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Pre -Transplant Diet and Exercise Ideas
Transplants | Last Active: Dec 6, 2021 | Replies (59)Comment receiving replies
Great topic, Rosemary! Last year we interviewed Heather Bamlet, RDN, LD, transplant clinical dietitian at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Rochester on the topic of weight gain AFTER transplant. She had lots of good tips for getting the scale to go down, and I assume many of these are relevant to patients looking to get healthy before their transplant too.
Cooking and Meal Planning:
-Plan meals ahead of time.
-When designing a meal, follow the MyPlate method.
-Use cooking methods that will keep the foods out of reach for snacking, such as a slow cooker.
Eating:
-Be aware of your portion sizes.
-Eat more fruits and vegetables.
-Choose whole grains, lean meats and low-fat dairy products most often.
-Keep treats like cake, candy, cookies, chips or soda to a minimum.
-If still hungry after meals using the MyPlate method, reach for more fruits and vegetables.
-Make sure you are drinking enough noncaloric fluids.
Exercise:
-Get active. Aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise weekly. It is better to split this up and do at least 20 minutes most days of the week.
-Do weight training. Add this in to boost your muscle mass after your surgeon clears you to do so, since muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does.
Here's the link to the full post: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/newsfeed-post/weight-gain-after-transplant-where-does-it-come-from-and-how-to-get-rid-of-it-2/.
Replies to "Great topic, Rosemary! Last year we interviewed Heather Bamlet, RDN, LD, transplant clinical dietitian at Mayo..."
That sounds delicious @contentandwell! I'm no expert but 25g of protein sounds like a great way to start the day (followed by dark chocolate of course!). Hopefully it will keep you satisfied through your workout. Have fun!
@kequick it did keep me very satisfied but I am EXHAUSTED. The class lasted about 50 minutes and then I “water jogged” for 40 more minutes. I’m ready for an afternoon nap.
JK
Portion size is a continual struggle for me. I need to invest in a kitchen scale to help me. I guess, but I'm assuming that my guesses are probably won't. Lol
@kequick
Lots of good ideas.. I just use my fist for measure. Water aerobics is on my schedule too...as soon as PT says ok. Bone spurs and nearly torn achilles..ugh!
@jodeej I had a very cheap kitchen scale so I asked for a better one for Christmas. My husband got me one that I love. I just googled the brand, Accuweight, and there a number of them on Amazon. I believe mine is the 207. The nice thing about it is that I can put my salad dish on the scale and as I build my salad I can set it to zero (tare) after adding each ingredient.
My almost daily salad is greens, white meat chicken, strawberries and goat cheese crumbles. I've become addicted to it. Unfortunately I have suddenly started getting cankers so I googled the cause -- according to the Mayo site, it could be the strawberries. 🙁 On that site or another, it also mentions being on immunosuppressants.
JK
@jeanne5009 I hope you find a good place for your water aerobics. The health club I go to has such a good group of women (and a few men) that it really helps to make it enjoyable, and most of the instructors are great too. We are considering moving -- downsizing -- and if we do so we could possibly move to a location too far for me to go to this club. If so I hope I can find a comparable one.
Even with your bone spurs and nearly torn achilles, I am sure you will be able to do the water. At my club they very consciously tell you to do what you are able, and to tailor the exercises to your own abilities.
JK
@contentandwell
I sure hope they don't change your class. That happened to a friend of mine who takes Zumba. She found a new place and likes it even better. I used to teach aerobic dancing classes and it can be great fun! Let us know what happens.
@jeanne5009 It's not them changing the class that I am concerned about, it's that if we move and I need to find a new club, will I find one that I like as much as the one I go now. Plus, being in NH, my club is less expensive than many will be if we move to MA. I pay about $70 a month and for the club I go to that is pretty reasonable. All the classes I take are included in that cost.
JK
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@kequick Portion size has always been one of my biggest downfalls. I got a very nice little kitchen scale that I use often now to make sure that my portion sizes are in the right range. Of course I do have other downfalls too -- breads, chocolate, etc., but for me those are actually easier to control.
I had no-fat yogurt for breakfast this morning with fruit that I measured and some Kind granola that I also measured. If you check the labels on the Kind granola some are fairly low-carb so those are the ones I eat -- my son turned me on to this as a breakfast. I do finish off with a square of high cocoa content chocolate, today was 88%. My excuse for that is that it's good for my heart, and since I can't drink red wine now I have to give something to my heart. 😉
I recorded it all on myfitnesspal and everything came out to 382 calories, 47 g of carbs, 25 g of protein, and 150 g of sodium, which is within where I want to be. Now I'm off to go to my water aerobics class after a week of being away from it for vacation. I'm going to feel it today.
JK