How to eat MORE calories post cholecystectomy?

theperpetualdreamer
theperpetualdreamer Posts: 7 Member
edited March 2021 in Food and Nutrition
I am falling under the 1200 cal. mark fairly consistently for the last week.

1. Gall bladder removed last week (cholecystectomy). Per Dr.'s orders, extremely low fat and cholesterol diet for 4 weeks, NO full fat dairy products allowed; absolutely no cheeses, no ice cream😱, no sour cream, use caution with yogurts. Had a plain egg one day.🤢 Had 10 grams of fat in one meal another day. 😬 Won't repeat that either! I eat a LOT of veggies and about 2 - 3 oz of baked chicken 2x per day. Getting really tired of it. No more than 12 grams of walnuts per day (in my a.m. oatmeal).

2. Pre-diabetic. Love carbs, fruit and all sugary beverages, treats,etc. Have to be very mindful. Doing remarkably well here. Pat me on the back.

3. High blood pressure in past. On meds from 2011-2017. Learned to watch salt and walk more. Off BP meds. Have to be extremely diligent with Na. (1500mg max). Do ok here. Enough to stay off meds, but becoming borderline again.

Pre-surgery I did fine hanging around 1500 -1800 calories. Just struggling now and looking for suggestions. Weight is still dropping, but don't won't to mess up my system more.
Thx!

Replies

  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Limiting two macros at a time makes for a very limited diet, you certainly have my sympathy. And a good, hearty pat on the back for controlling the pre diabetes while dealing with so much else!

    Beans may be a good option for all of your issues, but you will probably have to prepare them at home and for canned, look for no salt added options. Even for people with full blown diabetes, beans can be useful in controlling blood sugar for some because of the added fibre.

    -lentils with taco seasoning (from scratch to avoid salt - cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper to taste)
    -garbanzo beans with your favorite no fat pasta sauce (I believe Hunt's fits this, and it has minimal sugars, but unfamiliar with salt levels). Alternatively, make your own sauce from no salt or sugar added crushed tomatoes.
    -black beans and sweet potatoes with herbs and garlic
    -refried beans can be spiced/herbed up and become a yummy dip for your veggies

    Microwave or baked sweet potatoes topped with your favorite no salt seasoning. Mrs. Dash is the most famous, but Costco has an own brand no salt seasoning that we both like.

    Albacore tuna seems like a good option, but I don't like it without added fats, so no specific suggestions.

    For that egg, take out the yolk and sprinkle it with a homemade everything bagel seasoning - sesame seeds, garlic, dehydrated onions. Also, try out a no salt seasoning. Experiment with herbs. I like dill with my eggs.

    Good luck, and heal well!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,387 Member
    Oh gosh, I can't offer advice on this. I lost my gallbladder, and at the hospital they served me full fat Dutch food right away. They just told me: see what works. If it doesn't try a bit less, and then more again later. So I basically ate pretty much everything right away, without problems. But yes, we're all different. And I suppose the average European diet is not quite so high in fat. I probably get about 40-50 grams per day.
  • Toronto6fan
    Toronto6fan Posts: 413 Member
    I made myself eat an evening snack even if I wasnt hungry. I bought low fat muffin mix that was around 150 calories and if my calories were too low, ate one. I did good with almonds and walnuts too for a healthy fat. It took me about a month to get back to 1500 calories but I had a few hiccups adding foods back and am still going slowly, my surgery was in january.
  • theperpetualdreamer
    theperpetualdreamer Posts: 7 Member
    Toronto6fan wrote: »
    I made myself eat an evening snack even if I wasnt hungry. I bought low fat muffin mix that was around 150 calories and if my calories were too low, ate one. I did good with almonds and walnuts too for a healthy fat. It took me about a month to get back to 1500 calories but I had a few hiccups adding foods back and am still going slowly, my surgery was in january.

    I started eating in the evening even when not hungry. Thank you for the suggestion!! It has worked well. I tend to get a pack of Belvitas and eat slowly. Most side effects have resided, but me and eggs just can't seem to reconnect. And, using olive oil is 😳... well, I'm working on it. Luckily, I can eat walnuts again. They were problematic for about a month to 6 weeks.
    I hope your recovery has gone well.
  • theperpetualdreamer
    theperpetualdreamer Posts: 7 Member
    concordancia wrote: »
    Limiting two macros at a time makes for a very limited diet, you certainly have my sympathy. And a good, hearty pat on the back for controlling the pre diabetes while dealing with so much else!

    Beans may be a good option for all of your issues, but you will probably have to prepare them at home and for canned, look for no salt added options. Even for people with full blown diabetes, beans can be useful in controlling blood sugar for some because of the added fibre.

    -lentils with taco seasoning (from scratch to avoid salt - cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper to taste)
    -garbanzo beans with your favorite no fat pasta sauce (I believe Hunt's fits this, and it has minimal sugars, but unfamiliar with salt levels). Alternatively, make your own sauce from no salt or sugar added crushed tomatoes.
    -black beans and sweet potatoes with herbs and garlic
    -refried beans can be spiced/herbed up and become a yummy dip for your veggies

    Microwave or baked sweet potatoes topped with your favorite no salt seasoning. Mrs. Dash is the most famous, but Costco has an own brand no salt seasoning that we both like.

    Albacore tuna seems like a good option, but I don't like it without added fats, so no specific suggestions.

    For that egg, take out the yolk and sprinkle it with a homemade everything bagel seasoning - sesame seeds, garlic, dehydrated onions. Also, try out a no salt seasoning. Experiment with herbs. I like dill with my eggs.

    Good luck, and heal well!

    Thank you for the great advice! I printed it out and have posted it on my pantry. My pre-diabetic status still remains, but my last fasting test result was less than 100 (96) ! My BP was 112/78....NOT BAD!
    I still can't eat the amount of fat I used to eat, but no one needs to eat that much fat anyway. My affinity for eggs is back, but unfortunately their affinity for me is not back.😄 We're working on it. And, sadly, me and ice cream have broken up forever. It seems I have developed some lactose intolerance. That was a painful (literally) discovery.

    Thank you for your tips! I have put them to good use. Down 32# since a couple of weeks before the surgery! Another 7# to go to be out of the "medically obese" category. 🥳

    I was squeezing myself, very uncomfortably, into an 18W; I was probably a 20W 😱 in reality. Now, I'm in a 14! Not tight, not loose, but a good fit.

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