Help! Scared to Transition to Real Food TOMORROW!

[Miriam 0]

Hello Everyone,

Question: What did you eat for your first few meals of real food? How did you handle the transition?

Tomorrow I am allowed to stop eating mushies since I am three weeks post-op and can start eating real food again. Part of me is VERY excited!! But I am also scared of both the temptation of eating a lot again and also trying to find foods that will still digest easily with the band before my first fill.

Thanks!!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I had baked fish (no topping) and 1/2 of a small baked potato with light butter. I think fish is considered a soft food...not mushie, but soft.

[1RockinMom 0]

Hi There! oh you are so lucky!! Wish I was eating soft food. Im still on the liquid as i have only been banded since weds. But I have a really good booklet the Dr gave me on some food ideas. This is considered "transitional foods(soft solid diet)"..soft scrambled eggs, finely chopped meat, chopped cooked vegs, baked or mashed potatoes, Hot Cereal. .cream of wheat, grits, oatmeal, Soups including chili, cottage cheese, yogurt, pudding (sugar free). Hope this helps, if you have any ideas, let me know!! Good luck!

[FrogStar24 0]

I sort of jumped into real food. I had chicken and veggies almost right away. The thing about adding real food is that you don't have to just give up the mushies. I still had eggs for Breakfast and yogurt as a snack. My doc recommended only adding one new thing per day. I'd say don't jump into a crazy, exotic meal from the getgo, keep it basic. I started off with chicken, but made sure it was juicy and not dry, and I had some broccoli. When I cook for myself, I always add chicken broth to everything to make sure nothing dries out, it's yummy. (I add it to potatoes, chicken, veggies, Beans, whatever!) And I learned by adding foods slowly that there are things I can't eat now that I never had problems with before. The good news is if you're only adding things slowly, it's a lot easier to pick out the problem food because it's only one of a couple of things you could have possibly eaten.

Also, I'll just tell you about my experience before my first fill. Since there was no restriction, I was pretty hungry. I kept thinking something was wrong, even though I'd heard the warnings and stories of other patients asking "is there even a band?"

I kept eating healthy foods, but I'm sure I was eating more than I was supposed to. Again, the problem was I was hungry! I was so worried that I had gained weight by my first fill, or worse yet I'd stretched my stomach. Neither happened. The doctor assured me that once I had more restriction that I would start feeling better and he was right. Even after my first fill I could see I was done eating earlier than I had been even the prior week.

I tell you this to reassure you, not to worry you! Just keep making good choices, eat slowly, and chew your food well. You will be hungrier in the weeks leading up to your fill than you might think, at least I was. Don't starve yourself, make sure you get plenty of Protein and Fiber to keep you full. If you're hungry between meals, try drinking some Water first, if that doesn't help then have a small snack. One of my new faves is greek yogurt with Protein Powder mixed in. It's nice and thick, and helps me feel full! It's okay to eat when you're hungry, but again, it's up to you to make good choices.

Another thing, I find that with chewing so much and eating so slowly that I've been losing interest in eating. I haven't finished a full serving of something and I'm just bored and can't eat another bite. Whatever gets you through, I guess.

Good luck and you're going to do great!

[mudbug22 0]

I was terrified to move to solid food!! It was a full six weeks after surgery before my dr. let me start on solids.

The first thing I ate was a scrambled egg. I also ate alot of fish those first few days.

I will have been banded 3 months on Thursday. I haven't had a problem eating anything. Of course I haven't had a fill yet either.

I take small bites and chew each bite 25 times. As long as you do this, you should be fine.

[chirocw 0]

My Dr. told me to eat what was comfortable, AFTER 4 days of cold-liquid diet. Being only 6 weeks post-op, I was eating "real food" probably 14 days after surgery. I think it was a burrito. At 3 weeks, I tried McDonalds...and HATED IT! I absolutely HATED eating french fries, and still can't. I think it is because I eat everything until it is mooshy...and that changes the taste of food completely! Other than that, no problems.

[Miriam 0]

Thank you all for sharing, it's been so helpful! I made a chicken tagine the other night I was able to eat about 3/4 of a cup, which included a tiny bit of whole wheat cous cous. I think the scrambled eggs idea is a good one, I'll try it for lunch today!

[Gus-Gus 0]

Don't be scared. If your doctor did what mine did and left for band empty, then you won't have too much restriction till your first fill. Enough, that you'll know it's there, but not too much at first. My first meal was very soft chicken and mashed potatoes. Some suggestions I have are: chicken thighs cooked in the crock pot, they cook up very soft. And add some corned beef hash to your scrambled eggs as a variety. I haven't tried more than a bite or two of steak so far and pork if it's too dry is a little hard to get down, but chicken thighs in the crock pot has been the best so far. It's very tender.

As for worrying about over eating. As long as you don't snack on junk food and follow the eat your Protein first, you won't overeat. The band, even unfilled, will let you know it's there. You may get hungry in between meals, but some cheese or a Protein shake will help you with that.

Good Luck