Eat, Drink and be Merry!

One subject that comes up often in discussions about MGB surgery is how your actual eating is affected by the surgery. In our culture, much of our social life revolves around eating. Think about it; you celebrate-you eat! Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, holidays; you name it and we will eat to celebrate it.

How well I know this! I have always loved to eat, and I love to cook. I am the friend who will cook for your birthday - whatever you want, even if I don't normally cook it. Paella is your favorite? I'll learn to make it and it will be great! You want a special dessert? Just let me know your desire and I will fulfill it! I cook for you, it shows that I love you. You eat what I cook, it shows that you love me! It's just like when your mom gave you a cookie when you skinned your knee, food makes everything better.

If you were genetically blessed, you could take all this eating, enjoy it, go play a game of hoops, and voila! No pounds gained. Unfortunately, many of us are not so blessed. So we end up morbidly obese, and the food that was our friend and fellow celebrator becomes the enemy with a knife to our throat, ready to cut our lives short. So we find our way to lose weight. For my friend Rob, that means watching every morsel he eats, and running, running, running. He's lost 140 lbs, "the hard way" as his wife puts it. I am very proud of him, and he has been an inspiration to me in finding a way to get thin. I just hate running.

So, I chose my MGB route, (hey! it's a "hard way" too!) and have found that my social life still exists, and I have learned to accomodate myself, while still making my friends and family fat and happy. Well, I'm trying to help them with the fat part.... But let's look at a typical American festivity - the SuperBowl Party.

Ah the SuperBowl. Chicken wings are our specialty. My hubby and I can fry them up and compete with the best of them. So, needless to say, our friends expected chicken wings for SuperBowl Sunday. And they were not let down. We had chicken wings, french fries, celery (yeah veggies!) blue cheese dressing, tortilla chips and cheese dip, and a delicious cranberry jello salad. So, you're asking, what did you eat? I ate 2 chicken wings, 2 tortilla chips with cheese sauce, about a 1/4 cup of the jello salad, and some celery. Oh, and blue cheese dressing of course. Now it took me about 30 minutes to consume this huge feast, maybe even 45. I was just watching the game. (Not drinking a Bud - more on that later!) An hour later, we had 'make your own' ice cream sundaes. Good idea, as I had total control on my dessert. I had about 2-3 spoonfuls of icecream, some nuts, a cherry, some whipped cream, delicious! (Now don't get me wrong, I rarely have dessert as I try to avoid sugar, but once in a while, and just a small bit, makes me happy, and doesn't hurt me.)

Did I feel deprived? No. Did my friends worry about what I was eating? No. I ate what they ate, just a lot less of it. But when it takes a long time to eat, no one really notices how little you are eating. I just talk, and laugh, and have a good time....and so does everyone else.

This is the same scenario, regardless of what the celebration is. I can eat pretty much whatever. I just don't eat much of it. I try to avoid fried foods. As a matter of fact, SuperBowl Monday was a day of much gas and Agent Orange. This is when your post MGB body shoots that greasy stuff right on through your body and it is not pleasant. Shows you why I normally avoid fried stuff. There are still chicken wings in the frig, but I have no desire for them after yesterday's bloat!

Going out to dinner is still fun. I just eat a little of whatever my husband or son are having. Most restaurants portions are huge anyway, so there is always plenty for them, and plenty for me. I have other friends and family who've also had the MGB. When we've been out with them, I notice that sometimes they share, or if not, they just eat a portion of their meal, and take the leftovers home for another time. I like sharing, 'cause it saves money!

Another thing that goes with celebrating is alcohol. Our surgeons recommend no alcohol after MGB surgery. I follow their recommendations. It may or may not be an issue for you, depending on how much you drink pre MGB. I did my crazy drinking in my 20's and 30's...so this has not really been that big of a deal for me. I did like the occasional margarita or glass of wine, but nothing on a regular basis. If I was going to a function where everyone was drinking, I don't think I would stress over it. Many people don't drink anyway. Some of my fellow MGB'ers opt to order cranberry juice with a wedge of lime. Looks like a cocktail. I like water myself, whether the drink of the day is beer, wine or just soft drinks. You will find something that works for you, and that is good for you!

Life goes on, and it is good! Celebrations are all about fellowship and love between family and friends. That works whether you are eating a little or a lot. Focus on the time together, and enjoy!