In conversations over the last ten or so months a lot of questions have come up about what kind of things I eat now and what kind of supplements/vitamins I have to take now so where better to address it than here, right?
I’ll start with saying what I eat/vitamins I take may not be the best for the next person. This is based on my personal lifestyle change and what works for me and follows my surgeons and nutritionists plan of care to help enable me with life long success.
Vitamins
From about three months before my surgery until now and for the rest of my life I will take daily vitamins. Since my stomach is about one fourth of the “normal” size stomach my body doesn’t get all the vitamins and nutrients I need from foods alone anymore. I can still only eat about 3/4 of a cup of food per meal, so vitamins it is. And some days I do get irritated by always having to remember to take them with me when we go away for the weekend or I’m staying some where but it’s a small price to pay to keep my energy level and strength up on this never ending road I’m traveling.
Every morning I take an adult multivitamin, Vitamin B12 and two Flintstone Vitamins with Iron. Every evening I take a Calcium chewable, Vitamin D and Biotin. Not bad, Right?!
I’ve heard people talk about “living” on pills/vitamins after surgery. . Most of us (who have had this surgery) were truly living on pills prior. It may have been diabetes medicine, blood pressure pills, cholesterol meds, etc. so for us taking a few vitamins twice a day to maintain our health is certainly not living on vitamins/pills. It is a part of our daily decision to keep pushing forward with the journey using our tool to make us a success story.
Protein
The next huge component for me is making sure I get enough protein in my diet. Protein helps maintain muscle mass, prevents you from losing hair, and helps you feel full for a long period of time.
My nutritionist wants me to get between 60 & 80 grams of protein a day. That is A LOT of protein to eat in one day regardless of size stomach you have. So for me it works best if I drink a protein drink in the morning for breakfast. I have never been a fan of breakfast foods. Each morning I drink a myoplex protein drink with 42 grams of protein in it. I’ve also drank premier protein drinks and multiple other protein powders and protein water. Any little bit of protein helps.
For lunch and dinner I usually have some sort of meat, chicken or turkey mainly, and cheese. Both high in protein. And I’m the evening I have a snack of cashews, Greek yogurt, string cheese, cottage cheese 🤮 or beef jerky.
The first few weeks were the worst to maintain all the protein intake but after I got into a routine and counted my protein for months, I have it down. Some days I slip up, I’m human and that’s okay. 😊 The next day I just get myself back on track. There is no use beating myself up over a bad moment or day.
Water
Another HUGE, important, annoying (to me, anyhow) piece of the puzzle is getting enough water. I have never been a fan of water. Before surgery I was lucky to drink a few bottles of water a week. That had to change.
I now drink 64 to 70ish ounces of water a day. I try to do a lot of my water drinking first thing in the morning to get it out of the way. After my walk and while I get ready for the day I am constantly sipping. I still don’t enjoy it by any means but it’s a must.
Full disclosure: I am human, I do drink things I know I shouldn’t and I do drink alcohol and drinks that contain sugar. We can’t erase every thing from our lives over night. Again, I am human. 🤷♀️
So here we are; just over nine months from surgery and 175 pounds down. It’s an everyday battle and has been a major lifestyle change but I don’t regret it for a moment! ❤️
desiree.angelica 