Nikki's random poll o' the week...

My last pre op meal was at Don Pablos.  I had the chips and salsa with extra guacomole, then had the pork carnitas and finished it up with an order of sopapias and an order of fried ice cream. 

I don't really think I would have changed anything about this meal.  I have gone back there post op, and just really watched what I have eaten.  I did have a bite of my daughters fried ice cream (cause I dont dump), but it was only a spoonful and not the whole damed thing.  I would really love to have a KFC extra crispy chicken thigh, I actually dream about them, but there is no way I can swing it.  It's just not very healthy or justifiable. 

My doc, my nut, and my exercise guru all agree that I am not on a lifetime diet.  I am learning to eat healthier with healthier portions.  If I want to have that spoonful of ice cream or couple of chips, it is in moderation.  Not at all like I used to eat, gorging myself til everyting was gone.

Sandie

Mine wasn't a planned thing, because we spent two weeks in Disney World for Christmas and New Year's and I had my surgery ten days after we got home.  I did all my splurging there.  We do the dining plan when we go so we ate at all of the most awesome restaurants.  I was SO BAD!

I actually gained almost ten pounds while we were there.  Amazing steak in Canada, delicious pastries in France, Etc. etc. 

SO, when we got home I only had to do two days of liquids before my surgery and my last meal was at The Shed BBQ in Ocean springs MS.   It was yummy.  Would I change anything?  Not really, except to maybe not have splurged so much in Disney!  I'd be ten pounds further along by now!!!

But I did get to have all of my favorites there, and that was cool.  Next time we go, I will be making VERY different choices in my meals for sure.  Funny thing is that now, when we go out to eat, which is often, I am not even tempted by the bad stuff.  I am really learning to look at food as fuel and not pleasure anymore. 

I still have my days where I crave nachos, but other than that, I am pretty ok.  (And I have not licked a Dorito in over a week and have lost a pound and a half in the last three days!!  - SODIUM is my ENEMY!!  Keep your sweets, salty snakcs are my downfall!)

Liquids the day before for me....but The night before that was...Sushi!!!!! Love it...but now the rice of course is the issue...Love those rolls...but I guess eventually I will try just some sashimi...get the fish but no rice!!!!  But ya now I might of had mashed taters, if I had thought about it...because I know now I can't eat them...too much of a trigger food for me!!!!


Lisa

I also treated myself to an Indian buffet for my "last meal", and can't wait to see what recipes you come up with!!

The last thing I ate before starting my 10 day diet was a BIG bowl of homemade chili and a bunch of corn bread, followed by a slab of the richest, most decadent chocolate cake in history.  This ended a week of eating - my diet started on Dec 29 2007, so I'd had all the typical holdiay foods and treats.  ANd no, I wouldn't go back and change it, although I have had the chili multiple times since then, in much smaller quantites, of course. 

I hear you on the oranges though - I went through a phase around Christmas with clementines, until I realized they were what was causing the severe ulcer pain everyday, and had to stop eating them.  I miss them oh so much.  Hopefully I'll get the ulcer healed though and be able to resume my love affair with those sweet juicy little globes of love.  I'll keep my fingers crossed that miss Cleopatra relaxes her stance on No Orange Foods too.

and, I have to ask - what exactly is a collard green?  I'm from Washington, we don't have such things there. :)

It is mostly associated with southern cooking although in my head it's a black folk food (so not true...of the two it's more southern than black folk and definitely soul food).  It is a green vegetable that is a pain to prepare (I am in charge of collards at Thanksgiving).  You have to pick the leaves from the stems, wash them in really cold water (can you say hand cramps) and then they're typically boiled with onions and some type of smoked meat, usually pork.  They are a vegetable that tastes meaty when it's all done and I can say that no black folk Thanksgiving is really complete without them.

Sounds interesting!  Thanks for the explanation.

The weekend before surgery, went to my favorite italian place and had spinich artichoke parmesan dip w/ chips and Spicy chicken penne.

The day of surgery I had same as above for lunch. 

My original surgery date was 11/25, and I broke out in bad hives- the anesthesia ladies noticed them all over my arms and belly WHILE THEY WERE STRAPPING ME TO THE TABLE. I was itchy but didn't notice the bumps on my arms. I was mega nervous, and it didn't help to overhear another patient in the pre op area talking about her infection and she had RNY the week before. My surgery got delayed while my surgeon took her into surgery. I was in panic mode!   So, two last meals for me :-) 

I was so bad I had weeks of last meals, my last Chicken Parm, my last creme brule, my last Taco Bell (which some how turned in to my last two taco bells).

I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to tolerate food that I enjoyed after the surgery, I had all my favorites at least one last time before surgery. I would change that I think, knowing now only two months out that I can still enjoy food and not have to stuff myself.

My very last meal was a big steak with grilled onions, with sauteed zucchini and tomatoes.

I'm only two months out now and just starting to try some things for the first time, so far so good!

i went out to lunch for my last supper - maybe buffalo chicken fingers and french fries.  For dinner that night I had some leftover grilled chicken and a giant chocolate chip cookie from starbucks.  I wished the cookie had been better, but it was the last thing i wanted to eat and Starbucks was the place i could find it.