Conflicting "rules"

[MiniLopHop]

Firt off, I have an appointment with my nutritionist to look over my food logs, but I was hoping to hear other people's experiences.

I have lists of foods that are not good to eat from both the nutritionist and the surgeon. The problem is that sometimes they contradict each other, usually one list omitting something the other one has on it. There are certian foods that I have no idea what is wrong with them, such a pickles. I love dill pickles and don't have an issue with sodium intake. Fruits with seeds such as berries, they have been no problem. Spicy food has been just fine. Is it just that my stomach isn't very particular?

I don't want to stretch my poutch so I know no carbination or fluffy breads. Anything else in particular? Alcohol and sugars of course are empty calories so I avoid them as well.

What about soup? It's part liquid and part solid. If we can't drink with meals, then why is soup ok?

After making sure I get my protein and fluids, is the calories or volume more important? I know not to eat past where I'm full, but my husband thinks a cup of volume is too high for a meal even if I stick to the 200 calorie limit. I think it feels just right.

I feel so stupid lately.

 

[Queenie10]

Don't feel stupid, this stuff is confusing! I keep going back to my diet pages and re-reading them, and I swear they change between readings!

I think you are lucky that your stomach can tolerate spicy foods. My nutritionist told me to stay away from the pickles because they are hard on the pouch and high in sodium. But I have high blood pressure and if you don't, it may be OK, if your nutritionist blesses it. I would follow her advice over the dr because she knows more about nutrition that he/she does.

I think your husband is right about the volume being a lot so soon after surgery. I don't think you can say the calories are more important than the volume. You can still gain weight if you eat 1/2 a cup of high calorie food. Or if you eat too much of the low calorie foods you will stretch your pouch. You have to respect both.

I had a band conversion to R-N-Y on 4/19/12. I had the band put in in 2003, and it was a failure. For one thing, I did not respect the volume restriction. As long as it didn't hurt, I felt it was OK to eat more. Big Wrong! When my current surgeon did my upper GI in prep for the conversion, he said my pouch had stretched as big as my regular stomach. That is why I regained what little I had lost plus another 30 lbs by the time I had this surgery. My surgeon warned me that the same thing can happen again with the bypass, so I am being very strict with my portions, measuring everything. I am going to keep measuring everything because I don't want to find myself back in the same boat 10 years from now.

Good luck!

 

[MiniLopHop]

Queenie, thank you! I was thinking the same as you were- as long as it isn't painful it was ok. I will cut back on the volume. I'm eating healthy things but sometimes the volume is larger (a cup). Do you think I screwed it up already, or if I eat carefully it can recover? I am going to be so angry with myself if I permanantly over stretched already

I'm going to post my "rules" on the fridge so I can plan better.

 

[Queenie10]

I don't think it is too late, and I am sure that if you follow the proscribed amounts you won't be hungry. That is the whole point, to not be feeling hungry so we can stay on the diet. I am right there with you! We have spent so many years not listening to our body when it says we have had enough, and eating until it made us uncomfortable, that we tend to carry it over even after such a drastic step as the surgery and wait for that discomfort cue before we think we have over done it. It really is time to make sure we do it right. Remember, it took me years to sabotage myself to the point of stretching my stomach out again, but it is easy to do.

 

[TwoMas]

Hi Mini, you just had your surgery so your pouch should not have stretched out yet, my support group is facilitated by a bariatric nutrition specialist, he said it takes a lot of over eating and uncomfortable meals to strech out the pouch. I would and still do get full very fast so I have a small meal about every 4 hours, sometimes it is just a protien shake or protien bar but they fill me up and satisfy my appatite. It takes some time getting used to but just weigh and measure your food and it will become natural after a while. Hang in there. Tom