Food intake after surgery

[chrismta 0]

Hello friends. I am having my surgery on 3/15 and was wondering what kind of experiences you all had after surgery in terms of food intake. Where you subjected to only eating liquids and for how long. Do you get hunger pains at all? What types of food can one eat? I assume you cannot eat and drink at the same time. Is it true that if you have a glass of Water before your meal, you can't really eat much? Also, I heard that it is difficult to drink carbonated drinks.....will I be able to have a Perrier or Diet Coke again? Your feedback is much appreciated. Best of luck and a great weekend to all!! Chris.

[swizzly 901]

I'm a week post-op and I just had about 1/2 cup of lentil Soup and 4 small, narrow, thin slices of pastrami for dinner. I do try to remember to stop drinking 1/2 hour beforehand and 1/2 hour after, as that is the rules I got. I haven't noticed much of a difference whether I'm drinking or not, but I try to be compliant.

People in Europe don't tend to drink sodas as much as Americans (though they do drink fizzy Water, which I love and miss), so they're not against the rules here, but they do say to wait a while to have any and then to keep it to a minimum.

Oops -- meant to add: They move you to food straight away here, so I didn't have pre- or post-op liquid diet or anything. And yes, I do often feel hungry -- but I can't eat much to fill up.

[Foxbins 625]

My surgeon's post-op diet is quite strict--various thicknesses of liquids for a month and then soft/mushy foods for two weeks. I am, thankfully, one of those who is not hungry. I feel empty or get a headache if I don't eat but it's not hunger the way I knew it before. Eventually I will be able to eat anything I want but I am low-carbing it for now so no white carbs, sugar, etc. I am not supposed to drink for half an hour before meals and one hour after but I lose weight quicker with more Water in me so I am drinking all the time. I measure my food and do not eat until I am full. I tried a few sips of diet coke but it just made me burp too much so I stopped, and the citric acid in it might hurt my stomach so I will wait a while before trying it again.

[Shanny 70]

I had my surgery 3 weeks ago. My surgeon had me on Clear Liquids for one week, then full liquids for a week, then puree for 10 days, now soft foods for 2 weeks and then slowly introducing solid foods after puree. NO carbonated drinks for 1 year, no tomatoes for 4 months and no raw veggies (salads) for 2 months. It's pretty strick, and I've tried to push the envelope a little. Jumping the gun gaveme horrible indigestion and push me back to full liquids. I'm listening to what he says from now on. You can't eat and drink at the same time. Your stomach will not be large enough to handle it. It'll give you a horrible stomach ache!

I've been living off of Campbell's Soup. First the broth, now the Chunky kind. It seems to fill me up and I eat about 4-6 oz at a sitting. Laughing Cow cheese goes down smooth, too. So does that chicken in a can, put that in a blender with a little fat free mayo, and some seasoning and you have chicken salad. It's pretty tasty and fills you up.

Best of luck to you!

[dudeman 0]

I'm reading from my handout here, which categorizes your post-op diet into 5 distinct phases:

Phase I. Water Only. First 24 hours post-op

Phase II. Clear liquid diet, Next 48 hours. Strained Soups w/o fat, strained juices no Fiber, sports drinks diluted 50%.

Phase III. Low Residue liquid diet. Next 4 days. Baby food. Porridge, blended with bits of veggies, white meats.

Phase IV. Semi-Liquid and Soft Foods Diet. Next 2 weeks. Noodle Soups. Low Fiber veggies, fish and lean meats.< /p>

Phase V. Calorie Restricted Diet. Soft, easy to digest foods. Milk, meats, eggs, soy Beans, Cereal, veggies, fruits.

From my experience 26 days post-op I was supposed to be in Phase V, I reverted back to Phase IV due to vomiting all solids.

I'm back to mainly soups. My stomach lining isn't healed. I added a Protein supplement powder which has been added

to my mashed potatoes, soups, and eggs. The Protein seems to be helping both calm emptiness hunger and seems to

be balancing and possibly healing. Phase I~ III .... SUCKS !

[chrismta 0]

I'm reading from my handout here, which categorizes your post-op diet into 5 distinct phases:

Phase I. Water Only. First 24 hours post-op

Phase II. Clear liquid diet, Next 48 hours. Strained Soups w/o fat, strained juices no fiber, sports drinks diluted 50%.

Phase III. Low Residue liquid Diet. Next 4 days. Baby food. Porridge, blended with bits of veggies, white meats.< /p>

Phase IV. Semi-Liquid and Soft Foods Diet. Next 2 weeks. Noodle soups. Low fiber veggies, fish and lean meats.

Phase V. Calorie Restricted Diet. Soft, easy to digest foods. Milk, meats, eggs, soy Beans, Cereal, veggies, fruits.

From my experience 26 days post-op I was supposed to be in Phase V, I reverted back to Phase IV due to vomiting all solids.

I'm back to mainly soups. My stomach lining isn't healed. I added a Protein supplement powder which has been added

to my mashed potatoes, soups, and eggs. The protein seems to be helping both calm emptiness hunger and seems to

be balancing and possibly healing. Phase I~ III .... SUCKS !

Thanks for taking the time to post this, this puts everything in perspective! I am sure u are happy with the results. Good luck with everything. :-)

[chrismta 0]

I'm a week post-op and I just had about 1/2 cup of lentil Soup and 4 small, narrow, thin slices of pastrami for dinner. I do try to remember to stop drinking 1/2 hour beforehand and 1/2 hour after, as that is the rules I got. I haven't noticed much of a difference whether I'm drinking or not, but I try to be compliant.

People in Europe don't tend to drink sodas as much as Americans (though they do drink fizzy Water, which I love and miss), so they're not against the rules here, but they do say to wait a while to have any and then to keep it to a minimum.

Oops -- meant to add: They move you to food straight away here, so I didn't have pre- or post-op liquid diet or anything. And yes, I do often feel hungry -- but I can't eat much to fill up.

Thanks for the update. So u went straight to food, wasn't that tough on your stomach after the sleeve? I am so happy for u. Best of luck and continued success!!

[chrismta 0]

My surgeon's post-op diet is quite strict--various thicknesses of liquids for a month and then soft/mushy foods for two weeks. I am, thankfully, one of those who is not hungry. I feel empty or get a headache if I don't eat but it's not hunger the way I knew it before. Eventually I will be able to eat anything I want but I am low-carbing it for now so no white carbs, sugar, etc. I am not supposed to drink for half an hour before meals and one hour after but I lose weight quicker with more Water in me so I am drinking all the time. I measure my food and do not eat until I am full. I tried a few sips of diet coke but it just made me burp too much so I stopped, and the citric acid in it might hurt my stomach so I will wait a while before trying it again.

Thanks for the tips. I know it must have been difficult but I am sure the end result makes it well worth the journey. Continued success to u!!

[chrismta 0]

I had my surgery 3 weeks ago. My surgeon had me on Clear Liquids for one week, then full liquids for a week, then puree for 10 days, now soft foods for 2 weeks and then slowly introducing solid foods after puree. NO carbonated drinks for 1 year, no tomatoes for 4 months and no raw veggies (salads) for 2 months. It's pretty strick, and I've tried to push the envelope a little. Jumping the gun gaveme horrible indigestion and push me back to full liquids. I'm listening to what he says from now on. You can't eat and drink at the same time. Your stomach will not be large enough to handle it. It'll give you a horrible stomach ache!

I've been living off of Campbell's Soup. First the broth, now the Chunky kind. It seems to fill me up and I eat about 4-6 oz at a sitting. Laughing Cow cheese goes down smooth, too. So does that chicken in a can, put that in a blender with a little fat free mayo, and some seasoning and you have chicken salad. It's pretty tasty and fills you up.

Best of luck to you!

Wow, thanks for spelling it all out for me. I am going to have stock up on the campbell's soup before my surgery!!! Laughing Cow cheese is one of my favorites, so I hope it works for me too! Thanks again and continued success to u!!

[swizzly 901]

Thanks for the update. So u went straight to food, wasn't that tough on your stomach after the sleeve? I am so happy for u. Best of luck and continued success!!

Thanks, and same to you!

If I'm honest, I didn't have high hopes at first, as I spent the first nearly 72 hours violently ill. But when I started to feel better, it was like boom, I suddenly felt SO much better.

They are simply not at all keen on liquid diets here, so food it is. I haven't been overly adventurous with trying anything super daring, it's only been a few days. But my doctor says, if you can eat it and it stays down and doesn't cause any pain, then it works and you can eat it. The only verboten things are raw fruit and veg for four weeks after surgery. Or there may be other things off limits that I've been eating without knowing it. Guess I'll find out when I meet my nutritionist next week. But it's mostly been eggs and cottage cheese and yogurt and Soup and very thin, very tender meat so far -- and things like cooked beets and carrots, they are easy to eat (and they taste so good...).

[GreenEyedMamma 5]

Every doctor has a different requirement. I was just sleeved last Thursday. My doc kept me on clear/very thin liquids for one week. This included Protein drinks, broth, Jell-O, crystal light, etc.

I progressed to mushy foods Thursday evening and had mashed sweet potatoes (about 1/2 a cup and it took me 45 minutes to eat). I ate a scrambled egg with a very little amount of mozzarella cheese yesterday for Breakfast and again, it took me about 45 minutes to eat. I am able to eat about 1/2 cup of pretty much anything mushy and be fine including cottage cheese, fat-free greek yogurt, oatmeal, etc.

I will stay on mushy foods until next Friday and will be able to progress to canned tuna, shredded chicken, etc. at that time IF my stomach can handle it. I haven't had any problem with nausea and foods yet but I do get "bubbly" if I eat to fast.

I haven't had a problem with hunger pangs but I do get head hunger if I am watching cooking shows or my husband brings home fast food for himself.

My doc doesn't recommend any carbonated beverages ever because the carbonated gas can expand the stomach.

I have found that if I am not thinking about food, I just don't get the urge to eat. I have to remind myself to eat something every couple of hours. I am only able to get in around 650 calories a day but I do make sure I get in at least 90 grams of Protein per day and try to keep the carbs below 40.

Like I said, every doctor will have a different requirement. Your body will also tell you when it is ready to advance.

Best of luck to you and I hope your surgery goes well.

Dawn

[dudeman 0]

Seems the recommended diets have common themes but can vary quite generously. My doctor's first 2 weeks is basically deprivation of all calories and good taste much as you would expect if you were caught and put into a a prison in a third world country. I believe I could have done better and possibly be ahead of the healing curve had I had more calories and Protein in the first week when I lost 16lbs. That's on pace of 64lbs per month ... too fast ye think ?

[ldydrgnkpr 49]

Wow Dudeman thats a lot of weight!!!!! I'm scheduled to be sleeved 3/7. My Doc's post op diet is Clear Liquids for two days. Full liquids from day 3- week 4. Mushies from week 4-6 then re-introduce solid foods. So each doctor is different. Congrats on the weight loss. I hope I will be just as successful as everyone here.

Deb

[Tiffykins 673]

Hello friends. I am having my surgery on 3/15 and was wondering what kind of experiences you all had after surgery in terms of food intake. Where you subjected to only eating liquids and for how long. Do you get hunger pains at all? What types of food can one eat? I assume you cannot eat and drink at the same time. Is it true that if you have a glass of Water before your meal, you can't really eat much? Also, I heard that it is difficult to drink carbonated drinks.....will I be able to have a Perrier or Diet Coke again? Your feedback is much appreciated. Best of luck and a great weekend to all!! Chris.

This is my experience, and my experience alone.

My program is 2 weeks clears, 2 weeks full liquids, then onto mushies for at least 2 weeks then introduce softer, more solid Proteins.

I was able to do 17 days of clears, 1 week of full liquids, and then I stayed on mushies for nearly 3 months before progressing to solid foods. I would eat a few meals of solid food like fajita steak, chicken breasts, and other dense meats. But, I stayed on mushies because it was easier to stay on mushies/puree food to meet Protein and calorie intake goals without using Protein shakes/drinks.

I have never felt hungry once I went on Prilosec 20mg once daily. Acid overproduction can cause false hunger. I experienced it around 5-6 weeks out, went on Prilosec and have never felt hunger again.

I stuck with a very mundane menu through my losing stage. Tons of meat, cheese and greek yogurt. I restricted carbs to no more than 30gr per day. It's what I knew would work for my weight loss goals. I ate tons of deli meat with cream cheese rolled up, chunk cheese, chicken/tuna/egg salad. I'm one of the few that has a hard time with scrambled eggs so I never ate those, but poached eggs worked wonderfully. I would eat green veggies that scored less than 50 points on the glycemic index. Green Beans were the staple green in my diet.

The drinking and eating thing is true except for my program we can drink right up until we take that first bite. Liquids go in, liquids go out. Liquids especially clear liquids hit the pyloric valve and empty into the intestines. We do not have a pouch like RNY or band patients so liquids do not have to seep out of the stomach. Early out swelling will make drinking more difficult for some. I had to sip, sip, sip early out, but now drinking is just like it was pre-op.

I have been drinking soda for over a year with absolutely zero change in my sleeve capacity. Early out carbonation is uncomfortable to drink, but now I have zero issue drinking soda. I'm also in maintenance so it's a little different for me. I eat 2-3 times more than I could at 2 months out and YES that is perfectly normal and most sleeve patients experience this as our stomachs mature, but I still amazing restriction. I do honestly eat anything and everything I want/need. I do not deprive myself of any type of food. But, I am not sucking down 3000 calorie milkshakes. I have indulgences here and there, and I do follow the "protein first" rule about 85% of the time.

I have been in maintenance for almost a year, and have a 5lb bounce around on the scale any week. Maintenance is the tough part. Losing wasn't tough for me. I lost fast and hard, got to goal in 6.5 months, and then continued to lose about 20-25lbs more pounds over 4 months which got me to my current weight of 125-130lbs.

Best wishes on your surgery, you're gonna love the sleeve ! ! !

[NtvTxn 1,262]

Hi Chris - I'm a few days from being 9 months out. At this point I can eat anything I want. Carbonated drinks are suppose to be off limits forever. I have taken a few SIPS of my husband's coke when we were on vacation 2 weeks ago, but only a couple, they didn't bother me, but I have been through too much to break the rules more than that. I reached goal at just under 5 months. I've lost not quite 90 lbs.

I do not drink while eating, I thought that would be THE most difficult thing for me, but it has not been difficult at all. The only time I drink anything while I am eating is when I am having a snack during the day (now days I am in maintenence and have to work to get in extra calories, so I am not worried about keeping it in my tummy longer to feel full). I'll have a cup of milk with my graham cracker and Peanut Butter once in a while. Right after surgery, the first couple of weeks, I could only eat an eighth of a cup of broth, maybe not quite that much. I was on liquids, the following week, I couldn't eat any more than that, but could add cream Soup.....NO chunkies though. I could also have yogurt. I'm not sure what else....'full liquids'. Week three was better and I could eat a tiny bit more, not a fourth of a cup, but more than an eighth. I could have shaved lunch meat, turkey, chicken and ham, cottage cheese (1%), a scrambled egg. I think i could have cripsy toast. I can't remember when I could start having chicken and other meat that was cooked wet....use fat free gravy or something, but at week six is when I could start introducing everything else.

Just remember, Protein first, then veggies and fruit, breads, rice, Pasta, things like that last. I had a hard time with Protein shakes so I bought the bullets and sipped on those, a little in the morning, a little at noon and finished it off later in the day. They pack over 40 grams, I got the blue raspberry from GNC. It's only 3.5 oz. I started getting in all my Protein from food at 2.5 months.

I haven't felt real hunger since surgery. I guess around four months I started to feel what I call my "new hunger". It's an empty feeling. I never feel it in the morning, sometimes at lunch, usually if I go long enough I'll have it around dinner time.......it is NOTHING like real hunger and is something I CAN ignore. It lets me know that I probably should eat something, but it is nothing that normal people would call hunger!!! It is WONDERFUL.

I still measure and weigh all my food when I'm at home. I can eat a half cup of things like cottage cheese or a casserole. I can eat 2 eggs now, I've been able to do that for a couple of months now. If I were just eating protein, I can eat 3 oz, maybe. If I'm eating a meal, for instance, I can eat 2.25 oz of meatloaf, and an eighth of a cup of cottage cheese and an eighth of a cup of a veggie. To me, this seems like a ton of food compared to what I was eating right after surgery, but compared to pre-op, it's nothing. My husband says I have the digestive tract of a field mouse now!! LOL You'll do great, good luck and feel free to ask any questions!

NtvTxn

Hello friends. I am having my surgery on 3/15 and was wondering what kind of experiences you all had after surgery in terms of food intake. Where you subjected to only eating liquids and for how long. Do you get hunger pains at all? What types of food can one eat? I assume you cannot eat and drink at the same time. Is it true that if you have a glass of Water before your meal, you can't really eat much? Also, I heard that it is difficult to drink carbonated drinks.....will I be able to have a Perrier or Diet Coke again? Your feedback is much appreciated. Best of luck and a great weekend to all!! Chris.