Question to the oldtimers about their first Post Op Thanksgiving

Hi everybody....

I am sitting here thinking about Thanksgiving.  I am in my last week of my pureed phase and on Thanksgiving Day I will be having my turkey, green beans and mashed sweet potatoes with a little fat free gravy pureed. 

As I sat picturing this I started wondering about my attitude and emotions around this and what the feelings would be as I watched everyone else eat the appetizers, dinner, deserts, coffee and what not.  Already I can sort of feel me getting sorry for myself which is such a set up.

I would really like to hear about others experiences of their first post op Thanksgiving or Christmas.  What was it like, how did you feel, how did you handle it?  The good thing is I love my family and they are so supportive.  The bad thing is that the holidays have always been about food, it is where I hid out and this year I can't hide behind my little 1/2 cup of puree!

Thanks in advance for sharing,

Leslie

Good question.  My first Thanksgiving was a breeze.  By the time Thanksgiving came around, I knew what it was like to eat and throw up and having an awlful feeling sit in my stomach.  You'll know what I'm talking about because most RNY folks experience it.

Needless to say, I just tasted the food in small amounts and I was DONE....Really, DONE!  I just did not want to feel sick on Thanksgiving  ...It was not worth it.  I still enjoyed family time which help distract me from "food".

Thanks Gus.  I am really grateful that to this point I have not thrown up, gotten stuck, dumped.  I haven't tempted fate or tested my pouch.  It helps to know that you got through it easily. 

I'm really glad you brought this up Leslie.  I've been wondering the same thing, thinking about Thursday...  It's going to be pretty bizzarre just nibbling or sipping on things!  My surgery was just October 27th, so I'll be still on soft/pureed foods.  I can have the mashed potatoes and a few more things, but so little that I'll just be sitting there watching everyone else. Since we're hosting it at our house, maybe I can make myself get up and refresh everyone's drinks, get more gravy, etc.  I'm definitely thinking this one out, because I do NOT want to feel sick (from eating too much).  I know I'll feel so much better afterwards from not over doing it too.  Just know we're all in this together!  We'll be thinking of each other!!

Leslie,

Relax, you will survive and be sooo proud of yourself.  I suggest that you do not try anything new, just stick with the tried and true to date.  This is not going to be a forever sentence.  This will be the only year you will not be able to eat anything but a "modified" dinner.  Next year it will be business as usual, albeit much, much smaller servings.

After dinner, just get up and take a walk with other family members, or play a game, or jus****ch football, but get away from the table or wherever the food is.

You also have to remember that, even though you are thinking of all that food now, chances are highly likely that, when faced with the actual food, you will choose to not partake.  Your brain is still not thinking that you have had WLS.  It will on Thursday, trust me.  Especially the fact that you are so newly out.  It would be much more difficult if you were five or six months out.

Good luck and enjoy the day with your supportive family.  Be thankful they are so supportive!

Morning Leslie,


Great question.  I didn't have any problems at thanksgiving I had not had surgery yet and it was almost a year before my first one and had learned alot by then, but mine came at Christmas and my dads birthday party one day before Christmas.  I didn't cope so well.  I had a total meltdown screaming at everyone for eating in front of me.  I hated what I had done to myself, I hated everything and everyone.  We eat very Italian at my house at Christmas and I was so sad that I didn't get to eat anything.  I basically has blended tuna and some refried beans.  I learned how to eat by the second Christmas as was my first thanksgiving.  A warning to you just coming off, please make sure that you chew your foods, and just a few bites.  Make sure that everything is very moist because the last thing you want to do is be in the bathroom sick.  At the Holidays now, I eat some mashed potatos, dark meat of a turkey because it is more moist and basically I am done.  It's fun to watch everyone else blow up and not me

Have a great one hon...Hugs to you, Diane

LOL to you Diana!  I sometimes feel like screaming at everyone too.  That made me laugh out loud.  Anyway, I am amazed to see what people actually eat now.  I was that way just a little over a month ago myself, so no wonder I'd been gaining weight.  Hello....  that's a lot of food!  And when I see their plate finished, I'm like, whoa.  They actually finished all that.  So on one hand, I'll sit back and watch them like you said.  Being thankful I won't be getting bigger after the holidays.  The habit is to eat, so I'm so thankful for this little convo. about holiday eating.  Ok, one more day!  Thanks again and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thanks you so much everyone!!!  Ahhhh...I do have a plan. I am bringing my food with me so I won't be tempted to do something outside of my routine.  We are getting there early and staying late so I am also going to bring some crochet to keep my hands busy while everyone is preparing food and snacking.  After dinner we are going to play Mexican domino's so I will play that and drink my diet decaf green tea and have some protein choco pudding for later.  I know I can do this and am pretty sure I can do it graciously.

Yesterday I had my first egg - I pureed it with some pastrami and cheese and made this omelet.  I chewed it like crazy and everythig was fine.  I was pretty excited about this.

Thanks for all of your feedback, I'll be thinking of you all tomorrow!!!!

Les

P.S.  Diane - sadly I had to give away my overalls.  They really got too damn big, even for me

You know we burned a shirt of Beckys once she had plastics and hernia repair, can we have a party and burn your overalls???  I bet you are looking so much better already.  Very happy that they got tooooooo big for you!!!!

Hope you did well today.  For me it was one bite of stuffing, one bite of mashed potatoes, 4 bites of hams, and a roll.  That was it.  No more room and nothing really tasted good anyway, but everyone else said it was really good.  I also just found out that Doug cooked the bird upside down!  There was no meat to serve and for the life of me I was trying to figure out what was wrong, then he turned the bird over.  That's what happens when you let a man do a womans job, but I needed to get all pretty, and left him to do it.  
 
Hope you are well and keep up the great work Leslie..Hugs, Diane

I heard about that burning party!  That cracks me up about the turkey - poor Doug!  Thanks for the encouragement woman!  I hope I get to see you at the Inland Coffee on December 12th!!!!

Les