eating and drinking

My surgery was May 24, 2005 and when I went for my 4 week checkup the doctor told me that I could start solid foods. I haven't found much that tastes good to me. I am wondering what other people are eating and drinking at the solid food stage. Has anyone tried any kind of soda that is okay to drink? I am wondering if Sprite is okay? I am so burnt out on water, water, water!!!

Doctor usually discourage folks from drinking soda AT ALL due to the carbonation. Lots of bubbles in the pouch. I drink water, decaf iced tea (brewed at home), Crystal Light, Propel, and something from Vintage which is a Cherry Limeade (splenda). I'm 6 weeks post-op today and I'm still on pureed foods. I eat most meats except for steak. Not going to go there yet. I have eaten out and chewed for myself and done okay with it. Key to eating is sauces, gravies - lots of moisture. Dry food doesn't go down well. Kathy

The whole thing with soda is that it's empty calories and b/c it's carbonated the air bubbles take up precious space in that little pouch of ours. My surgery was 5/17 and I'll admit, I had some diet soda b/c I felt the same way with water - BUT - if you HAVE to do it, please go the diet route. Regular Sprite is chock full of sugar and carbs - with Splenda in everything now a days, you can hardly taste the difference. Try 7UP Plus, too - that's great. I have maybe one soda a week and drink it slowly b/c you'll be amazed at how much you'll be burping! : ) Also, if you're bored with water, try to add some Crystal Light for a flavor change. As far as solid foods, I jumped right in. My first meal was grilled chicken, mashed potatoes (yum), and steamed spinach. I took small bites and chewed like a mad woman..and ate about 1/3 of it. Just take a deep breath, and enjoy..this only gets better - I promise!!

Dear Tonya, My surgery was May 23rd. I'm on 5 two ounce portions of diced protein until July 7th. They, I too am on what my Nut refers to as Stage 4. They have made the following recommendations: * Make protein intake your priority 60-70gms/day * eat slowly and chew thoroughly * Avoid the following problematic foods: .........Tough meats (Red meat, hamburger, lobster, scallops and shrimp) .........membranes of oranges, tangerines and grapefruit .........Cores, skins and seeds of fruits and veggies .........Fibrous veggies like celery .........Popcorn & Nuts .........Doughy breads .........Rices .........Grapes .........Peapods *Avoid RAW fruits and viggies until 4 months post-op The rest is common sense. Like many of the diets we've been on try to keep fats, starches and calories low while keeping proteins high. 3 meals 2 snacks per day (and water, water, water) example: B-3/4 cup of cereal with 8oz of skim milk S-1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce L-1/2 pita, 3oz turkey, 1/2 cup cooked carrots S-1/2 cup light fruit ****tail D-1/2 cup mashed potato, 1/2 cup steamed broccoli, 3oz fish I was told that ALL carbonated beverages were a NO-NO. The carbonation can slowly expand the capacity of your pouch and that's not a good thing with WLS. Good Luck Kate Z 313/???/125

NO SODA!! Too many bubbles - fills the tummy with air. I drink Propel, Crystal Lite, Flavor Splash (by Aquafina), Dasani has a flavored water, too - don't remember what it's called, though but it's good. Also decaf tea, all sorts of zero calorie or very low calorie stuff out there to drink!! Michelle

Hi Tonya, I've learned to pu****er bottles in the freezer until almost froze then put it in the fridge, that way it is always icy cold then just sip throughout the day. I count sugar free popsicles in my fluid intake. And wally world makes a sf drink mix that is decent but I have to water it down. Fluid intake is still ruff for me but I'm not dehydrating so that is good. I eat tons of yogurt (carb option blue bunny and atkins) They are good and have good amount of protein. Really moist chicken is all the meat I can handle. I've tried baked fish twice and haven't done well with that. One bad thing for me is carbs sit too well, and that is my downfall so I have to be dilligent to stay away from them. The little cheese crackers and baked potato sits well. I do great with minnestroni soup, I just chew it well and pass on the large kidney beans, the skins are too tough. I tried cheerios with skim milk yesterday and it sat well too! YEAH! Oh, and I had a bit of chicken pot pie, without the crust! Just do really small quantities as you introduce new foods. I can't do cottage cheese althought my nutritionist highly recomends that. Real moist tuna is supposed to be good too at this stage but I haven't tried it. Let us know what works for you. I am easily bored with my limited food selections.

My surgery was 05/23 and I've been eating all kinds of meat (chicken, steak, pork, fish) and I haven't had any problems. I weigh it and make sure I'm not getting any more than 3 oz. Sometimes that is still too much and I give the excess to my husband. Make sure you take teeny bites, eat very slowly, and I usually wait a few minutes after I've eaten about a third of the meat to make sure there isn't a problem. I sometimes will have a teaspoon to a tablespoon of either baked potato or mac/cheese. I also will freeze my water bottles about half full of water then the next day add water so it will stay cold. I sometimes will add crystal lite on the go to about 24 oz of water. That makes it easier to get your liquid in. Keep in mind that if you have any caffinated drink that it's a diuretic and you will need to drink even more water to make sure you stay hydrated. One other thing, you might try fixing a little water with chicken boullion cube to flavor the water too.

I had surgery the same day as you and I eat shimp, chicken, salmon, and have tried ground beef. All of this is chopped up smaller that a baby bite. I was hospitalized 3 weeks ago for dehydration and since I got out I have done great with everything. My sense of smell chilled out finally and nothing makes me vomit anymore except protein drinks and vitamins. If water is boring you, you might want to try what I drink to jazz it up... I take 8 0z. of water and 8 oz. of Juicy Juice Berry and put it over ice. It tastes so good and beats the taste of Crystal Light. Plus thats 16 oz. of fluid! I tried a sip of Diet Big Red last night (I am from TX. and that stuff is the BEST SODA IN THE WORLD!) and after a TINY sip I thought my pouch was gonna explode! Weird feeling, wont do that again! Good luck to you! Kathy

Hey My Krazy friend, Glad to see you are doing so well... just say no... to big red Good to see you... Barb

HI BARB! Long time no talk, glad you finally made it over to the MAY message board! We should catch up sometime! I really enjoyed our talks in the past! Kathy