New way of eating...

[annverdine]

Well, I did my grocery shopping today for the first time since deciding to have the surgery and begin this journey. It was MUCH harder than I expected, not to mention MUCH more expensive. Almost $400 later, I think I have all I need. The dietician asked that I keep a food journal so I'll start that tomorrow as well. I'm nervous that I won't be able to do this because I have failed at so many diets and "new ways of eating" before. Any words of encouragement or advice for success? I think the food journal will be an eye-opening experience for me and I am hoping it will help me hold myself accountable.

 

[annverdine]

eventually, shopping will get easier and you won't even spend as much. Following a high-protein, low-carb diet means a lot of fresh meats, broiled, microwaved or baked, without any additions like breading. You'll be loving your non-starch vegetables like broccoli, onion slices, lettuces and kales and when you add the starchy ones like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and peas, you can prepare them roasted in the oven for maximum deliciousness. Read labels when you use anything canned and record the number of protein grams, right next to the column in your food diary that lists calorie counts.

You should get 1 gram of protein for every 10 calories you eat. I was told to get 50 to 70 grams of protein every day. It's actually really easy to do.

You'll still end up taking in sugars and fats and other carbs, but it won't be anything like before, and you might even discover that food tastes different because of the way you cook it, and even better.

Love your picture! Is that your actual hair? GORGEOUS!

Yes, that's my hair! Thanks so much for the compliment! You've given me some great nutrition information - I am definitely going to take your advice and record the number of protein grams right next to the column in my food diary. That will help me keep track of my protein. Fifty to seventy grams of protein is a lot but I'll d my best. Thanks a bunch!

 

[annverdine]

Well, just for you, I'm going to paste something in here that I wrote in an email in 2008, six or seven months after surgery.

One of my older sisters, Kathy, had been overweight and then obese since a falling out with the family about her pregnancy and shotgun wedding. It was really awful and very typical of my mom to be so childish about it. She actually decided, since Kathy didn't bother to tell her (talk to her) about getting pregnant, she just wouldn't talk to her at all. They never spoke again until the day Kathy gave birth and phoned her from the hospital to let her know! Oy!

After that, Kathy, who'd had a gorgeous figure all her life, started going downhill, depressed, gaining weight, married to a jerk, popping out kids like litters of puppies, constantly seeking Mom's approval and never getting it. My siblings all piled on, too, and never missed an opportunity to make Kathy feel even worse about her choices. I don't know what her top weight was, but it must have been close to 350. Then she developed diabetes. Then her doctor started amputating things, a toe at a time, then a foot, then her leg above the knee, and she was disabled for the last 20 years of her life. She died last year of diabetes and congestive heart failure.

I can barely even stand to remember all this, but I am one of those people who decided NOT to tell anyone about my surgery, except the three people I lived with, and they were sworn to secrecy. When I started to lose weight and it was really coming off, Kathy was the only person in the family who congratulated me on it and wanted to know how I did it.

I desperately wanted to help her lose weight and get happy, but there was no way she was going to stick to any diet. She never had. She was constantly counting calories and sugar, using a database program to record her numbers. She needed the surgery more than I ever did, but she would never have gone through with it, though she had more surgeries in her life than anyone I knew. She didn't have the support system she needed, so I thought I'd just share a little about my diet in hopes it would work for her and get her started on a weight loss track.

I'll finish the story, with the email, in the following post...

WOW!!! Please do...

 

[Brenda2010]

Well, I did my grocery shopping today for the first time since deciding to have the surgery and begin this journey. It was MUCH harder than I expected, not to mention MUCH more expensive. Almost $400 later, I think I have all I need. The dietician asked that I keep a food journal so I'll start that tomorrow as well. I'm nervous that I won't be able to do this because I have failed at so many diets and "new ways of eating" before. Any words of encouragement or advice for success? I think the food journal will be an eye-opening experience for me and I am hoping it will help me hold myself accountable.

Congratulations on the start of a healthy life! You'll find that your tastes will change as you stop eating junk and even more so after surgery. Don't even consider doubting yourself, you've got this! We all failed with diets, scientifically we were doomed as soon as we went on the first one and began starving ourselves. This totally messes with our systems and backfires in the long run. I read a study about this before surgery and it was a big eye opener.

Sounds like you're fully committed to success and that's all you need. Do you have a surgery date yet?

 

[annverdine]

No surgery date yet. I have my third nutrition class on the 6th. I'm told that I meet with the surgeon after that. Thanks for the vote of confidence!