"one last meal"

knitnpurlgurl

So my surgery is April 4th and I have to start my pre-op last week... everyone has asked me what am I going to have for my "last meal" at first I thought Hell YES I am having a last meal and it is going to be amazing, but as time has passed and I am getting ready to start my pre-op diet I have started thinking that I am not going to have a last meal because what I am doing is not the death sentence of the relationship with my old friends...buffalo chick wraps, french fries...just to name a few :-) It is the start of a new relationship with healthy foods, and I can make old favorites in a healthy way. So I have decided no last meal...instead I am actually thinking of starting my preop diet early.....What did you all do before surgery in regards to pre-op diets and lasts meals....do you wish you did something different?

My blog: Please pass it along if you like it and I would love comments, suggestions, ect.
http://myjourneythroughgastricsurgery.blogspot.com/

reisu

I went out with a bang.

My surgery was on Monday, so Saturday night my husband took me to my favourite restaurant (Restaurant 1833 in Monterey). There is NOTHING ON THIS MENU that is bad.

Bacon-cheddar biscuit appetizers, bacon-wrapped pork loin with creamy polenta, and a creme brulee dessert.

I had been very good during the 2 weeks prior to surgery (started a liquid diet), but life as I knew it changed. My friends wanted to take me out drinking, but I really don't drink. In fact, my surgeon was surprised at the status of my non-fatty liver (I am guessing from his experience, usually patients go and tie one on before undergoing the procedure).

I'll be able to go back to my favourite restaurant at some point. But for now, I can just sigh contentedly and think back upon that meal with the fondest of memories.

DJRonnieLINY

I had a "Farewell to Food" tour in the two weeks before I went on pre-op diet. Actually gained three pounds. Hit all my favorites; fast foods, high end foods, comfort foods, beer etc. Maid mental peace with my decision and went straight into the pre-op. This wa my own mourning period, I did what I needed to do to make myself ready to be reborn.

Now a few months post I have welcomed some old friends back for a short visit but not the destructive ones. Fast food went away for good as did most beer and all soda. Don't miss them at all.

knitnpurlgurl

Thank you ladies for sharing :-) I thought of a farewell food tour but not sure LOL... I have a sweet tooth, I have such a hard time resisting....will for sure have no sweets in the house! LOL

garber6th

I didn't really go crazy with the last meals, I had already been doing really well, having lost 70lbs pre-surgery, so I didn't want to mess that up, BUT... I did have to go get one last meal of Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles and it was delicious. Now, I don't have any cravings or any desired to eat the old foods I used to eat. I am very happy with how I am eating and the results I am getting!

knitnpurlgurl

Garber6th I wish I didnt have my cravings.... they are insane right now :-( I am trying to be very good though and am starting my pre op diet little early to leave room for error LOL

garber6th

A lot if not all of your cravings will go away after surgery. Some people say they come back, so even though that hasn't been the case, I am trying to mentally prepare for that to happen so I can deal with them the right way. Good luck to you!!

emmerin78

Honestly, once you're a ways out from surgery, you'll be surprised at how many things you'll be able to eat. One of the big pieces of advice the nutritionist for our support group gave us pre-surgery is "don't have food funerals, because they're not dying and neither are you. There will come a time when you will eat favorite foods you really enjoy again, even if they're not the best ones. The goal is to learn how to use the tool of your sleeve to make positive food choices the majority of the time, so that occasional indulgences become just that: indulgences, and not an everyday way of eating." That advice has really stuck with me, and while my cravings and appetite are nowhere near where they were before surgery, I'm so glad that I didn't do food funerals since now when I do have a treat or a special meal, I know how to handle it and keep it in perspective, rather than going overboard on something "forbidden". Some people you'll meet in your group and on the boards will tell you they never have cravings or eat anything that they used to, others will tell you that they really haven't found things that they can't eat, etc. I think each person is different and what is livable for each person is different. You'll figure it out as you go, but I think you're off to a great start with making positive choices early on in your journey. Good luck!!

bikrchk

I went out to PF Changs with a friend. Didn't WAY over do it, but I certainly can't eat like that anymore and don't care to now. Funnily enough, the only thing that really doesn't agree with me 5 months post-op is Chinese fried rice so I guess it WAS a funeral of sorts! No great loss though. I am enjoying my health now and a new relationship with food where I can enjoy an occasional indulgence and not be obsessed with food. Sweet freedom!

shoppinglady1972

My surgery was December 30, just after Christmas. As a matter of fact our last Christmas party was the night before I started my pre-op diet. I went into the party thinking I was going to truly do it right and have my way with the buffet!!! :huh: However when I got there reality sat in and I realized that really wasn't how I wanted to eat anymore!! My 6 month prep period was apparently a success! I walked away feeling really empowered knowing I was truly ready for surgery and a new lifestyle!! I do miss some of those old foods now, but not enough to eat them!! :happy:

spfldpam

My two week pre op liquid diet started on Memorial Day 2012 and I was out of town that weekend visiting a friend in Indy so we did eat out during that time before and I do admit I probably ate more than I had been since Feb 2012 since I had lost 47 pounds pre op on my own.
Really once you post op 6 months or so you can still eat all the foods you did before but you just have to eat a smaller amount. My WLS program believes in no forbidden foods. It is about portion size. That is a healthy mind set to think of food.
I will not with hold any food from myself now. I only eat a small portion of it to satisfy myself.
Good luck with the pre op diet and surgery!

Losing_Sarah

I kind of went out with a bang, too, but faves are not necessarily bad for you foods. I happened to be visiting family in a large metropolis area that we had previously lived the week before my liquid diet started, so we went to a couple of our favorite restaurants while there, a high-end/order off the menu Chinese restaurant (I ordered chicken almond ding, which was loaded with veggies and I skipped the rice), an Indian restaurant (my favorite cuisine), and since my current city doesn't have a Chipotle yet (one is opening this summer) I got a steak burrito bowl (no sour cream). The night before I started the pre-op diet I grilled steaks, and roasted asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms in the oven.

I wasn't going to have a "food funeral" in the way I've seen others do it, but I wanted to have some of my favorite 'healthier' things. Healthy in comparison to what I could have had

knitnpurlgurl

Thanks Ladies for sharing :-).... food funeral LOL .

ChefBH

The day before I started my liquid pre-op diet, I ate eggplant parm like it was my job