Follow Up With Dietician

I had my one month follow up visit with the Dietician today. (Yes, a few days early). Things are going quite well. I need to work harder at getting in my protein. To get in at least 60 grams a day when only eating ½ a cup at a time is not an easy thing. I am not wanting to do protein shakes. I am just so excited to chew! Food is an interesting thing. It is such a center point of our lives, both as a necessity and social event. It is a very weird thing, food, right now. I get very excited to eat something, take a bit, maybe two… and am not thrilled with it. I don’t feel hungry, or full for that matter. In fact I don’t feel anything. When they create the pouch, they are cutting through all of the never endings. Typically, people get those feelings back between 6 and 9 months. I have not experienced dumping syndrome yet. That is probably most likely because I haven’t had any sugars or fats per say. I really haven’t tested the waters, and don’t plan on it. I now have very few dietary restrictions. No bread, or limited to 1/3 of a slice of thin bread. If eating beef, it can only be lean ground beef. No stringy vegetables like celery unless it is chopped up.

The rules when eating are:

• Do not drink liquids for ½ hour before and after eating.
• Liquids must be consumed in small sips.
• Eat your proteins first- You need to get in at least 60 grams a day.
• Next eat your fruit and or vegetable.
• If you still have room, you can eat a starch.
• Remember your new pouch only holds about ½ a cup.
• Chew, Chew, Chew! Do most of the work outside of your pouch.
• A morning snack, afternoon snack and nighttime snack are required.
• A protein snack at night time helps you to feel better in the am.

Other food related items:
Two tablespoons of peanut butter has the same amount of protein as 1 oz of chicken!

I have found Kellogg’s Protein Water. It comes in Pink Lemonade, Ice Tea and Strawberry Kiwi, which I don’t like as much. It comes in packets which you add to your water. I contains 5 grams of protein! I will take anything I can get!