Nov. 26, 2008 -- This eating solid food is still great. I am now on Phase II of solids, which means I can eat just about what I want as long as it is chewed very well. Still no sugar and very little fat. I am limited to four ounces of food five times a day -- two ounces of protein and two ounces of either fruit, starches or vegetables. Four ounces may not seem like much but it fills me up.
We are getting ready for a trip to Texas after Thanksgiving so this is a good time to go over what I am trying to make into a habit every time I leave home. No matter how long the trip, even to the grocery store, I must take along something to eat. For a long road trip like this I have to plan ahead to avoid temptations from fast food, the snack counters at filling stations, and most of the stuff on the breakfast buffet at the hotel. Fortunately there is a lot of stuff to choose from.
I now have to have 30-40 grams of supplemental protein a day, so I can get some of that with meal-replacement bars that are high in protein and below 220 calories. They are tasty and convenient. There are several drink options that provide protein and work as meal substitutes, too.
My travel list includes a small measuring cup, bottled water, meal replacement bars, canned protein drinks, whey (which can be mixed with low fat milk or with water), vitamins and things I can toss in the cooler such as low fat cottage cheese, little containers of sugar-free Jello or pudding, or low fat cheese sticks.
On a road trip I can eat in restaurants -- even most pubs or hamburger joints -- by careful menu selection. Most places have a soup on the menu and sometimes it is a kind I can eat. So I order a cup of soup and eat about half of it. I carry a card that advises the server I had stomach surgery and need a very small special meal or need to share my wife's meal. She can order a steak and my two ounces is not missed. That, along with a couple of ounces of her baked potato or veggies, is a meal.
My health continues to improve although I had a bit of a weight setback. I actually gained six pounds over two weeks. The folks at Bariatric Solutions in Greenville, SC think it was because of too much protein and because I had stopped ALL of my blood pressure medication, including the diuretic. So I have cut down the daily protein supplement intake and gone back on one-half of the water pill every other day. My blood pressure stays around 118/72 and my blood sugar levels are now in the 80-90 range. I have cleaned up my bicycle and started trying to ride it again after 20 years. I say trying, because these mountains are hard!
