Who else cannot eat any meat at all besides me?

I cannot eat any meat, salads, beans, tuna, fish, raw vegtables or bread of any kind. I can eat the following: protein shakes, sf popsicles, sf pudding, deviled eggs,wheat thin reduced fat crackers, cheez its, strawberries, hard cheese, lite yogurt, tortilla chips, salsa, cheetos, apples without the skin, pineapple, grapes without the skin, decaf. teas, creamed soups, broth, this is about all I can eat. I know that things on this list have sugar in them and I do not eat a lot of anything but this is all I can eat. I am worried I canot eat anything healthy like vegtables and salads. Do not see a nutritionalist but dr. does not seem worried. Do not go back to him until next month. I have lost 82 pounds and have started exercising every day at the gym lots of cardio. I drink lots of water every day at least 64 oz. Scale has not moved in three weeks? What am I doing wrong? What else can I try to eat to increase the protein and get my required amount in each day? Please Help!!!!!! Thanks Mary

I'm sorry about the meat thing, Mary... but in time you may be able to... Just in the last couple of weeks have gotten to the point where I can eat white meat and seafood again -- but very cautiously, as I hate that "stuck" feeling and/or holdin' back the (which I've managed to stave off and have not had to experience since recovery). I've also just started eating salads again recently over the past month... As long as you're taking your recommended vitamins and your blood work is in good order, then nutritionally you're fine. You're weight loss is fabulous -- As for the scale not moving for three weeks - you're body is just playing catch up and you'll see it move again here real soon. Have you tried tofu? I do well with that and enjoy it in hot and sour soup. I've also just only begun drinking plain water - couldn't handle that up until this week, so I envy you being able to drink as much water as you do -- I can't wait to accomplish that myself. GNC also has a liquid protein you can add to other liquids. Unless I get in a protein shake or two daily, I could never reach my required 60-80 g/day just on food alone -- and count my shakes as part of my liquid, too. Have you tried the protein bars?

Hi! Wendy Thanks so much for the reply and no I have never tried Tofu. I have heard about it but really didn't know how to incorporate it into my food. I'll have to add it to my soup's. Good Idea! I drink anywhere from 1 to 2 protein drinks a day with liquid multivitamin from gnc. I also have tried the protein bars from carb solutions but they were Yuck!!!!What other bars are good? Doc says my blood work is excellent!! Yea! After posting this message yesterday the scale moved!!!!!!!!!!!! 3 pounds!!!!! Yea!!!! Thanks for the incouragement!!

Hi Mary: I would make sure that I substitute at least one meal with a high protein shake. Try to track everything you eat and keep the carbs under 30 per day. Though actually, someone else wrote that they keep their carbs under their protein grams daily. If you are eating a lot of fruit, then that certainly spikes up the carb grams. I tried cherries and ed. So now I know I dump severely on fruit. I'll try again in a few months. Have you tried very soft vegetables, like cooked string beans and cauliflower? You can cook the cauliflower very soft then add carb countdown milk (more protein), some garlic and ma**** up like mashed potatoes. It's pretty good and very healthy. Do you use fitday? I find it useful to track my food intake. 82 lb loss is great! I hope some of this works for you.

Hi! Sassy Thanks I think you've solved my veggie problem as I don't think I am cooking them long enough. I have not tried the cauliflower or the string beans. I have tried spinach and pea salad and cannot eat either. These are the only two veggies I have tried so far but I will try the ones you suggest. Thanks so much for your help!! I have never used fitday but will try it also. Thanks!

Mary: Try not to eat veggies right now that have a tough skin, like peas and lima beans (actually any beans). Go for ones that are easy too cook soft. I ate a lot of string beans, broccoli, cabbage in the beginning, though cabbage gives some people gas.....

Hi Mary! Did you tell your doctor that you cannot eat ANY of those things? What did he say? My doctor constantly quizzed me on what I could eat. But I could eat everything, lol. Fortunately I never had this problem but my doctor did discuss what can be done in that case. He told me that when you are unable to eat the things that you "should" be able to eat it can be because of the size of your opening - surgeons can only do the best they can when sizing it because each person scars differently so you can't be sure exactly how large it will be. My doctor errs on the side of caution because it is easy to enlarge if bigger scarring results in a smaller passage. In the case that you are one of the people who scars bigger they can do the thing where they put you to sleep (sorry don't know the med term) and stick the tube with a balloon down which they inflate in order to strech the opening to make it larger thus allowing you to eat meat and other things that would not go down before. Not sure if this info will help but good luck! Jenny

I did advise my doctor of what exactly I can and cannot eat but he is not concerned about it because my blood work up is excellent he said. I go back to see him this month so maybe he will decide to do something this time. I do have good news though, the scale has started moving again and I think it is because I can finally start exercising. Went to the gym three times last week and lost 6 pounds! Yea! Down 90 pounds and counting!!!That brings me from 357 to 267!!! Thanks for your concern and help Jenny!

You're welcome - good job!

cauliflower is the best. I cook it and eat it just the way that is was described in another post. Like mashed potatos. I also had just last night some chopped spinish with cottage cheese and added fresh parmesean cheese. Heated up it was real yummy and went down well. I have problems with red meats and soem fish now. It just feels like rocks inside. Chicken and Turkey seem ok for me but I cant eat alot, maybe 2-3 tablespoons and I am stuffed. Right to that one more bite and I will puke stage. Hate that feeling! Gad 82 lbs is great! Elisa