MissMerryberry

I'm 2 months post-op and last night I had my first carb that wasn't a fruit or veggie. I ate ONE forkful of mashed potatoes, they were tasty, but not OH MY GOD I MISSED THESE tasty. We made pot roast in the Crockpot and I went back to focusing on eating small bites of protein, which was very very yummy protein indeed It was also my first BEEF that I'd had since surgery, too.

My dietitian had me start taking a children's chewable multivitamin with food once I got to mashed food (for my program its an extra step between pureed and easy to chew). I have to make sure I have food in my stomach in order to take it - my choice is the Flinstones Complete daily children's chewable, it was recommended to me by my dietitian. I was also told to start taking B12, so I take one that dissolves in your mouth, its tiny and if I want to swallow it I'm also allowed to do that. It's only once a week and I take it with my children's multi-vitamin at night after I eat dinner. What I'm not looking forward to is adding calcium citrate and then eventually iron, they both supposedly can cause constipation which is why the dietitian pushes starting those out a few months after surgery. Speaking of calcium citrate - who likes what they take?

Ooh those are good ideas. I do have hummus and I'm going to get an avocado. I know I could have had hummus sooner, but without something to put it on I hadn't bought it yet, now I can peel and slice up cucumber! So if I have some hummus & cucumber with my other protein I can boost up the calories, that's great, thank you!

I'm 2 months post-op and when I got back on solid foods, my hunger feelings came back. I don't have head hunger though, I truly know that I'm hungry. Its nice though that I can satisfy my hunger with a small amount (1/4c - 1/2c) of high protein food now though. The hunger goes away after that. As someone said before this, hunger is something our body does and its okay. The only time I don't like the hunger is when I'm stuck somewhere, or out doing something and I don't have something to eat, because then it can get pretty strong. I just started my last food stage before normal food, its called "easy to chew food" and now I can have more options (though all my options still have to be kept cold), for taking food with me.

Hi! Thanks ShoppGirl I don't have a calorie restriction. I have amounts I can eat, which is now 1/4c to 1/2c of high protein depending on the food and how my body responds. I have to be able to cut whatever I want to eat with a fork, if it has to be cut with a knife I'm still not allowed to have it. Plus staying away from things that are too dry (like crackers) and pasta/rice. When I look at what I eat, like 1/2 a Chobani with 5 blueberries for breakfast, 1/2c of refried beans w/cheese and taco sauce for lunch, and 1/4c-ish of canned chicken mashed with mayo or like 1-2 ozs of pot roast - I'm not getting 350 calories from any of those. I also have protein drinks, milk, protein water, etc and those aren't 350 calories either. I talked to my psychiatrist again and my regular doctor yesterday and both said that it'll just lower the efficacy, but if I'm feeling fine, then we don't need to change anything - and I'm feeling fine, if anything I'm more anxious, but that's because of all the life changes, so I totally get that, Latuda doesn't help with anxiety anyway. I am trying to think of things to add more calories to one of my meals and take my Latuda then, but it can't be more volume and it has to be high protein, gotta get the nutrition that I can!

Oh heeey, that's a good idea!

I'm so scared of parchment paper in the oven! Its started on fire the last time I used it. If I overcome my fear I will try this!

Thank you! I feel fine so far, yeah and I will take in more calories in a few months.

Awesome! Can you explain how to make cheese crisps?

Could the cheese crisps be considered an easy to chew food? I just found out from my dietitian's office that I can't have water crackers yet because they are too dry and crunchy still. Oh and, I have VERY bad luck with parchment paper, last time I tried to use it in the oven it caught on fire, so I'm really scared to use it in the Air Fryer. Can you explain how to make cheese crisps?

I'm voting for the Omeprazole as well. My surgeon actually prescribed it to me for 90 days after surgery, so I'm still taking it. Its because our little stomachs aren't just little, but at first they produce more acid that is needed for how much we eat/the size of our stomachs. I had chronic acid reflux for many years and a GI doctor had me take the equivalent of 2 Nexium, 2x a day and calcium since esomeprazole (Nexium) can hurt the absorption of calcium by our bones. I had a hernia repaired during my gastric sleeve surgery, too and they said that was what was probably causing my reflux all those years. Since surgery I haven't had any reflux and I've been taking my omeprazole daily. Omeprazole isn't as strong esomeprazole (Nexium). I'm a little scared of getting heartburn/reflux when I'm done with my 90 days of omeprazole, but my nurse said if I'm eating the foods and amounts I'm supposed to eat and still get heartburn more than once a week she'll put me back on omeprazole. The reason she doesn't just keep me on omeprazole is as our stomach heals, it does start producing the right amount of acid and the right amount of acid helps us digest more things (like getting back to "normal foods"). Anyway, so the nurse said to try to not take it after 90 days so our bodies can fully utilize the new acid, haha. Obviously, I'm not my surgeon or my nurse, I just wanted to agree with omeprazole as something to try, but not for too long ?!?!?!

What phase of food are you in, 10 weeks post-op, seems like you can have soft foods but not regular foods yet. My guess is that you didn't get enough protein in your day and eating cheese sauce and fries for dinner was the straw that broke the camel's back. Also, it could be that you aren't hydrated enough either. Those two things not hydrated enough and/or not eating enough protein can kick your body's butt! Find out your daily protein goal from your doctor or dietitian and also get at least 64 ozs of clear liquids daily (this can include protein shakes and milk, too). You have been losing weight really fast, 65 lbs post-op in 10 weeks? I know men lose faster, but that is pretty insane! My instincts are telling me that you haven't been getting enough nutrition for awhile now, protein is so super important! Also, remember we had bariatric surgery to improve our health and having some fries and cheese sauce can just tempt you to eat other less healthy, low protein stuff. Good work on your loss so far, but you gotta be alive to enjoy it! Pump up that protein and water!

I'm not sure where you are weeks past surgery, but it sounds like maybe you've graduated past pureed foods and into the next phase where you can eat what my doctor calls "mashed foods". It sounds like you aren't in a phase where you can have something as solid & dry as a cracker. Please take care of yourself so you don't hurt your esophagus and tummy! That being said, sh*t happens and all we can do is admit we messed up and then move on and make better choices! You can do this, I can tell you want to do this, butternut squash for lunch and dinner, GO GIRL! Also, the fact that you had mashed potato and a ravioli means you added some carbs to your diet and your brain went WHOA! CARBS! LOVE THOSE! When, that happens, its harder to resist a craving for MORE carbs. Stick with things that are high protein and low carb and you'll feel so much better and have less cravings!

I drank chicken bone broth as a protein source when I was still on clear liquids, but if you can also have protein shakes you must be allowed "full liquids". My "meals" weren't my main source of protein at all, they were just to start getting my body used to 3 meals per day...the whole goal those first few weeks its staying hydrated because dehydration can get you off track for healing. My "full liquids" meals were 3 TBS of creamy tomato soup, 3 TBS of greek yogurt, or 3 TBS of cream of wheat. The rest of the day I was sipping water or Fairlife milk. As for homemade shakes, it matters what you put in them, if I had to guess those homemade shakes may have stuff in there (other than the protein powder/water/milk) that your stomach may not tolerate yet like raw veggies (spinach leaves), raw fruit (strawberries, bananas), etc. You can have protein shakes made with water, milk, protein powder and/or greek yogurt, but in your first couple weeks, there really isn't any other options. Check your recipes with your dietitian or doctor.

I'm not single, but my husband & I now eat different foods, so for me, its like cooking for one. I keep some "convenience" go-to foods at home: canned chicken, refried beans, canned tuna, tuna pouches, canned green beans. I also take advantage of some of the things my husband cooks and eat my tiny serving of it like his marinara meat sauce for pasta (made from a jar, not homemade), and taco meat when he makes tacos. Then I take my size portion and mix in things like ricotta cheese, or top off with finely shredded cheese. I do the same with the convenience foods. So technically, I'm not cooking with those convenience foods....canned chicken and refried beans are definitely my two main go-to foods though. I'm in stage 3, which is soft foods, if you are still in the liquid stages I'd go for protein shakes, Fairlife milk, chicken broth, etc.....can't really get stuff like that at a restaurant. I have been to ONE restaurant so far, last week, (week 7 after surgery). I ordered an ahi tuna appetizer plate with everything except the wonton crisps. So I had 6 or 7 little pieces of ahi tuna with the spicy mayo and soy sauce drizzled over them, oh and a few little pieces of avocado, it was heavenly. I also ate a few pieces of roasted cauliflower from another table-shared appetizer and one piece of shrimp from a shared appetizer. It was parmesan crusted shrimp but I peeled off most of the crust. I think a good way to manage eating out is to share food with someone or expect to have leftovers. If I share with my husband he knows he gets like 90% of what's on the plate, so he doesn't care. Also, go to nice restaurants like what Arabesque was saying - they use better ingredients and more care in their cooking, PLUS they usually will cater to special requests (like no wonton crisps with my ahi tuna appetizer). When I asked the waitress about different food options I saw on the menu she literally told me "If you see it on the menu, we can make it any way you want", which is the bonus of the nicer restaurants.

I kinda do a ricotta bake without baking...haha. When hubs makes spaghetti meat sauce I take 1/4 cup of the sauce & meat (usually ground turkey), then I mix in about a tablespoon of ricotta and sprinkle on some parmesan cheese. YUM!

I'm 8 weeks post-op and I ate 4 water crackers with hummus on them, it filled me right up. (some people call them table water crackers).

Oh that sounds super yummy! I haven't bought any foods that are made with protein instead of carbs to replace the carby ones. A lot of people have talked about Quest chips though, maybe I should get some!

If you like tacos another idea is to make some taco meat, I use ground turkey and Ortega seasoning and/or warm up some refried beans. I do taco meat and/or beans in a serving that I know I can eat, (1/4 c right now, I'm also 8 weeks post op)...then I put some shredded Mexican blend cheese on top and some mild taco sauce (don't want to shock the new tummy with spicy stuff yet). I dump the refried beans into a storage container and pop it in the fridge so I can keep using it until its gone, same as with the taco meat. Then for the next few days I have taco meat or refried beans, or BOTH to add some cheese to, warm up in the microwave and then top with taco sauce! My foods are super repetitive, too...but that's okay, cause I like them Looking forward to next week when I am on "easy to chew" foods! Going to wrap lunch meat in a lettuce leaf instead of eating it straight! Like a sandwich!

How was everyone's Labor Day Weekend? Last weekend through this weekend I actually started doing things with people outside of my home where I was away from home long enough I needed to bring food with me. So far two of my outings were at my friends' homes so it was easy for me to warm up my food. One friend was making kabobs and I had a sliced up grilled mushroom, it was HEAVEN. I've decided that when people get together for bonfires/drinks that drinking Protein 2 O has really worked well for me, I get a big drink to sip and it makes me feel full. Then, I can just enjoy my friends and conversation. I'm down another few pounds since my first post with you guys, which is about right. 8 weeks post surgery and next week I get to have "easy to chew" foods! I think other plans call that soft foods! I'm pumped. I've actually been getting more adventurous with my foods - tried some cottage cheese with a few blueberries last night. I'm also eating cooked green beans as a "side". I still eat pretty small portions, sticking to my 1/4c which is the amount I'm supposed to eat while I'm in this "mashed foods" stage, which lasts a whole month, but like I said before - its almost over!! Next week - easy to chew foods, yay! Oh! I also ate at a restaurant last week, that was a huge deal for me. I ate an appetizer portion of ahi tuna (without the wonton crisps), I got all the flavor of the spicy mayo and the soy sauce, which made it super tasty. I also ate some roasted cauliflower (like 3 bites) and a parmesan crusted shrimp (I removed most of the crust), it was so good! Now that I've eaten outside of my home, in a restaurant and at friends' homes, I feel a bit more confident and less anxious than I have since surgery, I've been so anxious about fitting in when I can't really eat anymore. I don't have gluttonous friends that are food pushers or anything like that though. I'm hungry a lot and its not mental hunger its true hunger - I think its because I'm so scared of accidentally eating to much and making myself sick. I absolutely hate throwing up and I'll do anything to avoid it! I did push past that and have 1/2 c of cottage cheese instead of just a 1/4 c yesterday and my tummy liked it! Thanks for sharing all your stories and experiences, keep sharing!!

Hi! I'm 7 weeks post-op but I clearly remember being 2 weeks post-op, I found Protein2O bottled beverage really helps me get my protein in! Its protein infused water, You get 15g of protein from a 16oz (average sized) bottle of it! It's sugar free and counts as protein AND clear liquid! Also, my doctor has me drinking Fairlife milk, its 13g for an 8 oz glass vs. its also lactose free and has 50% less sugar than regular milk! Its pretty popular in my area.

Thanks Bridge! Do you think I can eat those if I’m on “mashed” foods, or should I wait til I get to “easy to chew” foods?

Hello! I just had VSG surgery on July 11th, so I guess that makes me 7 weeks post-op! I'm currently in the "Mashed Food" phase until September 12th when I can start "Easy to Chew Foods". I like that mashed food is a bit more like real food than liquid or pureed, but it still feels really limiting. I don't mind eating small portions, but everything I eat basically has to be refrigerated and I can't wait to get to a phase, maybe? where I can eat some convenience foods, aka throw something in my purse in case I get hungry or I need to eat and a restaurant doesn't have what I need. Anyway, you can see most of my details in my profile, but I can't fill out some of it, which is weird. I'm not pre-op obviously. Oh I know...I lost 30 lbs prepping for surgery by walking, eating smaller portions and practicing the 30 minute waiting and such, oh and more water and no diet soda. Since my surgery I've lost another 35 in the last 7 weeks, I'd say that's not bad! My most recent bariatric nurse appointment was positive and she said that I'm ahead of the curve. I think I'm losing weight faster because I'm absolutely horrified by vomiting and I may hold back a bit because I don't want to get sick. My local friends that have had WLS said if I've gotten this far without vomit, I've probably done a good job following the rules and its not going to happen to me. I do once in awhile get the pressure in my chest, but then I either don't eat that thing again for a few more weeks or I eat a portion of less than 1/4c. Has anybody come up with any "life saving" types of recipes or convenience foods that they like???