support for the wife who has to change things too !!

[mommadukes]

hi my hubby is waiting to schedule his procedure, going through the process now. what i need help with is changing my kitchen and cooking habits to help us get through this on the winning side.. he has tried all the diets and shots. i could stand to lose some weight also , i want to be supportive without being a nag. help me out here. please give me some great ideas on what needs changing and how to handle attitudes​

kathy

 

[zzvazquez]

Hi Kathy, Welcome to the site. I am new here also but I can tell you that there are some great ideas and recipes on this site and I found a post for The World According to Eggface http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ which has many recipes and ideas.

It will depend which surgery your husband has as to his diet requirements. One thing for sure will be you will need to find as many high protein meal ideas as possible, as protein will be a key factor in his weight loss and general health. Depending on his surgery he will not be able to eat many things he ate before -but simple carbs are his enemy as surgery does not stop the absorption of these. So get rid of all the normal things you can't eat on diets. He will probably have a dieticians appointment which will outline what types and amounts of foods to eat from the date of surgery forward.

I too am trying to find the best way to prepare for life directly after surgery, try different protein powders and shakes and bars. But don't buy any in bulk in case your taste buds change, If you will be making his meals it will be a bit easier for him, I am trying to find make ahead items to stock up on in case I don't feel like cooking directly after my surgery.

I have friends who have had WLS so I guess the best advise is to be patient with him - his moods may change radically after surgery - many go through buyers remorse and some even depression right after surgery (this is normal). Just love him - even if he is difficult, and reassure him it will be worth it in the end.

Purely from a self prospective - try not to eat things in front of him or leave things you know he would really like to eat lay around - especially in the beginning. Kinda a little out of sight out of mind. If you can't reach it - you can't eat it.

Best of luck to you both.

 

[mommadukes]

thanks for the reply and the encouragement i need it. seen him through various things retirement from the Air Force and his 100% disability so i know how he reacts to stuff. that is why he is so big and his food addictions is what worries me . i have eaten things away from him for years lol. him changing his lifestyle in his head that is the big hurdle.. he goes for his pych eval soon i hope he takes me with him so i can talk also. we are a team most of the time i ate what he ate when he did the shots hcg. of course he did all the cooking boy was i sick of fish at the end of the 60 days lol. take care and thank u--kathy

 

[Karenina]

Welcome to the forum, mommadukes, and thank you for being a supportive spouse. If you do the grocery buying in the house, the best thing you can do for him is to not keep things around that he can't have.
I've not had surgery yet, but at night for a treat, instead of eating ice cream, I have a bowl of fresh (or frozen) fruit, depending on the time of year, with Greek yogurt. Satisfies me and is much better for me than ice cream.
And I wouldn't nag him. He's a big boy and will make his own decisions. Good luck to you both.

 

[deena212]

Welcome to the forum momadukes. I actually have the opposite problem. My husband is helpless in the kitchen and my surgery is in 4 weeks. Help! What can I do to not be tempted? Any ideas are welcomed..... other than teaching him how to cook. tried, not gonna happen .

 

[ck9779]

One huge piece of advice is get the small round divider plates that are in the baby section (not the huge tray ones) in the big section put his protein and then veggies and starches in the smaller ones. I am a really big cycle eater as is and I don't like my food to touch (I know I'm weird) and these plates were awesome for when I was pregnant and couldn't eat much. I can hit the protein first, then veggies and then starches if I have room. Also put on the plate what you think he can eat and then take 3/4 of it off of the plate. If he eats it all ask him to wait 15-20 minutes before getting seconds. Also don't put a glass on the table.

This advice is just what I plan to do and what helped when I was pregnant. My had his feet in my tummy and head on my bladder. Because he had my organs all squished up I couldn't eat more than a few ounces (at best) and I craved milk so I would drink a HUGE glass of milk on a whim and if it was around time to eat I couldn't eat at all.