As I mentally review the meals I routinely make for dinner, I'm wondering which ones I'll have to take out of the rotation. Salad? Risotto? Which meats do you have trouble with, or not?
I can't have regular solids till Feb. 1st, so I'm not entirely sure why I'm thinking about this now. Maybe it's because I can't have solids till Feb. 1st!
As far as recovery, I find that I'm tiring very easily. I did two errands today and needed an hour-long nap when I got home. My left-shoulder pain seems to come back anytime I'm active - showering and getting dressed, doing errands, carrying the baby. I'm hoping it dissipates soon, but I seem to remember Catherine saying her pain came back intermittently for a few months at least. And I only have three Toradol left! AHHH.
The nutritionist told me if clear liquids were driving me nuts I could go to full, thin liquids. So for lunch today I thinned out some potato leek soup with chicken stock and it was delicious! So far, I've had a cup of decaf tea in the morning, a protein shake, some water, about 1/2 c. of thinned soup and am now on my second (and final) protein shake of the day. Some kind of thinned soup for dinner tonight, I'm sure.
It's funny, even though I've lost 16.5 pounds since my surgery consult in October, my jeans aren't loose at my waist. In the legs and butt (hallelujah for that, my butt is ginormous) they're bigger but not the waist. I guess I'm still swollen in the abdomen from my surgery? Ah well, all in good time.
I haven't taken formal "before" pictures yet, so I'll be doing that tonight. Not sure when I'll have the courage to post them, though.
And I have 23 followers now! That just makes me grin. Thanks for joining me on this crazy journey.
Just do it with the before pictures! They are a good record of your progress for yourself and you will be glad you have them even a month from now if you need a boost.
ReplyDeleteYou look lovely in your face shot, and we all know that we are trying to lose weight, so nobody expects you to look Nicole Richie's size!!! Kisses!!
Vanessa
You are definitely still swollen which is why everything in the waist is still tight! I don't think I even attempted jeans for like two weeks after my surgery.. it was all sweats/comfy wear!!!
ReplyDeleteAs for what I can't eat (and I'm not really a veteran either!) but no bread products - tortilla, pita, bread, nothing.. kind of depressing b/c I keep trying thinking I can but no such luck!!! I haven't even tried pasta or rice b/c I hear that doesn't bode well.. AND, I had an orange the other day and it was not happening. BTW - you are doing great!!!!
I was actually really tired for a little over two weeks after surgery. A couple one hour naps were common even after 10+ hours of sleep at night. I think the biggest problem was with the lack of calories. When I tracked my liquids I was getting between 500-700 calories. Also my NP said that I was doing too much (even though it was a lot less than normal). Once I upped my calories and cut down to just the basic activities I noticed a huge difference. Even after a just few days of following my NPs advice to "do nothing" I felt so much better.
ReplyDeleteAlso from what i have gathered from other veterns (I am not there yet) tolerance depends on the person. Some of them can't eat any bread, but I know many who eat tortillas, toast, and "crusty" breads. Some can't eat red meat and some love steak and ground beef. I have even heard a few people say that the only meet they can eat is fish. I figure I just won't try anything new when I am out since the range of "bad" foods can differ so much.
I was very tired the of and after surgery. Your body is healing..listen to it :) I know walking helps with gas.
ReplyDeleteAs people have said everyone is different. 4 months post op I haven't tried pasta, I can tolerate a very small amount of rice, of course this may change after my fill next week. I can do salad but sometimes it upsets my stomach I usually have it with grilled chicken or Tuna salad to get my protein in.
I love making turkey chili. My go to crock pot meal is chicken with cup of salsa and cup of black beans. I don't tolerate raw apples, some raw veggies, whole boiled eggs, bread. I can sometimes tolerate pita bread. I tried pork chops did not do well with that. When I am out for dinner I usually get salmon and am able to bring home the next day for lunch. Anything dried out I can no do. You will find you will chew chew chew and if you can't chew it in to mush you need to discretly spit out.
Hope this helps!
http://betterbanded.blogspot.com/
Well, I think it depends on everyone...I'm on real foods, and I've had bread, a few bites of a kufta kebab, which is ground red meat, etc...I have the feeling once you go to regular foods you will be able to eat all sorts of things, it's once you start getting tightened that stuff becomes an issue.
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend sometimes has trouble with white meat chicken, especially earlier in the day. He likes when there is some sauce with it to "lube" it up! ;) He also makes sure to peel the pitch off his oranges, but he loves them and eats them all the time. I think with small bites and a lot of chewing a lot of things are possible!
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ReplyDeleteThings you can't eat is different from person to person..
ReplyDeleteI have the most trouble with reheated items, Chicken being the worst. I have to have sauce of some kind to eat most meats.
Pasta and rice I limit to only a bite or two
Oh, and raisins are a no go for me too
Hey Kristin I totally agree with Yana, it is a person by person case. I'm almost 5 months out and have what I think is pretty good restriction and I am still able to eat quite a number of things like, ground meat, pasta, toast, popcorn, I do have some issues with Chicken and need to "lube it up" as Yana put. Rice I can do about 1/4 cup but need to take it slow. In my culture we make plantain dishes and those I also need to take very slow and be very careful with. Untoasted bread and pancakes are a total no no and so is hard boiled eggs ( go figure!!) When all else fails chilli is a wonderful alternative and you can dress that up a million different ways. That's the whole key to this is take it slow when you eat and chew chew chew!!! You'll find what works for you quickly enough.
ReplyDeleteHey Kristen, everything you said about feeling tired.. completely normal.. don't forget you are not eating like you used to.. Right now I am in bandster hell and can basically eat anything.. so no foods have been taboo although I am not going wild, I am eating sensible, focusing on the protein.. I would just advise to stay away from carbs, they can put you in a food frenzy (screwing up your blood sugars).. Hang in there, you are doing just great..
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