6 weeks out; food issues

Hi, I had RNY on May 19. I seem to be having trouble keeping down chicken. Anyone else have this problem? I have no problem with cheese or small portions of meat. 1 or 2 eggs for breakfast is tolerable. Yogurt is my best friend. I can drink a double esspresso and actually get a good caffeine buzz without getting hungry. I eat protein bars for lunch and drink G2 Gatorade along with water and unsweetened ice tea. Once in a while I will eat a kid sized bag of chips. I have had half a tuna sandwich three times, kept it down once. I won't try rice, potatoes, or pasta. A big disappointment is I can't drink milk anymore! It comes right back up. I won't even try a soda, even diet, the thought makes me sick. I tried ice cream once and paid dearly for it; had to lay down for a few hours. I am down 35 pounds since surgery, off diabetic and blood pressure meds. I had one 3 week stall, then lost 9 pounds last week. Been stuck at 230 for about 5 days. Hope everyone else is doing okay.

Hello John, I was wondering if your doctor had mentioned anything to you about the chips and the coffee? I was under the impression that caffeine and snacks like chips, pretzels, crackers etc... was a big no no. Especially for the 1st 6mos to a year. But then again, everyones different. I had the same problem with chicken as well. I had no problems with tuna, string cheese, SF jello and SF pudding. My best friend was SF popsicles. I really do enjoy the new me. I am down 173 lbs and seems to me that you are on your way. just be careful with the snacking as it could develope into bad habits. Congrats. on your success. Best of luck Chris

Hi, just wanted to jump in for a minute and say that caffeine will dehydrate you. So, if you're going to drink the coffee with caffeine you'll need to increase your fluid intake, don't want you to have hydration problems down the road. And get rid of those chips!! I know its not a problem for you now, but a little further out and they might become one...I know how hard it is to give them up, they were my fave too. And gatorade has sugar in it, so it won't count toward your fluid intake. As for being stuck for 5 days, try increasing your fluids and protein intake daily and cut out the carbs except for veggies and fruit if you're eating it already and see what happens. Sounds like you're on the right track, keep it up! Good luck to you! Denise

All I can say is WOW the stuff you are able to eat is unbelievable to me! I am 9 weeks post op and have not even dared try half this stuff. I would never bother with chips or icecream, and caffeine is a big NO from my surgeon. We just had a woman at our support group meeting who had to have a major open surgery to repair an ulcer which developed after she refused to give up caffeine post op. So I am not going there! I got very sick from eggs, and I could never eat a whole egg in one sitting. Just 2 or 3 bites max. I have been able to tolerate tuna salad, cheese, and soup is still my best friend. I think you may be pushing your pouch too soon as it is still healing and swollen, and getting sick too often can really damage it. So be careful! I have been too afraid to try chicken as so many say they cant do it- but I have to try at some point. I had grilled tilapia tonite with some salsa and it was soooo good, but I was only able to eat about 2 ounces. I was bummed because I wanted more but I was really full. Still amazes me. Have you tried Lactaid milk-it is really good- tastes exactly the same as milk. Well good luck and congrats on your speedy loss so far! I am down 57 pounds in 9 weeks and I still can't believe it! Best, Deb Cote

Thanks for the repiies. I know I shouldn't have chips. I know too much caffeine is bad. The caffeine is an addiction, for sure. My body has gone off so much long term medication since surgery. I guess I am not ready to get rid of it yet. I had a weird time in the hosptial. Because I was on a liquid diet like all of us were, day 3 in the hospital my Blood Sugar dropped to 38! and the nursing staff wouldn't give me something sweet because it was against Dr.s orders. I had to get of my bed after an hour of my sugar dropping and go demand something sweet to drink. Long story short, they put me on puree food the next day, and I started eating solid foods less than a week later. I have had to use trial and error as to what my pouch will tolerate and what it will not tolerate. I may have to try Lactaid Milk. Thanks. I know I am not the best patient at following post op directions. One thing I have followed religiously though, is the Doctor's orders against eating fruit until we lose 75 percent of our excess fat. I love apples and bananas, but can't eat them yet. I am very good about taking my supplements and getting my protein. I could be better about drinking more water, especially since I drink the tea and coffee. Blessings to all!

Hey John, I just wanted to tell you that I think you're doing a great job. Nobody is perfect and I certainly didn't want to make you feel bad...you were honest and that's more than some people can say. I do encourage you to try to wean yourself off the caffeine, but its not the worst thing you could be doing....just make sure to compensate with the fluids. Remember, it doesn't have to be just plain water. Crystal Light has a lot of flavors that are really good...my husband drinks my Lemonade all the time, I just sweeten it with Splenda. And decaf tea can be sweetened with Splenda also. My family has been drinking decaf tea for months and don't now the difference I have problems with my blood sugar dropping too. My surgeon's orders are 3 meals a day, no snacking. He had to modify that for me because my sugars were dropping too low, so now I eat something every 2-3 hrs. but I make sure it has protein in it, usually. The tender beef jerky is a great snack, or string cheese, something like that. The Atkins Advantage protein bars are really good too, jus****ch the sugar alcohols in some of them. Hang in there...you're right, its trial and error but eventually you'll get into a routine and eating/drinking/supplements and everything else will become second nature to you. Do the best you can and ask for help when you need it, feel free to PM me if I can help you with any other questions. Take care, Denise

Hey John, My surgery was on May 19th as well. Wow! You can eat way more things than I can. For the past few days, everytime I eat ANYTHING I get sick about 15mins. later. It's driving me nuts!!! I do still drink caffine, but I have also uped my water intake. I can only get maybe 2 bites of anything down at one time, then I get so naseated I have to lay down for awhile. But, when it's over I feel great again. Crazy. Anyway, sounds like you're doing great! Good Luck!! Tammy

I was told that you need to cut chicken into pieces the size of the eraser of a pencil and then chew well. I don't know if that will hel*****t.