I get this question a lot from post-ops and I always debate how to answer it.

Post-op group psychology is a funny thing. I’ve yet to meet a single post-op who admits to being able to eat a decent amount of food who portrays that as a good thing. I had severe restriction at first and then went through the psychological ringer about the small amount of food I could eat. It wasn’t fun.

Nowadays I can eat a good deal. And I do. I eat a lot of food, but I control the amount and composition of my calories, if that makes sense. But just to give you an idea, the amount of food I eat now doesn’t raise eyebrows at restaurants or have waiters asking me if my food is ok. Unless I order from the small plate menu, I rarely finish my plate but I eat enough of it to “pass” for normal.

So here’s my plan today, just to give you an idea.

Breakfast (about 10 a.m.): a bit of my Mexican Egg Casserole on a 100-cal English Muffin

Lunch (about 3 p.m.): A tortilla pizza with cheese, pepperoni and turkey sausage

I should probably note here that on my NUTs advice I’ve been doing two servings of starch a day. The English muffin counts as one, the tortilla as the other. I’ve been doing this a few weeks and the only big difference I notice is that I get the munchies less. I shoot for high-fiber stuff that keeps me sated. It helps. For more tortilla pizza recipes than you could ever imagine, visit my girl Michelle (aka Eggface). She’s got tons!

Amount I actually ate: the whole pizza. It’s a large taco sized tortilla, by the way.
Verdict: I am, again, comfortably satified. Neither hungry nor stuffed.

“Dinner” (about 7:30 p.m.): Protein Mudslide

Dessert (will be after midnight for sure): Salted Caramel Dessert

I’ve given up peanut butter for Lent. I am hoping this has not become the new peanut butter! I love this stuff!

How much I’ll eat: C’mon! Do you really have to ask?

Verdict: Well, I haven’t eaten it yet but if it goes the same way as the last seven times it’ll be a sweet finish to a yummy food day!

Keep in mind this is weekend eating. During weekdays I generally eat on a more regimented schedule (about 6:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 3-ish p.m., 6 p.m. and about 9:30 p.m.) and I go to bed at 11. I always try to eat at least five times a day and, per my nutritionist, with my activity schedule, at three years post op strive for between 1300-1600 calories a day. Some days I hit that easily, some days not so much. Every once in a while I go over that. To me, it’s all about balance.

So there you have it. What Nik REALLY eats. Hope this information helps, especially those transitioning into the long-term where their pouches can hold more!