confused about what you can eat after surgery

[socialworker91 0]

HI everyone,

I have found a plethora of information online about the diet you eat immediately following surgery, but not much about long-term. I mean, can I ever eat pizza again? Can I have cake on my birthday? I am just so confused about what a typical day of eating will be after sleeve surgery. Help!

[NikkiDoc 312]

Obviously you will need to follow your surgeon/NUT's plan. However, personally I have had a slice of pizza, sorta. I tend to eat about 3/4 of the slice, no crust and then scalp the rest. I may have a second slice that I fully scalp and only eat the toppings.

I have had the occasional bite or two of dessert with no problem.

I have tolerated everything that I have tried to eat. The only thing I have not tried is carbonated beer or soda. I don't want that habit back.

I keep pizza to once every couple of months. I have had a few bites of dessert maybe 4 times in the last year.

Some people's sleeve is a bit pickier even months or a year out from surgery. Therefore you may not be able to have much or any without your sleeve protesting. Everyone's sleeve is a little different.

For most people with the sleeve you can eventually eat anything you want but in much smaller portions. For many people with the band certain foods such as Pasta, bread, white meat chicken, steak will get stuck. I think for RNY high fat or high sugar foods can cause dumping. Dumping with the sleeve seems to be pretty rare and not anything I have personally experienced.

[JamieLogical 8,708]

You should be physically capable of eating pretty much anything eventually. Some people do develop sensitivities to some foods post-op, but that's not the norm. However, you obviously want to be smart about what you eat in order to lose weight and maintain that loss. Can you have pizza and cake every once in a while? Sure! Should you eat it every day? Obviously not.

You should forever be putting Protein first and striving to meet your Protein goal every single day, whether you are a month post op or 10 years post-op. Doing so will leave little room for the crappy, carby stuff.

I'm 17 months out. Have been maintaining at goal for 5 months. I eat pizza fairly often (maybe 2-3 times a month?). I can usually eat one whole small piece with the crust and then the cheese and toppings from another piece or two. Crust (or anything with yeast) fills me right up, so I usually can't do more than one piece with crust. I'll certainly never be sitting down and eating a whole large pizza at one time!

Last weekend was my mom's birthday and I had white cake with white frosting. It was delicious! But only after I'd eaten my chicken at dinner and waited a good 45 minutes to an hour.

So, yes, you can have treats on occasion in the future. You just have to be smart about it like any normal non-WLS patient does. Think of yourself as a skinny woman trying to maintain her weight. She can have the occasional indulgence, but doing it every day will lead to weight gain.

[2goldengirl 2,076]

It varies. Some people can eat anything they did before surgery, though in drastically reduced amounts. Others find that their tastes change and that foods they once loved no longer interest them. And still others find that some foods that caused them no trouble pre-op are harder to digest post-op.

Those who are successful long-term identify those foods that trigger old eating habits, and either avoid them entirely, or find other ways to manage when and how they eat them so that they limit their exposure to them. You really won't know going in which way it will be for you.

[Tammylb 174]

I'm 2 yrs out lost 85 pounds with surgery . I can eat anything and everything . But I have gained some weight back so now it's back to eating mainly Protein . I eat pizza with thin crust because bread fills me up fast

[Cape Crooner 589]

I'm in month 5 and 6 lbs from my goal. I haven't tried pizza, but it was my favorite treat food (4-5 times a year) pre wls.

As a long time low carb dieter, I never thought about eating the toppings. Does anyone know what the calorie count in toppings would be?

[GibbsGirl 483]

2 slices the works lrg pizza no crust 8 carbs, 18 fat, 20 Protein and 600 calories

[rastus 35]

the diet you eat immediately following surgery, but not much about long-term. I mean, can I ever eat pizza again? Can I have cake on my birthday?

You can eat anything you like, in moderation

In my experience some things you liked before you won't like now & things you may not have liked before now taste great. e.g I didn't drink any milk, but in the early non solid stages found I liked full milk iced non sweetened Decaf coffee & now drink about 1 litre most days.

Obviously in most people's case it is not just about 'me' unless they live a single existence, so we need to think of others & they should not suffer, due to our limitations.

I have said a few times on here, my doctor after about 6 months, weight loss & blood work indicated "forget counting carbs or calories or anything else' just keep an eye on cm/inches.

Now pizza for example is our Friday night @ home special:

Friday afternoon I go & have 2 or 3 pints of Kilkenny beer over about 2 hours with my buddies, then come home make & cook a 14" multi topping [of anything] pizza from scratch.

1 portion is plenty for me & my wife 2 or 3 slices, with 1/2 the pizza left for Snacks on other days.

The secret I found after surgery was & I'll say it again, if you are not hungry there is no need to keep shoving stuff in your mouth. Also I found that even after drinking beer or iced coffee one can eat a normal sleeve size meal straight away, no worries. But don't try drinking anything during or well after the meal. I find about 1.5 hours is about right.

Desert or sweets:

Anything in moderation, if you can control yourself.

Eating with friends:

Stop drinking everything before starting to eat. Do not drink anything with food!

Too much food or too big a plate, then leave what you don't need, & indicate you are really enjoying the food [do this when first into the meal] & re-iterate when announcing you have had sufficient & would like to save enough space for a small desert. Have a small desert with the others & often I indicate I would love some desert but would they mind if I took it home with us. In the fridge & have as a morning snack then let them know it was really beautiful.

After 1 or 2 times they don't bother trying to force more food or drink on you.

Edited February 5, 2016 by rastus

[tera1982 194]

 

I have been CRAVING pizza and have done the cauliflower crust a few times. I went shopping the other day and found these...I'm in love! They taste exactly like "regular" crust and they fit into my plan. I top them with a Tomato paste/tomato sauce mix, fat free mozzarella, and veggies. So good. I eat "normal" foods, just healthier versions and am continuing to lose with my surgeon's and NUT's approval if I'm unsure if a particular food fits into plan.

Edited February 5, 2016 by tera1982

[JamieLogical 8,708]

I agree with @@rastus that eating and drinking at the same time and drinking right after eating should be avoided long term. I have been allowed to eat right up to the time I started eating from the first non-liquid food stages, but never drink and eat at the same time. I usually wait about 45 minutes after eating to start drinking again. My nutritionist said 20 minutes, but I find I usually still feel too full that early out.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Here's my experience post-op.

When I was losing weight post-op, I averaged 500 calories/day during Month 1, then 800 calories/day during Months 2-4, then 1,000 cals during Months 5-6, then 1,200 cals during Months 7-8. I reached my initial weight goal (150 pounds) at 8.5 months post-op. During that time I mostly ate lean Protein (chicken, fish, beef), healthy (colored) veggies, a little fruit, and gradually some whole grains. During my weight-losing phases my Protein gradually increased from 60 grams (1st month) to 100 grams (last few months).

I'm getting close to 18 months post-op. I've lost all my excess weight and have been maintaining at or below goal for almost 9 months now. I currently weigh and am stable at 135 pounds.

Today, in maintenance a year and a half post-op, I can eat literally anything.

But I don't eat as much as I used to eat.

I do eat more protein than pre-op, but also comfortably eat veggies, fruit, and whole grains.

In maintenance I also eat (occasionally) pizza, Pasta, even Desserts. And I drink one glass of wine most evenings. I now average 1700 - 2000 calories and 85 grams of protein daily.

As others have said, WLS patients' post-op eating experiences can vary. But this has been my experience thus far.

[grandmaofone 411]

I came home from the hospital on soft foods like refried Beans and mashed potatoes. But my dr had a plan and that was what it was.

[Mrs_O 118]

ImageUploadedByBariatricPal1454633312.635944.jpgImageUploadedByBariatricPal1454633353.204207.jpg

I have been CRAVING pizza and have done the cauliflower crust a few times. I went shopping the other day and found these...I'm in love! They taste exactly like "regular" crust and they fit into my plan. I top them with a Tomato paste/tomato sauce mix, fat free mozzarella, and veggies. So good. I eat "normal" foods, just healthier versions and am continuing to lose with my surgeon's and NUT's approval if I'm unsure if a particular food fits into plan.

where did you find this? so excited!

[tera1982 194]

ImageUploadedByBariatricPal1454633312.635944.jpgImageUploadedByBariatricPal1454633353.204207.jpg

I have been CRAVING pizza and have done the cauliflower crust a few times. I went shopping the other day and found these...I'm in love! They taste exactly like "regular" crust and they fit into my plan. I top them with a Tomato paste/tomato sauce mix, fat free mozzarella, and veggies. So good. I eat "normal" foods, just healthier versions and am continuing to lose with my surgeon's and NUT's approval if I'm unsure if a particular food fits into plan.

where did you find this? so excited!

I live in Wisconsin and found them at Woodman's market. You can also buy them online at Netrition.com or Amazon. Just look up Golden Home Protein Pizza Crust and you'll see.