4 MONTHS!

I've made it! It's been 4 months since my surgery! And now I am at liberty to eat what I want. I have no more restrictions on my diet! I can eat tomatoes now! And I can eat citrus fruits now too! I can eat a salad! I can have beef! I can eat pasta, bread and rice! :-) Of course, all in SMALL, SMALL, SMALL amounts. But it's still a monumental, exciting day! According to my nutritionist, my stomach pouch is now the size of a baseball/racquetball by now! :-)

The toughest part about my eating plan at this point is making sure that I don't migrate back to old habits.

Here are some of the basic fundamentals I need to remember and practice....

1. PROTEIN FIRST: Whenever I look down at the plate of food I have prepared, I should mentally identify the protein and eat three bites of it before eating anything else on my plate. My protein goal is 60-80 grams of protein per day. I need to eat fruits and vegetables next.

2. SNACKING: I should now eat three meals per day and two 100 calorie snacks throughout the day. Each snack should be protein rich or have lots of fiber. Some snacks could include: 2/3 cup low fat cottage cheese, 1/2 protein bar, 19 peanuts, 1 round laughing cow cheese, 1 medium apple, celery, 1 cup strawberries, etc.

3. WATER: This is the best, cheapest and most effective beverage anyone can drink. I need to drink at least 64 ounces a day. I drink A LOT more.

4. VITAMINS/MINERALS: Every gastric bypass patient needs to supplement their diet with vitamins and minerals or they can become anemic and malnourished. This is the most difficult for me. I often throw-up my supplements for no reason at all. It just depends on the day. I'm going to try taking non-chewable vitamins now and see if that helps.....

A NOTE ABOUT STARCHES: There are two types of starch I can choose to eat: Whole grains (whole wheat, brown rice, etc.) provide complex carbohydrates, where refined grains (white bread, white rice, pasta, things made from sugar) provide simple carbs. My best choice is the whole grain starches. When choosing to have straches, I need to limit the amount because they act as a sponge in the stomach and leave little room for proteins, fruits and vegetables. Starches should only be eaten 3-4 times per week.

So now you have the information that I have! Whether you wanted it or not! :-)