Afraid to try new foods

Hello Feb. WLS Family, I read this board frequently but rarely post. I know many people are eating 1/2 - 1 cup of food per meal. I am still eating 2 ounces per meal twice a day. I really don't enjoy eating and only feel hungry about once a day. I am afraid to try new foods as I have gotten sick before and don't like it at all I'm sure nobody enjoys getting sick. My diet consists of chicken pureed in a food processor with mayo (my version of chicken salad), tuna with mayo, cottage cheese, mozerella cheese sticks, cheese slices/square, crackers, s/f popsicles & jello, peanuts, peanutbutter and crackers, Total Protein cereal, and AchievOne protein drinks. Oh and water...Lots of Ice water. I Love my ice water I drink around 150-200 ounces a day. I would rather drink water then eat. If I do feel hungry, I would rather s/f popsicles or s/f jello. I fight myself to eat things..I am just so afraid of not losing weight. I know, I know....I need to eat healthy, and exercise which I think I do. I have not had any real slips off my meal plan suggested by me surgeon. Unless 3 sugar free life savers count as a slip. I have talked to the staff at Bridges Centre (program I went through for WLS) and was told I need to get 800-1000 calories a day to get maximun weightloss results. THAT is A LOT I struggle to make myself get that many calories. I have resorted to peanuts in the evening to add calories I read, and share peanuts with my dog afraid of food at 5 months out and have no desire to face that fear. What if I face the fear and then want to eat food again. I might end up battling wanting to eat whether hungry or not I have no cravings for junk food or carbs and make myself get at least 80 grams of protein a day. I know this will get better and in time, I will be able to eat more things, if I finally decide to try more things Right now, I just want to lose weight. I have never been averaged sized. When I look at the medical chart and it says I should weight 136 at 5' 4" I get discouraged and wonder if that is a pipe dream....it's overwhelming. How did you come up with a goal weight? I used the weightloss planner on this site and don't like the numbers at 70% loss I really want to do much better then that. I have played with that planner using different percentages but just *sigh* and dream. My family is worried that I can eat so little. I usually have albicore, all white tuna packed in water, drained then add mayo. If I am out I might have peanutbutter crackers that mom always has and offrs me (I eat 3-4 out of 6) Tuna does seem to be my safest and favorite meal. I hope everyone is doing well with their journey. Congrads to all you new century club members. I think I am there or a few pounds shy..but I don't weigh often. I don't have a scale at home which is probably a good thing. and Take Care, Wendy T.

I think you need to talk to a therapist or a nutritionist. At five months your diet should be returning to "normal" and by this I mean a variety of nutritious foods that help you get your protein and vitamins. Have you always been obsessive about food? I am not trying to be mean but worry that if you are only eating tuna and ground up chicken that you might be obsessive about eating due to getting sick on other foods. My dr. made it clear to me early on that if something does not sit well don't eat it again for a few weeks then try it again the pouch takes alot of time to heal and even now some days things sit well other i eat beef jerky and egg slad becuase my tummy will not tolerate anything else. Hope you get to feeling better. althea -90

Hello Wendy I don't know if you read my post the other day (when someone was asking about what foods don't agree with you) but I am going through the EXACT same thing right now. Just about everything that I eat comes back up on me . . . or creates such pain that I have to do it myself. But its the fact, that I have to really force myself to eat! The thought of food just isn't appealing to me. I enjoy having my protein drink in the am & pm . . . my cup of coffee in the am . . . & my water/decaf tea/crystal lite throughout the day (I also really like my s/f popsicles @ night) . . . but I am content without solids. Everyone keeps telling me too, that if I don't get in enough calories that my body is going to go into starvation mode & that I will stop losing; however, right now is when I've lost the most weight!!! Its like if I eat - I stop losing . . . if I starve myself I lose . . . I guess I'm just a freak like that - lol. I know that this can't go on forever . . . but right now, it's just not really bothering me. Even though it is bothering everyone else ("how can you not eat" & "that can't be healthy" & "you're gonna get sick" - you get my point - lol) As for my goal weight . . . my doc never gave me one either. I used the weight loss planner on the site & just shot for 100%. My goal weight is 140 @ 5'6 . . . & it too seems like a pipe dream . . . but it's something for me to shoot for (only 40 more lbs). I wish you all the best . . . & just know that you're not alone . . . we can start some kind of food haters club together - lol. Big Hugs Amanda -75

Wendy, I was told that I had to get in a minimum of 75 grams of protein a day. I know that we need 60 grams of protein a day to maintain a normal muscle mass. If we don't get enough protein in as we lose weight we actually lose muscle right along with the fat or instead of the fat. The heart is a muscle and can be damaged with eating improperly. What does your surgeon recommend? Have you been open with him about the eating issues? A few become anorexic after this surgery, unusual but it can happen. Please seek advice from your surgeon. Don't take a chance with your health. Mary

I can relate to your problem because I had surgery 5months ago and I am having a hard time with eating meats. Everytime I eat any kind of meat I have to run to the bathroom to hug the bowel and I hate that. I have been eating mash potatoes which I know is not good for me but it's about the only thing that I can hold down with out having pain. I also am afraid of trying new foods and know I feel to thin I have lost 96lbs in 5months.

Wendy, I feel the same way about trying new foods. I have had several things cause pain so I tend to stick with what I know works. I eat tuna, chicken, cheese, and a little peanut butter. I have started trying a little fruit now and then to add some variety and I can drink skim milk. I also tried some SF pudding made with carb control milk (it has more protein than regular milk) and it was OK in small amounts. I am better than I was 2 months ago and I think in 2 more months I will be better still. Just try a few bites of different foods to see what you tolerate best. A friend of mine who had WLS 2 years ago told me to remember, I was just like a baby. We introduce new foods to a baby slowly and don't expect them to tolerate everything we give them so we should give ourselves time to adjust to our new digestive systems. I do not have a goal weight in mind. I just want to be healthy and feel good about myself. Those are my goals and I did not want to attach a number to them. I would love to be the normal weight for my height but realisticlly I do not think that will happen and I am OK with that. Good luck on your WL journey! Liz