Vegan

[Bill S.]

Well I saw my surgeon today and he put me on a Vegetarian diet yuck. Has something to do with my heart. Also told me to stay away from artificial sweeteners like diet tea and diet Snapple which I started drinking. Can have one as a treat once in awhile same with meat but he wants me to be a full on vegetarian . Told me to eat six small meals a day and water water water.Im on the soft food stage for six weeks then I can have regular food . Gonna join a gym when I get back from Chicago next week . Surgeon said I should exercise for 2 hours a day . So now the things I use to hate Exercise,veggies have to do now.

 

[Brenda2010]

Well I saw my surgeon today and he put me on a Vegetarian diet yuck. Has something to do with my heart. Also told me to stay away from artificial sweeteners like diet tea and diet Snapple which I started drinking. Can have one as a treat once in awhile same with meat but he wants me to be a full on vegetarian . Told me to eat six small meals a day and water water water.Im on the soft food stage for six weeks then I can have regular food . Gonna join a gym when I get back from Chicago next week . Surgeon said I should exercise for 2 hours a day . So now the things I use to hate Exercise,veggies have to do now.

Damn Bill, your doc is STRICT!!! You have to do what's best for your heart but I feel for you. And exercise 2 hours a day? Good thing you're retired! I hope you're able to find a way to balance that with your life. On the bright side, you'll probably be in the best shape of your life within a couple months! Congrats on making it to the next stage.

 

[Bill S.]

Yeah it was actually the surgeons assistant and yeah I thought he was kinda strict when he was telling me all that.I already knew about the heart problem.Dmt remember what it’s called .Vegetables I can deal with I don’t have to be strict about but he said the more the better as for the 2 hour of exercise no way except I’m going to join a fitness club and get a personal trainer which will help but 2 hours I don’t know about that

 

[Brenda2010]

Yeah it was actually the surgeons assistant and yeah I thought he was kinda strict when he was telling me all that.I already knew about the heart problem.Dmt remember what it’s called .Vegetables I can deal with I don’t have to be strict about but he said the more the better as for the 2 hour of exercise no way except I’m going to join a fitness club and get a personal trainer which will help but 2 hours I don’t know about that

I'm sure you'll do your best with everything Bill and that's all they can expect. You're already doing great so anything more is just gravy on the green beans.

 

[Bill S.]

Hi Diane yeah it’s not a complete vegetarian diet. I can have meat soft food stage you know turkey chicken blah! Whatever that’s in the soft food stage for 6 weeks but he wants me to be more of the vegetarian kinda person. I have a Valvular in my heart what ever that is. Something with the heartbeat I think and he just doesn’t want it to get worse with all the bad foods I’m not eating anyway . He said eating those greasy fried and sugar laden foods are what caused it . What I’m saying I’m not going complete vegan jus eating more healthy like we’re supposed to after surgery. Most foods on the list he gave me I can’t eat anyway bread,rice,chips,pasta, and tortillas. I can still have dairy products like milk and cheese. Ive been getting my protein most with beans , cottage cheese, yogurt and I forget what else . He said I can ween off the protein drinks and I can have fruit without the skins .Basicly the same things I already know what to eat. Just more vegetarian like. Hope that answers your questions.

 

[Brenda2010]

Hi Diane yeah it’s not a complete vegetarian diet. I can have meat soft food stage you know turkey chicken blah! Whatever that’s in the soft food stage for 6 weeks but he wants me to be more of the vegetarian kinda person. I have a Valvular in my heart what ever that is. Something with the heartbeat I think and he just doesn’t want it to get worse with all the bad foods I’m not eating anyway . He said eating those greasy fried and sugar laden foods are what caused it . What I’m saying I’m not going complete vegan jus eating more healthy like we’re supposed to after surgery. Most foods on the list he gave me I can’t eat anyway bread,rice,chips,pasta, and tortillas. I can still have dairy products like milk and cheese. Ive been getting my protein most with beans , cottage cheese, yogurt and I forget what else . He said I can ween off the protein drinks and I can have fruit without the skins .Basicly the same things I already know what to eat. Just more vegetarian like. Hope that answers your questions.

Good Bill! I get what the assistant was advising because of your heart but we need to enjoy food occasionally too! Of course we're all aware that we were killing ourselves with our food choices before surgery but we need a realistic, lifelong plan that works with our lifestyles and tastes.

Do you have another appointment with your nutritionist/dietitian before you get on solid foods? If not, I'd make one. You can discuss this advice and the foods that you enjoy and come up with a realistic, healthy eating plan that doesn't feel like a total sacrifice.

 

[missdarmitage]

Yeah it was actually the surgeons assistant and yeah I thought he was kinda strict when he was telling me all that.I already knew about the heart problem.Dmt remember what it’s called .Vegetables I can deal with I don’t have to be strict about but he said the more the better as for the 2 hour of exercise no way except I’m going to join a fitness club and get a personal trainer which will help but 2 hours I don’t know about that

When I came home and was in the first week or two after surgery, I had it in my head I was going to exercise for two hours a day.... but there was no way! I managed walking that long while I was at home by splitting it up into smaller increments, but once I got back to living life normally, there was just no way unless all of my time was devoted to work, sleep, eating, taking vitamins, and working out. Need just a little bit of fun in there somewhere!

 

[missdarmitage]

I'm gonna take it one step farther and agree with whatever anonymous person famously said, "Food is Life!"

I love food. I love cooking, baking, eating, savoring, looking at glossy photos of brightly colored vegetables (why do you think all those post-renaissance Dutch painters did all those gorgeous still life paintings?) and preparing it into a salad or something roasted or steamed or broiled or sauced... In addition to being very good for you, food is beautiful.

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Brenda & Miss D make good points. Life should be enjoyed and both eating and moving are part of what makes happiness possible. And when I was fat, or more accurately, when I was sick with my food addiction, I was desecrating the sanctity of food and punishing myself with exercises that did nothing. So the American version of still life painting is:

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There's no way that doesn't look like something that should be swept off the table into the trash can. But once upon a time, I would have eaten as much of it as I could fit in.

Anyway, I think I found my new signature line:

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

That may be the key to life. The holistic incorporation of human body functions, melded sanely together in a celebration, no shame, and a sense of having lived a good life. Or as de La Rochefoucauld famously said, “To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”

It's time to let food come out of the closet and become part of your joyous existence. Even the great, thick, brobdignagian Orson Welles knew that. “My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four, unless there are three other people.”

I love that new signature line Diane And Orson Welles was on it! Portion control is one of the hardest things to master. Luckily, we have a tool to help with that

 

[Bill S.]

Good Bill! I get what the assistant was advising because of your heart but we need to enjoy food occasionally too! Of course we're all aware that we were killing ourselves with our food choices before surgery but we need a realistic, lifelong plan that works with our lifestyles and tastes.

Do you have another appointment with your nutritionist/dietitian before you get on solid foods? If not, I'd make one. You can discuss this advice and the foods that you enjoy and come up with a realistic, healthy eating plan that doesn't feel like a total sacrifice.

Hi Brenda no I don’t when I saw the nutritionist it was with about 20 other people it wasn’t one on one and was basically everything I learned in the options classes I took and haven’t heard of any more appointments for the nutritonist

 

[Bill S.]

Nope nothing that’s Kaiser for you I guess and yeah only me appointment with a group with a nutritionist. I got sort of a list of cooked or steamed vegetables,soft lettuce,fruits that need peeled,ground lean meat,lean deli meat that is low in sodium. List of no foods include raw vegetables,whole meat like steak,bread,rice,chips,pasta,tortillas no processed foods like frozen dinners,canned veggies or fast food. That’s not just the surgeon but Kaiser’s plan too

 

[Brenda2010]

Hi Brenda no I don’t when I saw the nutritionist it was with about 20 other people it wasn’t one on one and was basically everything I learned in the options classes I took and haven’t heard of any more appointments for the nutritonist

Damn Bill, I had 2 one-on-one sessions with the nutritionist as well as the group one pre-op. And she made sure to tell me that I can I can make another appt with her anytime. That really sucks that you weren't given that option.

As Diane mentioned, I wonder if your surgeon's office would refer you to one. Or maybe your primary doc could suggest someone? I'd feel so overwhelmed navigating this new plan without one

 

[Bill S.]

I suppose if I asked I might be able to . They did say if any questions to call but I hate talking on the phone.

 

[Brenda2010]

I suppose if I asked I might be able to . They did say if any questions to call but I hate talking on the phone.

You're such a guy Bill!