I’ve been trying to eat healthier, so I added Brussell sprouts to the mix. I’d not really eaten these pre-gastrectomy, but they’re good for you so I gave it a go. I have to say, these are pretty tough for me post gastrectomy even 8 months post op. It takes an amazingly long amount of time to chew. So I ate 4 tops of the Brussell spouts and I threw the rest out. Hey, at least I can say I tried them. 🙂
Also I had mashed potatoes the other day…a very large portion. I have to say if mashed potatoes are really thick, you should stick with small serving sizes. I couldn’t drink water afterwards for an hour because I was so full. So, note to self on mashed potatoes.
Other than that, it’s been pretty uneventful and mostly life as usual. I can eat a very decent portion size now, just have to take it slow and chew well. In one sitting, I can eat a huge serving of spaghetti with meat sauce with a veggie side and fruit. I can also eat 2 slices of pizza at once. Sometimes I prefer 1.5 slices though from fullness. Every once in a while, some foods don’t work and I spit them back out. But that’s not happening very often..
Candy!!! I can eat cookies and chocolate…probably too much. And it’s usually without any kind of sugar crash. So for those of you chocolate lovers who might have a gastrectomy in your future, you should still be able to enjoy your chocolate!
My brother’s recovery is going well. Slightly different but similar to mine. He’s chowing down 700-1000 calories, is 3 weeks post op and is hoping to reduce his tube feeds soon. He feels full and can’t eat when the tube feeds start. I was completely unaware/not bothered when my tube feeds were running. Everyone reacts a little differently!!
Have a great night!
OH MAN! I’m so glad to hear that your progress is going awesome with food and that you can go back to sugars! I LOVE ice cream and I’m really hoping to return to it during the recovery process. How’s the weight gain going paired up with the training? Are you doing any other half-marathons? How quickly were you able to get back to training?
I love ice cream and now can eat a nice portion with no issues.
I blogged about my first training run. I believe it was about 12 weeks post op. I returned to work at 8 weeks and wasn’t ready to add in another to-do until 12 weeks or so. That and I wasn’t sure hoe I’d hold my weight back then because I wasn’t able to get in as many calories. Though almonds and other nuts are a great small volume, high calorie way to bridge the gap once you can eat nuts.
I’m currently able to run 3-4 times a week, 5-6 miles, and hold my weight. Really not bad. I just try harder in running days to eat even more! 🙂
My next race is just a 10K. I usually have always done one marathon-type distance per year and some other random 10Ks. Next race is end of Feb!!
I recently found out I can eat chocolate and some sweets as long as they are not too sweet, and I eat small amounts, right now my favorite cookies are the girls scout cookies “thin mints”. Also, I have notice I can eat sweets better if I have eaten some type of protein before. I still have not braved ice cream but sugar free goes down good. Every day the foods I try get easier, I even had fried calamari and a bloody mary without any ill effects, just do it in moderation.