Confused on what, when & how to eat

[Fusilli66 22]

I am seeing my doctor on Thursday, and I will have a lot of questions for him. But I thought I can get some feedback here first.

I am 4 weeks out from surgery and I just haven't any idea what the heck I'm doing when it comes to eating. I'm basically eating when I'm hungry, which is rare. And I'm only eating things like eggs, yogurt, ricotta cheese, other soft cheeses, applesauce, sf pudding. I'm also eating small portions (like ridiculously small portions) of whatever I'm making my family for dinner - within reason. But in general, I am quite sure that I am not eating enough, at all. I figure I'm getting about 600-800 calories a day. I am also finding myself to be to tired to exercise. Like 0 stamina. Like 10 minutes on an elliptical and I'm done.

Here is a typical day for me:

Morning: Decaf tea or coffee

1 Egg or 2 tbsp. ricotta cheese or greek yogurt

Lunch: Egg drop Soup or egg salad or yogurt

dinner: 2 or 3 bites of chicken, or various foods made with chopped meat, or yogurt

snacks: (one or twice a day) apple sauce or a sf pudding

Note: I limit eggs to once a day, so if I have one for Breakfast I don't for lunch. Same with the yogurt, usually only 1 per day.

Now today I started the next stage which is the soft foods. I really never did the pureed foods because pureed meat is unappealing to me. I'd rather not eat at all. This morning I had 1/4 cup oatmeal and for lunch I had egg salad (with 1 tsp. lite mayo) and 4 saltine crackers. I also had an applesauce in between.

Just tell me if this sounds about right to you guys. Also keep in mind that I have very little hunger and am really only eating because I have to.

[Lissa 2,631]

Fusilli, It DOES seem like ridiculously small portions until you get used to what you're eating now. However, your "typical day" seems a little light on Protein to me, and you don't mention how much Water you're drinking. You should add some type of Protein Drink in to up the Protein consumption, possibly a Protein shake, or a cup or two of broth. Even drinking something like chicken noodle Soup would be good because it provides protein and liquid.

I know that oatmeal is allowed on some doctor's plans, but I'd choose something with protein first. I'd eat the egg, or some cheese, or even the protein left over from last night's dinner. The same with the applesauce, unless you're mixing Protein powder into it, there's not much nutritional value in it...plus it has sugar, even if it's just the natural sugar from the apples.

I keep a few boiled eggs in the fridge for Snacks and breakfasts on the run. I also have some ready made Protein shakes in there if I'm just really not hungry but I know I need something with protein. There should be some other protein sources that you could use, possibly Beans?

I'm like you in not loving pureed meat, so I did a lot of refried Beans (low fat), and I pureed some chili with beans and meat in it. Those were both really good while I was on purees, without my having to resort to putting a chicken leg through the blender!

It sounds to me like maybe you aren't getting enough protein and/or Water. If you bring both of those up, it should help with your energy level. I've been very lucky in that my energy level has stayed pretty high since surgery, so I may be completely wrong about what's causing your fatigue. I have read here that many people experience a lot of fatigue in the first 4 months post-op, so that may be part of the reason for your tiredness, too. Our bodies are doing a LOT of work with healing and adjusting to our new way of eating right now, so fatigue may just be how your body reacts.

Good luck with your journey!!

[Lissa 2,631]

Oh, I forgot to ask if you are taking Vitamins? If not, maybe you should add them to your routine. Your doctor will tell you what he wants you to take if you ask him about it.

[Fusilli66 22]

Thank you so much Lissa for your response. I did try some Beans last week, and I don't know why I forgot about them this week. One day I had Wendy's chili and it was really tasty and went down good, but it didn't agree with my stomach afterward. I will try that again though, as well as the Beans. I'm not really sure what refried beans are. Where do you get them? Do you make them or buy them made. I would be interested in trying that.

I do throw in a Protein shake here and there, but I really should make a habit of having at least one a day. And I will do the broth also, probably with the beans. Make a nice Soup out of it.

As for the Water, I am trying so hard to get in the 64 oz. but I usually fall short, but not by a lot. I have a 24 oz. cup that I keep on my desk. I try to drink 2 of those a day when I'm an work, but I never quite get that far. Maybe 1 1/2. I also have a 12 oz Decaf coffee or tea and usually some liquid at night.

But you are right in everything you said. I will up the Protein and the liquids! And I'll be making myself beans for dinner tonight.

[Lissa 2,631]

Since you said you had Wendy's chili, that means you're somewhere that you CAN get fast food, right? For some reason I assumed you were in India, silly me! If you have a Taco Bell, or any mexican food restaurant nearby, you can get refried Beans. Taco Bell calls them Pintos and cheese and they are wonderful during the mushy stage. I order mine without the sauce, because my tummy doesn't like the sauce right now.

You can also buy refried Beans in most grocery stores around here (south Florida). I try to stick to the low-fat versions. If you can't find them canned, they are very simple to make. Make pinto beans just like you would normally do any dry beans...lots of Water over low heat for several hours, don't add salt until the beans are soft. Once the pintos are done, drain the Water off of some of them in a strainer, then put the beans back into a heavy skillet and just mash them. You can add oil, lard, crisco at this point to make a creamier texture, although the fat is not a requirement. chicken broth makes a good substitute as long as you use it sparingly. You want creamy, not runny. I usually add in some chopped onions if I'm actually making them... but I haven't made refried beans since several months before surgery.

The other thing I did on mushy foods was to take the ground hamburger from a taco and mix some of it into my refried beans. I could only eat about 2 tablespoons of the beans/meat mixture, but since TB's version only costs about $1.50, it was a really cheap lunch and I had no qualms about tossing the rest in the garbage if I had no way to keep them cold.

good luck!

[Fusilli66 22]

Thanks for the advice. And I'm far from India, I'm in Long Island, New York. You probably saw my doctors name, he is from India. Anyway, there are PLENTY of fast food restaurants, which certainly helped me get to where I needed VSG

I will definitely try them from Taco Bell, seems a lot easier and cheaper than making them. Thanks again!