizzy because I had forgotten to eat/drink for an extended period of time. I am concerned that once I return to work I would become too busy to think about food or protein shakes and creating problems for myself.

Does anyone have any advice on how to adapt to returning to work?
Click to expand...
set a timer to remind you when possible
 
If you are at your computer, you can set an Outlook calendar reminder. If you are away from your desk, you can set your phone to remind you. I have a Fitbit as well. You can add an alarm on the Fitbit app.
 
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