Weight Loss Surgery Forums

Fortify Yourself This Thanksgiving!

by Eric Klein, Founder, ObesityHelp.com

 

 

The holidays are a well known pitfall for weight loss surgery patients.  Below is a negative spiral you don?t want to have?..

Before you had weight loss surgery, the holidays were stressful enough? relatives driving you insane, being on the spotlight feeling like everyone is expecting you to perform with hosting and cooking, and all the food -- everywhere!  But now that you?re a post op it?s 10 times worse. First, you feel out right jealous watching everyone else gorging themselves. When some of them invite you to do the same, however, you wonder if they are outright trying to sabotage your success. The cycle is insidious: in the past, you were always able to turn to your reliable friend ? food ? for comfort and stress relief. Now, however, that previous ally is itself a stress source. You wind up eating too much, but now instead of merely failing at your eating plan, you're also at risk of making a failure out of your surgery as well, which amps up your stress levels even more, where you feel even more craving for using food for stress relief, and the very act of becoming conscious of all of this makes you feel even more anxious and?

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I think the important thing about Thanksgiving or any other holiday or party is to decide what you're going to eat beforehand and stick to it.  This may mean that you decide beforehand that you're going to eat anything you want.  It may mean that you decide that you're not going to eat dessert.  The idea is that it's you making the decision -- not the food making it for you.  Don't drink alcohol.  Alcohol can lower your resistance and take over the decision-making process.

Thanksgiving is only one day.  You won't destroy your progress unless you decide that Thanksgiving lasts until after New Year's.  If on Thanksgiving and Christmas (or Chanukah) you indulge yourself and follow your program the rest of the time, you'll be fine.  Don't keep leftovers from those holidays (unless it's the turkey) and don't bring extra stuff into your home.  It's not necessary to spend the holiday season cocooned in a houseful of candy, cookies and cakes.

Betorah 
West Hartford, CT
Surgeon: Darren Tishler, M.D.
Lap Band (07/18/07)
Member Since: 04/04/01

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12 or 13 years ago, I was in the middle of a 26-week program of Medifast (liquid and food bars only).  I sat at Thanksgiving dinner with about 35 people, and I drank tea and passed the food and just enjoyed the company I was in. This year, I am going to take some tips from Weightwatcher's and remind myself that Thanksgiving dinner is ONE MEAL. I will get up and walk a 5K in the morning ---- then head over to spend the rest of the day with family. We will watch football ( GO Cowboys!!!) and prepare dinner. I will eat my portion of turkey and vegetables. I will make my 'once a year Sweet Potato Pecan side dish' and have a tablespoonful or two. There will be no leftovers for me -- we will cook our own Turkey breast the weekend after Thanksgiving as is our tradition. The only food I may miss is the idea of a 'good old Turkey sandwich' since I don't eat bread anymore.

kathkeb
Surgeon: Jeffery Monash
REALIZE Band (06/05/09)
Member Since: 04/08/09

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Last year I was 3 weeks post op on Thanksgiving Day and was just cleared for soft foods!  I felt so truly blessed that I wouldn't be spending Thanksgiving with my family and a cup of chicken broth on the plate in front of  me, I happily embraced the "softer side" of Thanksgiving Day foods! 

My family was very sympathetic that I was just coming off of 3 weeks on liquids post surgery and many of them said they felt bad eating in front of me!  That's the last thing I wanted!  After all, I knew what I was getting in to when I had Lap Band surgery and I was just thrilled that I could eat SOMETHING! 

For me, the turkey was never the highlight of this holiday meal.  Instead, I looked forward to all the side dishes that evoked all the warm fuzzy memories.  My mother's cornbread stuffing, homemade gravy, real mashed potatoes and that decadent green bean casserole are the dishes I like the best. And let's not forget the pumpkin AND pecan pies!  So, that's what I had!  I had a small helping of potatoes with gravy, and a spoonful of stuffing, (that I was able to handle because I had very little restriction from my band at that point), and a small amount of jello salad!  It was the best tasting Thanksgiving dinner I could remember because I ate slowl, cherishing every bite where I would have normally rushed through a mounding plate of food without pausing to truly "taste" any of it.  I was TRULY thankful for my food!

The highlight of the day was when my mother presented me with a tiny glass dish of pumpkin pie that she made just for me, without crust!  I couldn't believe that she took the time for such a thoughtful gesture with all the cooking and baking she did to prepare the meal.

Since that time I have learned to eat very differently.  This year I will eat turkey first and if there is room I'll have a bite of each side and a taste of pumpkin pie. But I'll definitely give thanks this year for the love and support of my family and friends AND for my Lap band that has assisted me in losing 100+ lbs since last Thanksgiving!

stella62
Snoqualmie, WA
Surgeon:  Ross McMahon M.D.
Lap Band (11/10/08)
Member Since: 11/01/08

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The first Thanksgiving after my surgery, we went to a buffet because I didn't feel like cooking and this way I could pick and choose what I could or would eat.  I have to tell you that just watching these other people gorging themselves on massive amounts of food made me eat even less.  It was sickening watching these people "try to get their money's worth" before they left. Funny thing is, we paid the same price because they wouldn't give me a kids meal price. 

This year we are very fortunate in having friends moving to the Sun City area from Florida.  We're planning on having Thanksgiving together at my house since her furniture and other household goods probably won't arrive in time.   Since we're both RNY'rs, we'll plan the meal around the good stuff for us.  We'll have turkey, sugar free pumpkin pie & apple pie (for our hubbies), sugar free cranberry sauce (love this stuff) along with a bit of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and veggies.  I love turkey and on any holiday, whether or not we out or at home, I always eat my protein first, veggies second and carbs third.  This way I know I'm getting what I need but still get a taste of the other good things available.

Ann M. 
Sun City, AZ
Surgeon: James Foote, M.D.
RNY (06/16/06)
Member Since: 07/16/06

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Since having my surgery in '05, I think I actually like Thanksgiving more. The holidays used to revolve around eating as much as I could then sitting around feeling miserable and watching football. Having the surgery made me rethink the reason for the holidays. I still enjoy the food but because the portions are a LOT smaller and it is no longer a "race to gluttony" I have been able to focus more on family. It turns out I really do like my in-laws and I think they like me also. As far as the football goes, I still over-indulge, but I am no longer miserable (unless the Cowboys win).

Waynenale
Springfield, MO
Surgeon:  J. Chris Eagon
RNY (12/22/05)
Member Since: 09/23/05

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I'm only 4 weeks out, so next year might be different. But after 2 weeks of Optifast pre-op, followed by 2 weeks of liquids, I'm so thrilled to be able to eat real food again that I will be perfectly happy to eat a couple of ounces of turkey, a couple of bites of veggies, and a taste of stuffing. Oops, I'm full, so no dessert for me. :)

Seriously, for me so far, I can have a taste of almost anything, and it's not like dieting when I had to stop eating when I was still hungry.

marahsk
Canada
Quoc Huynh
RNY (08/27/09)
Member Since: 09/18/09

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Last year I had surgery about three weeks before Thanksgiving, it was really not that bad to be so early out. I think it actually made it easier than if I had been months out.

We decided that this year I was not going to cook, I think my husband was worried about me working too hard (I love to throw a party and cook it up!) so we went to a friend?s house. I think I ate a whole ounce of turkey and three green beans. The strange part is the people we had thanksgiving with did not know I had surgery so I skillfully slid the food that was on my plate to my daughter (she was 3 at the time) so that they didn't think something was strange. I also brought a chocolate cream pie with bananas that I made for desert, I ate the pudding and left the bananas and crust since I had tried a slice of banana the day before and dumped on it. They didn't notice a thing -- and boy my daughter ate well that day!

We had a great time talking and celebrating the holiday that didn't revolve around the food, I think that was the first time ever !  This year I think I am going to cook but we are going to cook small, it is really hard to learn to cook for less than an army. LOL!

Checkitout
newton, NJ
Surgeon:  Nicholas Bertha, D.O., F.A.C.S.
RNY (11/10/08)
Member Since: 01/25/08

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The year my grandmother died was the worst thanksgiving ever, my mother didn't cook so we went to the casino (filled with many restaurants) and every one of them was full, my mother was diabetic and of course she "needed" to eat so she said screw it lets just get Chinese food.  I was horrified to say the least. My grandmother was a great cook and made everything homemade and we were going to eat a totally nontraditional meal, I made her wait until we could get into a restaurant that served turkey and stuffing and gravy but it was just worse because it was awful and made me miss my grandmother even more.  I have really never had a great thanksgiving meal since she died, so overeating has never been a problem even before WLS.  I enjoy eating and don't overeat. Meals are no problem to me at all. Snacking is what causes me the most problems and I have cut out all white carbs for the most part to keep myself at goal.

MyLady Heidi 
House'on'the'hill, CT
Surgeon: Jonathan Aranow, M.D.
RNY (04/05/05)
Member Since: 07/30/04

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Thanksgiving has been one of my favorite holidays.  Pre-op, the food.  Post-op, the gratitude for family and friends.  My gratitude has increased with each year that I've been post-op. 

My strategy for the holidays is that I changed my focus from food to family, friends and to reflect on all in my life that I am grateful for.  It isn't about an excuse to eat junk and things that undo the success I've achieved since having surgery.  A few days or a couple of months during the holiday aren't worth surrendering my healthy habits thus extra poundage to greet the New Year.  So, rather than eat a pumpkin and/or pecan pie (pre-op), I eat a small slice (post-op). 

In years past I also walked in a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.  It is hard to walk in an organized walk with other motivated people and then go home and eat 2,000 calories for the day!!

Cathy1
RNY (10/22/01)
Member Since: 08/04/03

 

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Thanksgiving was a little over a month after my DS surgery, and I remember being so thrilled to fill my plate with small portions of everything, and to be able to enjoy the tastes and smells of a good southern Thanksgiving dinner without guilt.  I love my Duodenal Switch!

Magdalena
The Shoals, AL
Surgeon: Dennis C. Smith, Jr., MD, FACS
Surgery: Duodenal Switch (09/17/08)
Member Since: 07/25/07

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My surgery was November 28th, 2006. I couldn't "consume" Thanksgiving that year. I finally came to the realization that the Holidays would no longer be experienced in my mouth. :)  I decided to be alone for Thanksgiving that year. My mother was due to fly in the next day to be with me for surgery.

I got up early and put on some music and warmed the house up a bit. I made some tea and gathered the boxes I had collected for this day. I began by opening all my kitchen cabinets. Bit by bit I put my hands on all the foods I had used for my comforts. I took each item and really looked at it. I really thought about what I had traded for that food. My health,  my hopes.

When all was said and done I had gone through several cups of tea, half a box of Kleenex and 5 boxes sealed and marked "Food Bank". Finally the food was going where it belonged. To those that really needed it to live. It really was my first Thanksgiving.

Miss Redd
Lancashire, United Kingdom
Surgeon: Yen-Chung Andrew Lee
RNY (11/28/06)
Member Since: 10/20/06

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Last Thanksgiving, I was five days out from my RNY. I was still on clear liquids at the time. My lovely dinner consisted of broth, water & SF Jello - LOL! My wonderful family decided to have a small, casual celebration out of respect for my situation. It just ended up being me, my dad, my sister and my niece, and they just got a deli tray from the grocery store. We really ended up focusing on the enjoyable company rather than the food, and that day will always be a fond/funny memory for me.

TXKashmir
Grand Prairie, TX
Surgeon:  Glenn M. Ihde, M.D.
RNY (11/22/08)
Member Since: 09/28/08

 

Please share your Thanksgiving experiences below.