A Day In My Bariatric Pouch

Today, yet again, I have been urged to post a typical day’s food that I have eaten to show the variety and quantities of food that you can expect to eat post surgery. In the past I have declined such requests for a number of reasons: my days aren’t too typical (I may be recipe testing, entertaining; on the road or chilling); my appetite and tolerance varies quite considerably from day to day so any typical guidelines can be misleading; I’m almost 5 years post-op bypass surgery so my stage of eating might not comply with those reading the post; and others do this ‘day in my pouch’ visual blog so much better and more detailed than I ever could!   However, yesterday was a fairly typical day, and if you can get past the differences in your day and mine; your tolerances (plus likes and dislikes); and allow for my portion sizes to not exactly mirror yours, then here’s what I had:  

 

FIRST THING:  My day starts fairly typically with a cup of tea. It’s usually an early start (around 6-7 am) and I sip it while doing a couple of household chores, turning on the computer, letting our dog out and collecting the mail and newspapers. Before I forget, I take my multi-vitamin tablet, calcium citrate one and some easy iron – I do this religiously – they’re positioned on my desk in such a way that they cannot be ignored or forgotten. I also keep my 2 oral sprays for Vit B12 and Vit D there but usually opt to take them later in the day (or I pop into my handbag/purse for travel).

 

   

 

BREAKFAST: I rarely miss breakfast and almost always wake with a good appetite. So breakfast is usually about 8 am and a leisurely affair. Most days I will opt for eggs or some fruit and yogurt. Yesterday I had some scrambled eggs on a slice of wholemeal toast with a few smoked salmon scraps cooked into the egg mixture (the remnants of a special Costco deal). Sometimes I have the eggs plain, sometimes with a little chopped ham, grated cheese or snipped herbs. I cook mine quickly with just a little semi-skimmed milk in the microwave. It can be on the table in under 2 minutes. I try to have breakfast at home as much as possible but there are some days when there is quite an early start and it’s onto the road within half an hour of waking. If time is short then I often take a protein drink or a protein bar along with me to eat/drink when I arrive where I am going or during the journey. They are not something I rely upon but when such an occasion crops up I know they are a good alternative to nothing or a poor service station option.  

I invariably eat all of the scrambled egg but frequently don’t manage all of the toast. My dog always looks expectantly for any leftovers and isn’t often disappointed….  

 

LUNCH: Now this is a meal that does change dramatically from day to day. If I have been recipe developing and testing then lunch will usually be the results of that. Sometimes it is a picnic-style affair al desko or better still in the garden or on the terrace if the weather is good; it also might be a swanky high-end affair if I have a press reception to attend – but yesterday it was my bariatric bento box outside (enjoying the first few rays and warmth of the early summer). I made a wrap with some shredded beef, peppers and other salad vegetables and added a soy sauce dip. A few slices of cucumber, grapes and a Babybel cheese completed the box. I did consider packing it up and taking it to the park but a scheduled (yet late) delivery kept me at home.    

SNACKS: Around about 5 pm I seem to get an energy dip so a snack is often eaten. This can vary from a small handful of unsalted nuts, few olives, small slice of any bariatric-friendly cake that I might have made; a few cubes of cheese, piece of fruit, or couple of small crackers with a tablespoon of dip (I’m very attached to my Dr Karg small crackers or Kallo rice cakes with guacamole or salsa). Yesterday I had a few fruit berries which I dipped into fat-free thick Greek yogurt. I didn’t sweeten the yogurt in any way because the berries were sweet enough.   THROUGHOUT THE DAY: Lots of water and probably too much coffee.  

 

DINNER: It’s a rare occasion when we don’t sit down to eat as a family. Sometimes it might just be Mr B and myself but often other family members are around. Most evenings I will cook from scratch for this meal – anything from a roast, a slow-cooked favourite, a grill or family favourite. The latter can be anything from a Shepherd’s Pie, Curry, Tagine, Fish Pie, Lasagne, Meat or Vegetable Roast or Pizza – always served with vegetables or salad. I have adapted these over the last 4 years to be as bariatric-friendly as possible so that we can all eat the same thing (I don’t want to eat different food to the rest of my family on a regular basis, although occasionally it does happen). Any leftovers from this meal that can be frozen are packed into my mini freezer boxes and will appear again another day when I don’t fancy cooking for myself, am short on time, or eating alone. Sometimes they’re re-purposed so, for example, a bit of chilli might become the filling for a small omelette, or a few pieces of fish or meat might go into the pan with vegetables for a mini stir-fry. Yesterday I was testing a recipe that I thought might work well for a Father’s Day dish. This was a meal of prawns, flavoured with chilli, lime and coriander/cilantro, served with an avocado, apple and lime salsa. It was incredibly easy to prepare and enjoyed by all. Mr B and Charlie, our son, had theirs with a little crusty bread to mop up the juices – needless to say – I did not! Look out for the recipe in either the next Free Newsletter (subscribe on the home page if you haven’t already) or on this blog for Father’s Day in June.

So there you have it – a day in my bariatric bypass pouch. Quite a luxurious day food wise (it’s not always so!) and I promise to post another where the choices are more thrifty.   Did I get my protein – I believe so. Did I get my 5 a day – for sure. Was it tasty – you bet!