My appointment with the dietitian went really well today. She went over all of the things that I will and won't be able to eat. She said the first 2 weeks will consist of all liquids (sugar free popcicles, sugar free jello, broth, water, crystal light). The next 2 weeks I can move up to eggs (any way I like), baby food, 1% or fat free milk, cottage cheese, regular cheese, yogurt with no chunks, protein shakes (have to have two of these a day, everyday!), multivitamin, and calcium supplement. After that I can move onto fish, chicken, lean beef (all finely ground or fish that is flakey), cooked veggies and cooked fruits, continuing with the protein shakes and vitamins. Things I CANNOT have: ANY soda (the carbonation will cause bubbles and make me immediately vomit), no drinking with a straw (air again can cause me to vomit), no gulping - sipping only (to prevent air bubbles again). No breads, pastas, rice, sweets, etc. She said that a good idea would be to like make spaghetti, but use spaghetti squash as noodles. And like with lasagna, instead of noodles slice up eggplant to use. She gave me a lot of great ideas on how to substitute. It's a very small window of what I'll be able to eat, but at least I like the things that I can have! The motivation for us to have a family and for me to be healthy are all worth the sacrifice. Once I learn how to eat, things will just come naturally. Another cool thing that she pointed out was that once we do have a child, I'll be able to make healthy eating choices for them, which will in turn teach them how to make good choices and how to grow up healthy. I'll have to eat/drink pretty much all day. She said I won't have any appetite so my stomach will no longer tell me when to eat, but I'll eat by what the clock says. But anyway, that's about everything from today! A lot of information, but great stuff to know. She also said that a lot of people have the mindset to eat however much I can of whatever I want up until the surgery, but she said to avoid this at all possible. She said that this causes the liver to be fatty and since the liver is right beside the stomach, we need to shrink it as much as possible before the surgery. She said to go ahead and still have the things I want, just to make sure that I watch all my portions and eat in moderation. Good advice, and that comment actually pinpointed to me.
So there we have it... visit 1 of 2... just another step closer to my dream!
