059 Christmas Dinner Bariatric Style

I don't know if you have ever heard Bing Crosby (one of my all time favs!) sing the song "Christmas Dinner Country Style" or not. In ode to him I decided to call this post Christmas Dinner Bariatric Style. I really don't know what we will be having for Christmas dinner but I wanted to throw some ideas out there for traditional Christmas Dinner items that someone on the Stage 3 gastric sleeve diet could eat at family gatherings.

Just remember proteins, fruits & veggies, & everything else. *IMPORTANT REMINDER: Every WLS program is different and their diets and dietary allowances are different. Make sure to follow the plan your surgeon has prescribed to you. These are things Jimmy is allowed to eat per his surgeon. Talk to your doctor before making changes to your diet or exercise program.*

1. Start with Protein
First things first, bariatric patients are supposed to focus on eating foods that are high in protein and low in fat. Keep an eye out for the family turkey, ham, and/or chicken. They are going to be your friend--who you will then eat--but go easy on any gravy or dressing which may come with those meats.

2. Fruits and Veggies
Once you have consumed your proteins you can look around for fruits and veggies. Keep in mind that at Stage 3 all these fruits and veggies must either be canned or cooked so that they are soft. So you could hunt for the pineapple rings that are often baked on top of the ham or you could reasonably find some green beans or mashed potatoes (go easy on the taters). Skip the green bean casserole (too fattening and has the french fried onions on top) and candied yams. Their minuses far outweigh their pluses!

3. Just a Dab of other Goodies
You only get to choose a really small portion of other things if you are still hungry. Don't overeat because you will be ten times more miserable than when you overate last Christmas and/or Thanksgiving because now you have had bariatric surgery. Also avoid foods that you know aren't on your list and especially those which contain large amounts of sugar. There is nothing worse than Dumping Syndrome when you are trying to have a great time at Christmas!

More than focusing on the foods you can or cannot have be sure to focus on your family. They are more important than food anyway. Make food a small part of your whole celebration not your whole celebration.

Just for fun, I have included Bing Crosby singing "Christmas Dinner Country Style." I hope you enjoy it and enjoy your families this holiday season.

Click the Button Below to Listen to
Christmas Dinner Country Style
Sung by Bing Crosby

Christmas Dinner Country Style (24-Bit Digitally Remastered 99)

051 Hitting the Protein Goal

Over the past couple of weeks we have really been trying to adjust to this whole new way of life and this new diet. Two of the hardest things (related to food) which we have had to face have been #1 burn out on the food that Jimmy is currently allowed to eat and #2 trying to get in Jimmy's daily allotted protein. Thankfully, Jimmy will have more variety in his diet starting on Sunday, December 16th, when he can start his  Stage 3 diet. But what to do about protein?

Let me tell you...the liquid protein shots that he had to drink the first week after the surgery were just plain nasty! So we definitely don't want to go back to those. Some of the whey protein powder drinks leave much to be desired too. So we have been searching the internet, blogs, forums, and support group for some great protein shake recipes.

As Bariatric Foodie put it, "...there is no excuse for drinking a nasty protein shake!" So here are some awesome protein shake recipes that we have either tried or look forward to trying soon.

Berry Cheesecake Protein Smoothie
1 Scoop unflavored protein powder
1c. 1% or skim Milk
1/2c. 1% Cottage Cheese
Frozen or Fresh Fruit to Taste

Pumpkin Pie
Milk
1 scoop vanilla protein
2 tbsp pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 tbsp sugar-free pumpkin pie syrup (or 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
sweetener to taste

Cinnabon
Milk
1 scoop vanilla whey
1 tbsp Sugar Free, Fat Free cheesecake pudding mix
1 tbsp Sugar Free cinnamon syrup
1 tbsp toasted almond syrup 

Chocolate, Caramel, & Coffee Protein Shake
2 scoops Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
8 oz Decaf Coffee
8 oz 1% Milk
2 tbsp Sugar Free Caramel Creamer


Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake
1 Scoop chocolate protein powder
1c. unsweetened chocolate almond milk (could sub with sugar free vanilla coconut milk)
1 T. natural peanut butter
Sweetener to Taste (optional)
3-5 Ice Cubes

020 Grieving Jimmy's Lifelong Friend Food

Hey, friends! I am glad to see that you are hanging in there with us. I have been thinking about this blog post for quite a while now but I wanted to wait and write it while my frustration wasn't quite so great.

As you can imagine, the closer we get to the liquid diet and the surgery the harder things become emotionally. It is also a lot harder to stick to our regimen of healthy eating and exercise (we have actually been really bad about this the last week or so). From talking to other people I really knew that I should be expecting this. However, I totally underestimated how hard this stage would be!

Evidently, when you are facing a gastric sleeve surgery you actually grieve FOOD. Ok, please stop rolling your eyes at me. You probably could have told me that you saw that one coming a mile away but let me put my foot down and firmly tell you that IT IS HARD! You really don't get how big a part of your life food is until you look at it and say, "I may never be able to eat this again!"

As Jimmy began to grieve food he became moody, angry, emotional, and his thinking was isolated. There were many times when I know he had to be thinking that I couldn't even come close to understanding what he was feeling or thinking because I will still physically be able to eat whatever I want. But he's not alone…

The biggest struggle was trying to support him and encourage him that I do understand his sacrifices in small measure. I wanted him to know that I am with him in this. I eat with him and prepare our meals together. I will be eating the same things he eats--once he gets make to eating solid foods :) I know that he will miss pizza more than me but I am really going to miss pasta.

In the end I know that his sacrifice is way greater than mine but if he gets the fact that I know that his sacrifice is a big deal and I support him--no matter how whiny or angry he gets about losing food--then that is a victory for both of us!

For more information on the process of grieving food, please feel free to visit the resources listed below.  Since our world is revolving around food right now, the next couple of posts will be dealing with Jimmy's Pre-Op diet and preparation for the surgery.

More Resources:

• The 5 Stages of (Food) Grief
• Grieving for Food
• After Gastric Bypass: Some Tough Love on Grieving Food
• Grieving Over the Loss of My Friend Food