4 months post-op and Thanksgiving dinner planning

So, I am one week shy of being 4 months post-op and I have been doing great with everything!  Well, so my Thanksgiving holiday is spent with my family at my house where we cook lunch for folks.  My plan of action: Plenty of grilled chicken (we aren't doing turkey) with a smidge of brown gravy, two small cuts of spiral ham, 1 tbsp. of a cheeseball with one low fat triscuit, 3 bites of a sweet potato casserole I am making, and two small bites of a multi-grain roll.  I am only doing one protein shake tomorrow and having an egg for breakfast.  I'm sure I will have a protein only dinner from the turkey and ham with a couple bites of the sweet potato.  Now, I think this is doable.  My problem comes in with the pies.  I have a pecan pie (I love) and pumpkin (I will take a bite just for the sensory and to say I didn't keep anything from myself but it's not my favorite).  I am only going to take 3 generous bites of the pecan pie.  I will probably have to space all this out of course to get it all in.  I think this is a conservative and doable plan...what are you guys' opinions about my planning and also, do you think it's better to have a bite to not feel like you have been cheated or just not at all?  What are you guys doing?????

I am also going with a plan very similar to yours - I still have MAJOR pain with anything over 3-4 bites of food at a time, so stopping won't be an issue - grazing all day probably will be. Good luck to you - and enjoy the day - don't focus on the food, but on the family and how great you will look in family pictures!

Great suggestion already!  Yes, you are right...most things I focus on the food aspect (before and after WLS).  I will enjoy my family and watching them enjoy my food!  Thank you for simple but smart!

I think your plan sounds okay, but I have a couple of questions.  Try to quantify "plenty" for me.  What is "plenty"?   What do 3 "generous bites" look like?  What do two "small bites" look like?

I'm asking because I'm wondering how you will control portions and still meet protein goals without being overstuffed.   Just want you to be successful and truly mindful of what you're going to be eating tomorrow.

My advice is to enjoy Thanksgiving! That being said before you take any bites of  starch or sweets I will ask you, do you know your triggers?  By eating all that sugar in the pecan pie, ( I love pecan pie), you could trigger a carb monster that you won't be able to control.  Only you know how certain foods will effect you.  Since surgery that concentrated amount of sugar would make me sick, but it would also start me on a roller coaster of wanting more carbs, dressing, Potatos, other sweets ect, which I would have a hard time stopping once started. Every one of us has something that we can't just take a bite of and stop.  So I would say figure out what that one thing is and don't start.  It truly is like alcoholism and don't look at it as like you can't have it. Look at it like it is poison and toxic in your body. You have to think about it in a different way.  We are so used to thinking about if we can't have it we are denying ourself and then we want it more.  Not eating pie is not a punishment, it's actually a reward to our bodies. Out of the two pies I say the pumpkin would be better, it has fiber and natural ingredients ( hopefully no corn syrup) but it truly is up to you and how strong you are. At only 4 months out, I get told this all the time, we don't want to set ourselves up for bad habits, that later when we have a bigger stomach, will be easier for us to eat those things........hope this helps and was a different perspective, I wish you only the best! Happy thanksgiving!

Smiles:),

Lisa

You know what...I am a carb freak!  That and portions were/are my problems.  And if I think about it...if I eat some of that and then don't gain weight I will think I can do it some and it will be ok and then it turns into a big mess (obviously).  I think, no pies! There are plenty of people here to eat the pies for me.  :)  Next year this time I think I will be in a better position...maybe...I'll decide that then.  I'm going to keep to the proteins today.  Thinking about it...I am getting in a lot of things I haven't had that I have been wanting (the cheeseball for one and the ham).  Thank you guys for breaking this down for me.  This is going to be a hard day for me but you guys are making me think!  Happy Turkey day and thanks again!

My plan is just to stick with turkey and green beans. I am the kind of person that would rather not have a bite of something like pie (or any sweets really) because I know that one or two bites for me will not be enough. I will still feel cheated if I can't eat the whole thing....not only will I want more after a couple of bites, I'll then experience cravings from the sugar/carbs that I have already eaten. So, in the end.... FOR ME... is better to abstain altogether. There are a lot of people that believe that they shouldn't deprive themselves of the foods they love... but until I'm at goal and have a really good handle on my food/eating issues... I will continue to "deprive" myself! Maybe if I had deprived myself in the past, I wouldn't have been 444 lbs - depriving is exactly what I needed! lol