Ruben Cardona plans to spend Christmas in his loft in East Downtown with his partner.
I've been so eager to decorate this year I put up all my holiday stuff up even before Thanksgiving, he said.
Cardonas tree is decorated and covered with lights, and his stockings for humans as well as his dogs Ramsey and Bug are hanging. Instead of visiting family, Cardona, 28, will schedule FaceTime and telephone calls to stay connected.
We decided to do our holidays apart, he said.
In some ways, staying separate will make Cardonas celebration easier this year. A few months ago, he had a gastric sleeve procedure. After weight-loss surgery, diets and portion sizes are restricted, making Christmas dinner trickier to navigate.
Its my first holiday season with this surgery, he said.
Since most Christmas parties are canceled because of COVID-19, Cardona can stick more easily to his prescribed post-surgery diet. He can control how much he eats and when he sits down for a meals.
Cardona has also committed to making smart choices, such as subbing mashed cauliflower for mashed potatoes and forgoing the wine this holiday season.
These decisions are less difficult to make without holiday parties and family meals.
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, 252,000 bariatric procedures were performed in the U.S. in 2018. At Baylor College of Medicine, where Cardona is a patient, about 160 weight-loss procedures are performed annually.
A lot of patients get concerned, said Rachel Griehs, a dietitian at Baylor College of Medicine who has been working with Cardona. When they get together with friends and family, theres food all over. Its a challenge for them.
Cardonas bariatric surgeon at Baylor, Dr. Juliet Holder-Haynes, said patients are often worried about managing meals after the procedure especially for their first holiday.
For patients who have bariatric surgery, there are a lot of concerns about food in general, she said. Holidays and public events can be stressful.
It can be difficult to explain to your mother why you cant try her specialty this year or why second helpings are out of the question, she said. It can be awkward when they can only have small amounts of food.
Punch and champagne are often off limits, which can be confusing to friends who want to celebrate over a toast.
They cant do it like they used to, and that can cause a lot of stress, Griehs said.
She explained that after a gastric sleeve or bypass surgery, a patients stomach is literally smaller.
They cant always eat certain things, and they wont be able to overeat, Griehs said. Were changing their anatomy and their stomach. You almost have to treat their stomach like its brand new.
Even munching on something dry like turkey or too sweet like a Christmas cookie can make them sick, she added. Not only are certain foods off limits, but portion size is crucial. Eating too much of a food even one thats typically safe can lead to vomiting.
Starches can be too heavy for a weight-loss-surgery patient. They can be heavy, like a lump in the stomach, said Griehs, who recommends patients stick with protein. Keep that food to the smallest portion. Eat everything else first.
That means, after the Christmas ham and a vegetable, a spoonful of mashed potatoes or stuffing can suffice.
Dumping syndrome diarrhea, nausea, cramping or light-headedness caused by rapid gastric emptying is common when patients eat sugar or drink during a meal.
Foods that dont sit in the stomach literally dump, Griehs said. For some people, they can eat barbecue sauce and that happens. For others, its a piece of cake. Theres nothing you can do about it. You just have to go through it, and its almost like food poisoning.
Staying away from dessert, alcohol and carbohydrates can help post-operation individuals feel better. Still, a new dish can pose a problem, simply because patients do not know how they will react to certain ingredients.
Eat the stuff you know you can eat, Griehs said. Be aware of ingredients in dishes. Maybe bring a dish you know that you can eat.
In addition, she tells patients to eat slowly and chew food well. Drinking water and eating also must become separate occasions.
You cannot eat and drink together, she said. It creates a lot of pressure on the stomach. Then you would feel bad for a couple of hours.
She also suggests using a saucer instead of a plate to limit portions and to bring baby silverware to force small bites of food.
If they have one bite too many, they will get sick, Griehs said. They dont want to get to that point.
Michelle Stacker, 51, underwent the procedure in May after hypothyroidism caused her to gain weight even though she ate healthfully and exercised. Weight-loss surgery seemed like the solution. Already, shes lost 60 pounds. Now she enjoys running around with her grandchildren in the park.
Having this surgery changed my life, said Stacker, who lives in The Woodlands. I feel so good. I wake up, and Im not aching. I wake up, and Im not hurting.
Still, adjusting to her diet has its challenges. Her once-typical salads dont sit well in her stomach anymore, and she can take only a couple of sips of her beloved daiquiris before placing them back in the freezer for later. She often drinks protein shakes instead of meals to help with her nutrition.
During the holidays, she plans to cook stuffing, cake and other favorites for her family.
Stacker will be eating with baby silverware to control her portions. She also has to be careful not to take in too much air when she drinks water.
Stacker said the extra effort is worth it.
This year, Im feeling joy that I attribute to the surgery, she said. I dont feel sick. Im active, and I get to play with my grandchildren.
Some patients will want to limit their calories to a holiday party and restrict what they eat the rest of the day or even skip some meals. Thats a bad idea, Griehs said. It can lead to over-eating and chewing too fast.
A lot of people will go all day without eating and then be ravenous, she explained. I tell people to eat light, but be sure you eat. You want to stick to your regular schedule of eating.
Still, Griehs said to remember that each holiday get-together lasts only a day. If an individual overeats or has a dessert, its not the end of the world.
Patients often worry about gaining back the weight they lost with surgery, Griehs explained.
Theres a honeymoon phase after the operation when they can lose weight no matter what, she said. That doesnt last forever. Their appetite starts coming back, and if they havent changed the way that they think about food, they will likely go back to old eating habits.
Holder-Haynes agreed. One bad meal is not going to cause you to have weight gain, she said. Its a pattern of behavior that leads to weight gain. One Christmas meal wont sabotage you.
She advises patients to remember why they had the surgery in the first place when they get frustrated about their diets during the holiday.
Before surgery, your relationship with food had to change, she said.
Holder-Haynes also suggests that patients have a game plan. Plan what youll eat, and picture what your plate will look like, she said.
Cardona said that both Holder-Haynes and Griehs consider him a patient for life, not simply during the surgery.
If you have any questions, they tell me to feel free to reach out, Cardona said. Ive done that, and I enjoy it.
They have both been clear to him that weight loss is a process.
This is going to be a lifelong thing, he said. This is something I have to work for. I want to keep this going. Ill set new goals, and Ill keep moving forward.
Cardonas surgery was at the end of August. Four months later, he now weighs 206 pounds, down from 287 pounds.
Hes become extremely aware of what he can eat and when. Already, he feels healthier. Before his surgery, even walking his dogs would hurt his feet and back.
But now I feel like I have more energy and can withstand walking longer and farther, he said. My dogs are very appreciative.
Maybe the holidays shouldnt be all about food anyway, he added.
Were so used to holiday get-togethers and food, Cardona said. Its not about the food and gifts. Its about the holidays.
In Christmases past, Cardonas gatherings often centered on the food; after dessert, everyone left. Thats changing, as he and other family members have opted for weight-loss surgery.
Food hasnt been the center of our gatherings anymore. Its about bringing ourselves to the table instead, Cardona said.
Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer.
Read the original here:
Eating off saucers and other ways to celebrate the holidays after weight-loss surgery - Houston Chronicle
