mlmcg, You have brought up some good points for our awareness. We do need to read the food labels carefully. And we need to rethink snacks. This is true both after and before transplant.
The weight battle that you mentioned is similar to what many patients experience prior to being eligible for transplant. I would be interested in learning how these particular patients achieve their weight challenges along with failing diseases that can result in inactivity and poor eating habits. Do you have any hints, or recipe ideas that might be encouraging to them? In advance - Thanks.

I should have chosen my words more carefully, thanks for pointing out areas that I can clarify. Sugar Free Popsicle is the name of a product it has15 calories per serving. The medication I take post transplant makes me hungry which is a known side effect and causes me to crave food. If I have a craving rather than reaching for something higher in calories I drink a cup of hot herbal tea or have a 15 calorie Sugar Free Popsicle (again brand name) because both take awhile to eat they really help me get over my craving struggles with consuming a lot of extra calories. I'd love to hear other ideas that people have that help them fight through cravings.

As far as the veggie soup I should clarify that it is a vegetable broth base, always contains handfuls of cabbage, fresh carrots, onions and whatever is freshest in the market, occasionally I do add a few beans or lentils for protein. Each bowl contains around 100 to 120 calories depending on the ingredients. I LOVE veggies but in order to protect my transplant some vegies are off limits (like broccoli) unless they are cooked, so think of my soup as a cooked salad with no dressing. "Chowing Down" on 3 bowls of soup for lunch which is super filling helps me stay within my ideal calorie range and has the bonus of being high in antioxidants, high in fiber and meets the food safety guidelines for post transplant.

After transplant I am proud to say I have stayed within my ideal weight range!!! Yay me and yay my beautiful kidney! I really appreciate your concern and the reminder of how important staying within that range is as to not put undo strain on my new organ. The example you gave of your friends weight struggle certainly can server as an example of how real the struggle can be.

Again I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to clarify me message, I can see now why it elicited your concern.

Thank you for your kind words. Every time I pick up a food coutainer in a store I check the label. The first thing I check is the amount of sodium per serving, if the sodium is over 140 mg, then I check how many servings per container. If the sodium is over 200 I check to see if I will be eating a full serving at one time or not. If the sodium level is around or above 500, I just put it back. Sodium will make you hungry, that is why manufactures put so much in their foods they want you to buy and eat their foods.

I was raised eating vegetables from our garden. I learned to can as a teenager then along came the home freezer. I eat foods from the freezer section of the store now. I live by myself and if I buy fruits or vegetables from the store they were picked while they were "green" so by the time we buy them they look ripe, but they're not. If you can't smell the wonderful aroma of the fruit or vegetable they have lost all of the nutrients too. If you want fresh, go to a farmer's market when it opens in the morning. If you are unable to go to a farmer's market, buy frozen then canned or dried fruits. The frozen foods are processed down the road from where they are grown, the same is true with canned, they are picked at the peak of freshness. These farm's do not grow food for the grocery stores.

Most of our eating habits are learned at our mother's knee. If we have family get-to-gathers and all the food is high in animal fat, high in sodium and sugar it is hard to say "No, thank you." Even friends are not always good at fixing foods best for us. We can always take our own foods and get strange looks at what we are eating. Aunt So-and-so would say "I fixed this just for you, because you always ate it as a child." You didn't like it then and you hate it now, how do you tell Aunt So-and-so "No, thank you."?

When it comes to recipes, over the years I have collected cookbooks and magazines. I like to learn new things, and I like to adjust recipes if I find a recipe that is heave on fat, sodium, or sugar I say "No." I have foods I enjoy and are healthy so I try finding a recipe that has these foods in them. I substitute foods I like, and can have, for foods I don't like, or can't have, and I have found new flavors that I really like. Seeing a Registered Dietitian, who is willing to work with you where you are, can give each individual the best help. Having the entire family willing to work with one individual can improve their own "life style" and they too will feel better. It takes a village to....

mlmcg

Popsicle - If it has artificial "sugar" sweeteners in it, I would be in the bathroom (artificial sweeteners is my list of things I cannot have, it sends me to the bathroom every time). Are the ingredients listed or just 15 calories?

If your meds are making you feel hungry see if they can be changed. I have never had that problem, my meds have been changed over the last 10 years.

Your vegie soup sounds good, I can't have cabbage, I never liked it cooked so I would leave it out. However, I didn't see any mention of animal protein in your soup. We all need protein in one form or another, daily, not just occasionally. How large are your bowls? A one cup bowl or a three cup bowl? Is your soup heavy on the liquid side or vegie side? Protein, either kind, is more likely to fill you up where vegetables take a lot more to do the same. Are you eating any grains? There was no mention of breakfast or dinner, is that where you get your protein and grains? The body needs a well balanced diet each day. One third in the morning, one third at noon, and one third at the end of the day. The morning meal should be the largest and the evening the smallest.

Is your ideal weight range, yours? Or your dietitians? If it's yours and you have not talked with a dietitian you may want to talk with one as soon as you can. Even if it's a couple of times, we can all use help in getting to know how to care for our kidneys. Doctors are not always the best one to talk with about our meals. Doctors know how to fix kidneys, but not necessarily how to care for them once they are ours. Good luck.

mlmcg

@mlmcg
Such super advice...this really helps me.

I invite you to join me on higher ground. Organ failure is a devastating process and we can all learn so much by helping one another if we come together as a community. I have been very hesitant to post because I am not very confident in my writing. I decided that I don't want my fear stand in the way of sharing information with others who may benefit from my journey or from asking others for advice that I need. Typos happen, no need to exploit them.

@jolinda I haven’t had a chance to welcome you to the Transplants group on Connect. I’m so grateful that you’re here and adding your experiences and knowledge. Thank you. I have corrected the unfortunate typo as mentioned above.

Connecting with others, like you, who have ‘been there’ is so valuable for fellow members, pre and post transplant. I particularly like this discussion thread started by @rosemarya and inspired by @jeanne5009 because it takes Connect even further than mere connections. It inspires members to learn from each other, set targets, report on their progress and achieve their goals. How inspiring (I know I’m overusing the word here, but.. well it is inspiring) for you to have reached a weight that is healthy and right for you, and some of ways you maintain it. Kudos!

@mlmcg I appreciate that you have taken the time to interpret suggested food choices above and how they may or may not work for you. It is important that each person take the counsel of their transplant care team, including dietitians, and know their own bodies.

What works for one person may not work for another. For this reason, I’m quoting guidelines #1 from the Connect Community Guidelines as a gentle reminder for everyone: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/about-connect/tab/community-guidelines/
“1. Be careful about giving out medical advice
- Sharing your own experience is fine, but don't tell other members what they should do.”

Our collective experiences lead to collective knowledge.

@jolinda thank you for posting. I was hesitant at first but found the group extremely understanding and a wealth of knowledge and experience. I have never been let down when asking a question I thought others would think silly. I am grateful to so many people that I will probably never have the pleasure of meeting. Never be afraid to ask a question or post an answer or experience. That is what makes this so special. To me anyway.

@gaylea1 I agree with you wholeheartedly. On this forum people do not criticize each other or try to push their own solutions, they just offer what has worked for them in a non-pushy way. I participated in a different forum for a while and there was criticism and members who felt they knew it all and that everyone should be listening to their advice. This forum is helpful without being like that. It's a great atmosphere in which to share.
JK