Any chefs? Does anyone still cook elaborate meals for family after surgery?

[Jodle]

My surgery is in 2 weeks and one day. So my last day of eating ‘regular’ meals is tomorrow. I’m gettting very apprehensive. I LOVE to cook, and love to eat, so it’s hard for me give it up/to say goodbye.
Any other ‘chefs’ out there? Did you stop cooking after surgery? What did you do to take its place?

 

[Kcuster83]

I think I may have responded to this on another post, but it may have been someone else. haha Hard to keep track.
You can still cook, learn to cook healthier meals, that meet your new lifestyle requirements.

 

[CarolKacz]

I'm seven months out. I have not stopped cooking. Just started to cook healthier option. If anything I think I cook more now. Some recipes I'm still having to tweak but there are so many substitutes that you can still cook. And people will still like it

 

[missyinacage]

Imho, cooking at home is the absolute key to success!! I cook almost every dinner we eat. I actually enjoy cooking more now because I've expanded my palate. I pretty much live by "fail to plan = plan to fail" It's when I step off my plan that it all goes awry.

Meal planning and preparation are just more tools for your journey. So, fear not! Your love of cooking is a great thing that can only help you in the long run.

 

[Suthy]

One thing that helped me this past week while on the liquid diet is making bone broth. I froze it in ice cube trays so I have something savory and bought some unflavored protein powder to mix it with. Its a nice change from the sweet shakes.

 

[KAT in PA]

I am 4 months post op and still cooking up a storm. Healthier options, sometimes a short order cook for other family, but the cooking continues! You may need a break from it for a little while post op as you'll be on stricter dietary options, but once you start re-adding pureed, soft foods, and onto full diet, you can puree things you're making for others, incorporate soft foods for yourself that you're also serving, and finally re-introduce many other foods gradually.

 

[eladams2015]

Oh yes... baking is my love language! I still cook and bake. The content of what I make is much different than it was back in the day. I have been told that no one can tell my baking is sugar-free; I have worked a lot at getting textures and flavors right using alternate sweeteners (NEVER Splenda).

 

[missyinacage]

Oh yes... baking is my love language! I still cook and bake. The content of what I make is much different than it was back in the day. I have been told that no one can tell my baking is sugar-free; I have worked a lot at getting textures and flavors right using alternate sweeteners (NEVER Splenda).

Share recipes, please and thank you.

 

[Ange6012]

My surgery is in 2 weeks and one day. So my last day of eating ‘regular’ meals is tomorrow. I’m gettting very apprehensive. I LOVE to cook, and love to eat, so it’s hard for me give it up/to say goodbye.
Any other ‘chefs’ out there? Did you stop cooking after surgery? What did you do to take its place?

Good luck on your journey!
I am 4 months post op now, I began cooking again 1 week after surgery. I love cooking, been cooking for the family since tge age of 10 when my grandmother passed. 58 now and tons of experience under my belt lol. It is what I do when I'm stressed or nervous or mad, go to the kitchen and cook.....hmmm maybe that's why my hubby picks a fight with me lol just kidding.
Throughout my life of dieting I have learned alot. Incorporated many things into my cooking but mostly fell back on my big budget friendly meals which equals tons of fat, calories and carbs but delicious lol.
After my hubby's heart issues in 2020, we moved to the mediterranean diet and we love it. Since then we became more relaxed and brought back some old timers, not good for the waistline.
Having my knee injury has kept me from elaborate meals and family gatherings at my house.
I have one son still at home and he's been buying and cooking for himself, very particular food requirements, he's 24 so he can buy his fancy food and cook it. So I cook mostly for me hubby and mother in law when she cones over.
I'm learning to cook less food, I try to cook healthier meals, but I will eat what I'm in the mood for just less of it. I've lost 44 pounds to date and am very happy with my surgery! Good luck! Follow what your surgeon and dietician advise and know your journey is what you make it! Follow what you feel,what works for me may not work for you. Keep strong as the liquids etc get old after a while but push through allow your body to heal, cook and freeze for the family to make it easier for yourself. Sip sip sip then sip some more. Rest rest rest then rest some more. Praying for a smooth journey for you!

 

[Jodle]

Good luck on your journey!
I am 4 months post op now, I began cooking again 1 week after surgery. I love cooking, been cooking for the family since tge age of 10 when my grandmother passed. 58 now and tons of experience under my belt lol. It is what I do when I'm stressed or nervous or mad, go to the kitchen and cook.....hmmm maybe that's why my hubby picks a fight with me lol just kidding.
Throughout my life of dieting I have learned alot. Incorporated many things into my cooking but mostly fell back on my big budget friendly meals which equals tons of fat, calories and carbs but delicious lol.
After my hubby's heart issues in 2020, we moved to the mediterranean diet and we love it. Since then we became more relaxed and brought back some old timers, not good for the waistline.
Having my knee injury has kept me from elaborate meals and family gatherings at my house.
I have one son still at home and he's been buying and cooking for himself, very particular food requirements, he's 24 so he can buy his fancy food and cook it. So I cook mostly for me hubby and mother in law when she cones over.
I'm learning to cook less food, I try to cook healthier meals, but I will eat what I'm in the mood for just less of it. I've lost 44 pounds to date and am very happy with my surgery! Good luck! Follow what your surgeon and dietician advise and know your journey is what you make it! Follow what you feel,what works for me may not work for you. Keep strong as the liquids etc get old after a while but push through allow your body to heal, cook and freeze for the family to make it easier for yourself. Sip sip sip then sip some more. Rest rest rest then rest some more. Praying for a smooth journey for you!

Thank you—

 

[muthertrucker70]

My surgery is in 2 weeks and one day. So my last day of eating ‘regular’ meals is tomorrow. I’m gettting very apprehensive. I LOVE to cook, and love to eat, so it’s hard for me give it up/to say goodbye.
Any other ‘chefs’ out there? Did you stop cooking after surgery? What did you do to take its place?

I haven't had my surgery yet, but i have made a choice to turn the new food experience into a challenge of sorts because I am learning ways (like sous vide) to cook good foods that my entire family will eat without even realizing that I slipped yogurt, cottage cheese, liquid whey, chia etc into the food they are eating. It's actually even more rewarding to turn my love for cooking and my love for my family into a kitchen challenge and then to succeed is amazing. I live with old fashioned meat and potatoes picky eaters, so if I can find a way to make healthy protein stacked foods rich in vitamins and minerals that's easy to chew and easier to digest and make my family like it...major victory!

 

[dianeseattle]

I haven't had my surgery yet, but i have made a choice to turn the new food experience into a challenge of sorts because I am learning ways (like sous vide) to cook good foods that my entire family will eat without even realizing that I slipped yogurt, cottage cheese, liquid whey, chia etc into the food they are eating. It's actually even more rewarding to turn my love for cooking and my love for my family into a kitchen challenge and then to succeed is amazing. I live with old fashioned meat and potatoes picky eaters, so if I can find a way to make healthy protein stacked foods rich in vitamins and minerals that's easy to chew and easier to digest and make my family like it...major victory!

amen! I've been cooking since I was a child. With five sisters and two brothers, I was forced into taking turns cooking, baking, washing dishes, waxing floors, milking cows, etc. The older I got the more curious I became about how to make better food. Bless my mom, what she did was above and beyond the call of duty for a wife and mother. But she didn't like cooking and wasn't curious about getting better at it, so every dinnertime was a battle with her making us sit and eat every crumb before we could leave the table.

I remember the exact moment when food consumption changed for me. I met a man who had me over for dinner and he had a vegetable steamer. I couldn't BELIEVE how amazing broccoli tasted, not to mention cabbage or green beans, all of which I hated up to that moment.

Learning to cook so that food tasted good and was full of nutrients probably prepared me for post-op life. Before surgery, food was all mashed together and drowned in cheese or sauce.

I lift my glass to you! <clink!>

 

[Ramona]

I think I may have responded to this on another post, but it may have been someone else. haha Hard to keep track.
You can still cook, learn to cook healthier meals, that meet your new lifestyle requirements.

At total change one thing at a time don't get overwhelmed

 

[muthertrucker70]

Well yeah, I wouldn't do it any other way because quite frankly I don't care for all the glorified candy that highlights protein content while not being any healthier than a candy bar. I prefer to learn better methods like sous vide using acid whey in the bag that can then be turned into a nutrient rich gravy that is also a source of fiber because I use chia to thicken the sous vide jus into the gravy that is put over my soaked potatoes that are then cooked in whey instead of water and then mashed with yogurt instead of butter and served with sous vide veggies ... it tastes great, my whole family eats it and I don't have to sit in a corner with a cloyingly fake sweet shake watching everyone else have a good home cooked meal.