Puréed shmureed

[cmherring 6]

Okay bypassers, I'm 2 1/2 weeks post-op. I've had no issues with food thus far. The past couple of nights I had half can of Spaghetti O's just to switch things up. No problems or discomfort. I've been living off of mashed potatoes and puréed chicken salad. It's been great, but I'm ready for something other than the taste of chicken in my mouth. Getting to the point: my boyfriend is making himself some pancakes this morning and I'm dying to try one plain. Words of wisdom and/or warning, please!!

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[aelovelady 243]

pancakes are soft, so I don't think you have to worry about safety. I will caution though, that it probably isn't your best food choice. Not much protein/nutrition for the calories. Not to mention the Syrup and butter.

[cmherring 6]

I'm not touching Syrup or butter! Just a small plain pancake and a soft scrambled egg! I'm craving everything!

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[esskay77 785]

that seems pretty carb-y. It isn't your best choice though I completely understand your cravings. But if you start eating things like pancakes this early in the game, you will have a harder road ahead of you. You can still be successful but just be careful. If you have any, just have a bite.

[Djmohr 6,965]

A bit of tough love here....are pancakes and spaghetti os on your approved list? Mashed potatoes?

This is just my opinion but the choices you are making can lead to some problems with cravings. The more carbs you eat, the more you will crave them.

eggs, tuna, chicken, turkey, yogurt, cottage cheese - items high in Protein will keep you more satisfied for longer periods of time while those carbs are actually the worst thing you can do in this early stage. Also eating processed pre packaged foods like spaghetti os is something my nut told me to stay away from forever.

It may be why you are having so many cravings so soon. Half the battle is the head games.

How much Protein are you currently getting?

[jj7481 363]

A bit of tough love here....Mashed potatoes?

Mashed potatoes were on my approved list during the pureed stage. Up to 1/4 cup as long as they were made without the skins.

[jj7481 363]

Like others have said the pancakes are probably not a good idea. Just because you can puree anything at this stage doesn't mean straying from high Protein and low carbs. This is the time to build the good eating habits and not satiate the carb cravings. Otherwise you're setting yourself up for failure once you get to the stage 3 & 4 diets.

[glitter eyes 1,398]

I would stick with foods that are high in Protein and low carbs at this stage. You want to maximize weight loss right now. As you get closer to goal you can experiment with adding in some items for an occasional treat.

Hang in there! As another poster stated; eating carbs can increase cravings for many of us.

Good luck to you!!

[Cervidae 2,389]

I would be super, super careful if you were you. All the other things said here are very important - giving in to carb cravings is only going to make it worse, eating all those carbs will make you too full for Protein, and the processed stuff is just absolutely awful for you. Not to mention, I've read a lot of horror stories about people eating bread too soon (like withing the first six months) and the bread getting stuck and tearing or causing serious pain and vomiting and a trip to the er.

I have no judgement here. As a person who has had the same surgery and been confronted with the same cravings and who has learned the cautionary tales I have, I feel genuine concern for you. At only two weeks out, your nerves in your stomach have not even really healed enough for you to feel the damage you are doing to them. That's why many people can drink decently fast in the beginning and then in several weeks they start feeling it and have to slow down. Not only that, but you've just undergone a life-altering, life-threatening surgery, to try to be healthy and be better to your body. Why ruin all of that work and great progress... and for spaghettios and a dry pancake? Is it really worth it to you, to damage your chances of health and long-term success for a few cravings?

I know you've got the will-power and strength, as you've already made it this far. No one can tell you what to do here, but if you're asking for words of wisdom/warning, here they are - don't sabotage yourself over food. It's just food, it doesn't deserve to control you and your life. You are better than that. The more you give in now, in the beginning, the smaller and smaller your chances get for long term success, and we all want to see you succeed. This surgery helps with the physiological causes of hunger, but the rest is ENTIRELY up to you, and if you don't address your bad food choices (perhaps with therapy? or a support group?), no surgery can help you.

[cmherring 6]

Thanks everyone!! I really needed this accountability. I had about 4 bites of a plain, small pancake. Was not even satisfying. Sticking to my Proteins. I get anywhere from 60-80 grams of Protein a day which was recommended by my surgeon. It's just really hard to be eating the same things over and over. I'm growing so tired of the same ole same ole. But I know I'm just in the beginning, so being consistent is important to my success. No more pancakes or spaghetti o's .

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[jj7481 363]

Sounds like a great plan. Yes, the first few stages SUCK but a necessary for healing and laying the foundation for healthier eating habits with Portion Control. Remember: Protein and Water first.

[esskay77 785]

I haven't tried any of these but there are Protein pancakes if you really need to have pancakes. There was a recipe on here somewhere that sounded really interesting. I seem to recall they were like Ricotta pancakes. Or, the Vitamin Shop sells the mix to make Protein pancakes. I can't vouch for their flavor, though I can say that it seems like something that should wait until a later stage anyway.

But you now know that! Best of luck and let us know your progress.

S

[Cervidae 2,389]

Another way of making pancakes that is healthy and delicious is to mash up a banana and an egg, toss in some cinnamon and I like to add some pumpkin pie spice as well, and cook it like a regular pancake. It's really yummy! But I think I was told to wait until at least a couple months to try more solid food like that.

If you're bored of the same old same old, you could try some of the things I really loved in the puree stage. My favorite was turkey or chicken chili from trader joe's with a dollop of low fat or fat free sour cream. It has a surprisingly satisfying texture even after being pureed. Another good one is cottage cheese or greek yogurt with pumkpin puree or refried black Beans and perhaps a little bit of taco sauce. I also enjoyed canned white meat chicken pureed with greek yogurt cream cheese and a little splash of cream of chicken Soup and a little splash of milk to make it all blend well - this tasted EXACTLY like hamburger helper, somehow. A bit further on when you get to soft foods, you can try my absolute soft food favorite - a turkey meatball or two mashed up with greek yogurt cream cheese (this exists and it is DELISH and it is much healthier than regular cream cheese) and about an ounce of cheddar. This one tastes exactly like beef stroganoff. I actually had some of this earlier today! As a meal, I make 3 turkey meatballs, 2 tbs of greek yogurt cream cheese, and 1 ounce of extra sharp cheddar. I eat it in two or three sittings, and it comes to 330 calories, 6 grams of carbs, and 29 grams of Protein. Yummy and good for you.

It'll take you time to get used to eating a much more limited diet than most of us ate before surgery, but then you'll learn how to make new combos of healthy foods that taste good, leave you feeling full and satisfied for many hours, and give you a ton of Protein and are healthy. You'll get there, and sooner than you think. Hang in there.

Edited March 12, 2016 by Cervidae

[esskay77 785]

@@Cervidae Wow, I have never heard of Greek Yogurt Cream cheese but am really excited to go look for it now!!!! Thanks!

[Cervidae 2,389]

@@esskay77 I found it in Wegmans, do you guys have a Wegmans? If not, I'm sure it has to exist somewhere. The brand's full name that I've used and loved is "Green Mountain Farms Greek Cream cheese and Greek Yogurt" and it comes in the same kind of block as regular cream cheese. Hope you can find it.