By: Sandi Henderson, From SandisBandedLiving Blog

One of the most frequently asked questions at my local lap band support group meetings from newer patients is “What can I or what should I eat?” The short answer to that is anything that is high in protein, low in calories that you like.  The long answer can get very complex depending on who you are, what your days are like and why you eat.

I read an article recently Food Boredom May Lead To Weight Loss which really got me thinking about how I “worked my tool” while I was in the “transforming” or weight loss stage of my banded living journey.  As I started on solid food on day 21 after surgery I wondered what could I/should I eat for each meal.  I also wondered how I would get my mind set permanently changed from “living to eat” mode into “eating to live” mode.  I came up with what I thought would be a temporary solution to that question, something that would make my work week easy and assure that I got in my required protein and kept my calories at a minimum at the same time that it made journaling really easy.  I LIKE easy.  It was called planning!

165 calories and 28 grams of protein. Two - Three minutes in the microwave and yummmm, an easy breakfast that I didn't have to think about that tastes good and provides 1/3 of my daily protein requirement.

My planning involved creating a menu for breakfast and lunch that was pre-set and simple to execute.  On Sunday mornings I would make a Chile Relleno Casserole or Frittata and serve it for Sunday morning breakfast and then take 5 of the leftover portions that were 165 calories and 28 grams of protein and wrap then in plastic wrap and bring them for breakfast to the office for Monday - Friday.  Two - Three minutes in the microwave and yummmm, an easy breakfast that I didn't have to think about that tastes good and provides 1/3 of my daily protein requirement and leaves me over 1000 calories of my 1200 calorie daily limit for the rest of the day.  Not bad, and my husband loves the chile relleno casserole too!  Net result, I have breakfast handled for six days and it meets way more than my basic requirements.  Best part, I don't have to think about it, but when I heat it up I can really enjoy it.  Wow……a little thought and planning go a long way.  Stress free breakfast, a great way to start my day.

I know, you're next question is how many weeks can I eat this before I get bored….Guess what?  I can eat this as long as I keep losing weight no matter how bored I am.  I did come up with a few variations on the basic frittata over the 28 month period that I was “transforming”, but it wasn't broke, so I didn't “fix” it.

All rightie then, I have breakfast handled, so what do I do for lunch.  Tuna, I like tuna, I can deal with tuna, and it comes in 3 ounce cans so they have about 100 calories and 20 grams of protein.  Now tuna, packed in water, straight out of the can does not light my fire if you know what I mean.  Mayonnaise would make it better, but mayo is 100 calories per tablespoon and low fat mayo is 50 calories per tablespoon…..neither a place where I chose to “spend” my meager 1200 calories.  I tried fat free mayonnaise - I kind of hated the taste, but when a tablespoon is added to a 3 ounce can of tuna it makes it the perfect consistency for me to eat on my 5 Saltine crackers for a lunch totaling 20 grams of protein and 200 calories.  So that's what I brought for lunch, yes every day at work I would have tuna with fat free mayo and 5 crackers.  You can call my office and ask my assistant if you don't believe me.  Did I ever think of adding some pickle relish to it, or a dab of mustard ?  Nope, again it wasn't broke, it worked, so I didn't fix it.  Two years + of tuna was enough though.  Now, in my eighth year, the only way I eat tuna is ahi tuna sashimi or seared rare.  Very infrequently I will make up a big batch of tuna salad with celery, pickle, Greek yogurt - but I don't eat it in the office.  However, for two+ years it provided the nutrition I required for the calories I was willing to ingest and made journaling easy and I didn't have to think about what I would have for lunch.  The best part was that I was not hungry and the weight kept coming off.

Yellow fin tuna ceviche marinated in lime juice, mixed with mango peach salsa, extra chopped onion and fresh cilantro.

So maybe I discovered that boring is good.  It takes that whole “emotional” thing out of basic sustenance.  I continue to eat the same foods over and over again even today, leaving my recipe experiments for the weekend.  As long as I continue that way I am safe.  When I stray I tend to eat too many calories or the “wrong” foods.  Take it from me, there is nothing that is not tasty about yellow fin tuna ceviche marinated in lime juice, mixed with mango peach salsa, extra chopped onion and fresh cilantro over 10 tortilla chips.  I have been eating that for dinner about twice a week since I caught the fish in Cabo San Lucas in May. My conclusions are as follows:

• Studies have now shown that food boredom may actually lead to weight loss
• Having the same foods over and over again can lead to food boredom, which can lead to weight loss
• Weight loss, good health and improving my quality of life were my reasons for having lap band surgery so anything that can easily contribute to weight loss is a good thing
• Eating to live instead of living to eat is my mantra
• A little planning goes a long way, or weigh…
• Being bored with my food is not necessarily a bad thing- refer back to eating to live, not living to eat
• KISS is my motto (keep it simple stupid) for weekday breakfasts, lunches and dinners
• Repetitive, aka boring meals do not have to be tasteless - examples - chile relleno casserole and tuna ceviche
• Learning the calorie and protein content of a few foods as well as the exact portions I eat them in helps me keep journaling easy, once again making repetitive a good thing
• It's all about finding what works, celebrating the successes and continuing to stay focused on the end goal.  (Nobody ever said having lap band surgery would make everything taste like a gourmet dinner or a hot fudge sundae)
• DO WHAT WORKS for you, fits into your life style and meets your needs and helps you achieve your goals.  It's your life and you control the choices.

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