Pre Op and Plans

As my date (not sure, but thinking in MARCH) approaches, I am getting so excited!  It's been so long coming!

I have ordered cute little 5 inch plates for smaller portions, ****tail forks and tiny spoons, liquid Tylenol. What other fun things would you get? My gf who is having it in Feb bought sippy cups but I'm not doing that. I'll get me a fancy grown up version.

I guess I need a food scale and various measuring cups? What other fun kitchen stuff? I already have a kick butt blender.

You probably do not need a scale (although some people she them) because volume matters MUCH more than food weight.  We only have so much room in our pouches, but (in general) it doesn't matter how much the portion weighs.  

You definitely need a set of dry measuring cups, though, if you don't already have some, at least until you learn to recognize portion sizes by sight.  They are easier to use if they are separated rather than all attached to a ring.

You may not use the tiny spoons (baby spoons?) and ****tail forks. Yes, we need to take small bites, but not as small as what a baby spoon holds. You can easily just fill the front portion of a regular spoon or fork. The problem with tiny utensils comes when you start eating solid food. If  you take too small a bite (some surgeons -- ridiculously, IMO -- suggest bites the size of a pencil eraser!), it is almost impossible to chew it to a mush consistency as recommended, and not chewing thoroughly enough can cause more problems had taking a slightly bigger bite.  (Try taking a bite the size of a pencil eraser!)

You might want a shaker ball cup (a shaker cup with a wire ball (like a round wisk) in it) for protein shakes.  Using a blender can create a lot of nasty foam, and it can take a long time to get the foam to settle (and then the shake is kind of warm), so some people (like me) don't use them.

I would also suggest some of the small "snack" (2 ounce, I think) size Tupperware (or other brand) containers.  I found that it was much more convenient to put leftovers into those so I could just pull one out rather than using a larger container and measure out a portion each time. Using those, in fact, kept me from HAVING to measure.

I  still use nothing but salad and bread plates at six years out.  I even bought myself a new set of red Fiesta ware plates, bowls, and mugs (by the piece, not in sets, for various reasons) and I almost didn't buy dinner plates, but decided that I really did need them for others on the rare occasions when I have someone over for a very casual meal.  I also bought their smallest bowls.

Lora

I never used tiny spoons and forks.  I've never weighed food, either.  I measure by volume.  I do like the plastic tumblers with lids that I have.  They work great for protein shakes.  They came with reusable plastic straws but those were hard to wash so I threw them out and just buy a big bag of straws from the dollar store.

For me, I weigh after I have measured by volume, so I can get the proper calorie count. I have yet to find say, a 1/3 cup measurement of filet mignon in MFP. But I can do 2.5 ounces. And 1/3 cup of item X weighs more than 1/3 cup of item Y. But many do just go by volume. I do volume first, then weight and have a battery operated scale I bought at Target and carry with me in an iPad sleeve I got on clearance. 

You can take regular ol' Tylenol, no need for the liquid which was VERY rough on my pouch when I tried it.

Great ideas! Thank you.

Lora, My NUT said eraser sized bites. She also showed how in the beginning the lid of a pen is like the size bite you would take. Hmmmmm.

Are you ever able to use your blender? I have a Vitamix that I shelled big bucks out for and use it to make green smoothies, soups, and tons of other stuff. I hope I can use it again to make drinks like that.

Sure, you can make all that stuff after surgery.  You could put some protein powder in a green smoothie, too.

Try taking an eraser sized bite of something relatively solid and see how hard it is to chew it at all, let alone to chew it to mush.  Better yet, challenge your NUT to do it!  It really is NOT necessary to take such teeny bites.

Many people use their blenders.  I just hate foam, so I don't.  I use a blender ball for real "shakes" (which I rarely drink anymore) and I just stir the protein into my SF hot chocolate. 

I got a really pretty 24oz Tervis tumbler which really helps with getting water in, and no straw :-)