This month's support meeting at Innovative Weight Loss Solutions was a Christmas party. Ronda, Pam and Jennifer outdid themselves. They had a sampling buffet. Now buffets are usually a quick downhill slope for bariatric surgery patients. It is so easy to over indulge. So you ask, why would they tempt their clients that way? Well, buffets are also a staple of life, especially at Christmas. This is a fact no matter if you have had gastric surgery or not. We all tend to approach the table(s) of food and "load up"; only to find out 30 minutes later you seriously over ate. It takes our bodies about 20 minutes to register with our brain that it is full, so stop eating. That is why most of us wear elastic waist pants at Christmas. If your pants get too tight you have to stop eating, so we wear something that will stretch and allow one more bite.
The intent behind IWS' buffet was to help us see there are good foods to eat. All the dishes were high in protein and fiber and low in carbs and had wonderful flavor. The smells alone in the room were overly inviting. I felt sorry for anyone who was at the liquid diet phase and could only smell and dream of "sugar plums dancing in their heads". No, we didn't have sugar plums, but what we had was heavenly. We had meatballs stroganoff, braised pork with onions and apples, healthy joes (sloppy joes and ours were w/out buns) and lettuce tacos with chicken. There were raw vegetables and dip, black bean and pablano dip with pita chips, some kind of wheat chip and another kind of cracker type item to dip in the bean dip. It looked a little nasty as you can imagine made with black beans but it was wonderful! We had pumpkin loaf with nuts and raisins. There was broccoli and mozzarella cheese salad, a homemade Munch Mix. They served (illegally means we technically shouldn't eat and drink at the same time) a punch that was wonderful. It was made with either cranberry or raspberry Crystal Light and de-fizzed 7up. I'm making this for my own Christmas!!
Most of this food was prepared by Ronda, Jennifer and Pam. Their support goes beyond the normal everyday encouragement. They wanted us to be able to see you can go to a buffet and take a sample of different foods and still eat healthily and not overstuff yourself. This is possible for anyone, not just us patients. Most of the foods were served in small sample cups so as not to over indulge yet still get a sampling of a variety of things. Of course you will not find that at a regular buffet, but you can limit yourself in the same manner. Sometimes you have to choose what you want to eat and what you will leave behind. A good rule of thumb is if you could eat it on a regular day, skip it and try something that is less common to you.
They also wanted us to try some different foods prepared with healthy ingredients and excellent flavor. They provided all the recipes that were served and many others in a cookbook for us to take home. There are several in it I am going to try. For the most part I am a picky eater and not very adventuresome, but I stepped outside of my "reality box", grabbed the wire trapeze and swung with some different foods. I am more adventuresome since surgery, but still reserved by some standards. Who would have thought at one point I would eat sauerkraut and tuna for supper? Yes, mixed together. Okay, maybe my tastes have gone a little astray occasionally. But it is actually good (warmed).
As my body shrinks I hope to continue to stretch my food preferences and try new things. Thank you to Ronda, Pam and Jennifer for putting so much energy into showing us (patients) and non-patients that you can eat wisely in a tempting situation. A little at a time.
The Christmas party was a blast. It was a time for us to support each other, mingle, talk and share. We shared gifts through a prize number drawing. The gifts were provided by the patients (volunteering). You didn't have to bring to get. That is how everything should be. We should be willing to give support, direction through experience and kindness to each other every day. So thank you to IWLS staff for being there all year to lend that support.
"Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines."
~Robert H. Schuller~
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