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Tools of the Post-op Gastric Bypass Trade
Living with a teeny tiny tummy means that there have been some changes to my most used kitchen items. I’ve compiled a quick tools of the trade guide so you can see what I can’t live without in my kitchen since my gastric bypass surgery.
- A good sturdy water bottle….
I aim to drink around 2.5L of water a day and since I have to drink little amounts often, the only way to do it is by sipping frequently on a water bottle. I use my trusty pink Tupperware one that I have had for years. It needs to be a bottle that you like to hold and drink out of because you do this all the time and you take it absolutely everywhere with you!
- A stick blender….
No single kitchen item has been more useful since surgery. In the early days I used my stick blender to mix my Optifast shakes to make them less powdery or for something different, blend them with ice. Then it was super handy while I was in the puree stage and was perfect for getting everything down to the correct consistency. Even now, over a year out from surgery, I use this every single day to mix my morning protein shake. I’m even going to take this to England when we go on holiday later in the year.
- Small crockery and cutlery….
Portion control and slow eating are two essential elements of life post surgery and using small crockery and cutlery make your tiny meals not look quite so ridiculous and really help you slow down your pace of eating. Ramekins make the perfect sized bowls and side plates are a good plate size. One of my friends gave me a small cutlery set after surgery and it really helps me take smaller bites and eat slower. I even found small Hello Kitty forks at the mall and I even have one in my desk drawer at work so I have all bases covered.
- Measuring cups ….
I still measure most of my food out. I find if I don’t measure it out I over-estimate quantity and don’t finish it anyway so it helps me stay within my limits and not waste food. These are essential, especially in the early days.
- Snaploc bags …
The small snack size snaploc bag is the perfect size to contain one of my meals. I tend to make more than I need whenever I cook. With how little I eat it would be ridiculous to only cook enough for one meal, so I always have spare to bag up for another meal/s. I like to be prepared for anything so always have meals on hand in the freezer that I can reheat and go. A great tip for puree stage is to freeze the puree into ice cube trays, pop the cubes out into snaploc bags and then you can defrost however many cubes you need as you progress along while building the amount you eat.
There you have it. Those are my five things that I can’t live without and use day-to-day in my kitchen catering to my teeny tiny post gastric bypass tummy. Let me know if you think I have left something off my list. Is there something you use all the time that I need in my life, leave a comment below and let me know!
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Hi Melissa,
What a fab webite, we really needed this here in nz, I found it a bit tricky to find information for over here and I think this will be great.
I love the tool box … I too have the same and its so handy makes life easy.
Thanks for being you and helping our little bariatric world here in nz
Hello!
Thank you Elysia 😀 I can’t wait to build my content and really hope that people find it useful!
Melissa 😀
You are awesome! I am actually REALLY finding this all so useful given what is coming up! 😀
Thank you Tammy! That’s exactly what I had hoped. I will be adding 2 posts a week so keep coming back 😀
Hi Melissa, did you ever feel the need for one of those NutriBullet type blenders? I get that the aim is to consume LESS, not more fruits and vegetables after surgery (plus is that thing about breaking down the cell wall REALLY true?) but wonder if it might make meat for example more digestible in the early stages. Or was the stick blender enough?
Hi Gemma, to be honest I’ve not felt the need for one. My stick blender is enough. I wouldn’t be recommending anyone post surgery used one to consume heaps of fruit in particular because it’s so high in sugar and could cause dumping. When I have used one on occasion to make my protein shakes I find they are so powerful that it makes the shake really bubbly and I think it puts a lot more air in them. This isn’t good for a tiny tummy because it will take up space and make you burp lots. In saying that I’ve never tried one with proper food and it could do a better job getting it to purée and may not have the same effect of making it really aerated and bubbly. The best way to make sure you get meat to a good texture is to make sure you have some sort of liquid with it like low calorie gravy or something (even water can be okay depending on what it is) just to get the texture right. Hope that’s helpful!
Awesome, that all makes sense. I’ll be sticking with the stick!