Not looking forward to eating solids

I'm going to vent for a second hope everyone doesn't mind. I am getting closer to being able to eat solid foods at my 6 week mark. And I'm on soft foods right now. I"ve been eating crackers and peanut butter and tuna, and lunchmeat and string cheese. Oh and I may have fell off a bit because I had a craving and I mean craving for shrimp so I bought steamed shrimp and some alaskan crab legs. I ended up eating a just a bit 1/2 cup or so but I felt so much better eating this. But now i'm bummed out. The closer I get to being able to eating solid foods the more I know I'm going to screw this up. Solid foods is like letting me know to go for it..eat. I have stayed on target since this surgery with the exception of walking a whole lot. I've not cheated and stayed on liquids for a month. Now I'm scared. If I stay on liquids what will happen? I've had the foamies once, low blood sugar once but no dumping. I'm having attacks (panic, anxiety) like crazy. I tell my doctor he tells me this is all normal and to hang in there. I am telling him I have a food issue. Thinking of solid foods is like opening pandora's box. Anyone else feel scared going to the solid food level?

Well tracey no where in your post you told us about your positive and how much weight you have been looseing. I think your gonna be fine on the regular foods. I do fine. I mean i just cant eat my old portions so therefore i loose. RELAX, take things one step at a time and one day at a time and you will do fine. I dont know what else to say but your doing awesome from your post. GOOD LUCK and im sure all we be fine and your gonna be a BIG LOOSER! LISA

thanks for the luck. I've lost 20# so far been on a plateau for 2 an 1/2 weeks. I'm just bumming out. Thanks again.

Tracie, Lisa's right - you need to find the positive in all of this and just take it a day at a time. Personally I don't think the shrimp and crab were that much of a problem. You will find that when you eat you will only be able to handle a very small amount - that is a great control mechanism! Your body will decide what it can and cannot take (both the amount and the type of food). Over time you will relearn how to deal with food. The other thing you might consider is finding a counselor who you can meet with and discuss your concerns about food. Of course you want to try and find one that not only deals with food disorders but who is either knowledable or OPEN to learning about WLS and how our new "pouchies" work with food. Also, do you know about www.fitday.com ? You can either use the program online (for free other than internet service) or you can purchase it and download it. I use this EVERY DAY. I started out just putting in what I was eating so I could REALLY take a look at what was going into my body - boy, what a wake up call (both pre and post-op). I have recently started "planning" my meals and snacks for each day. Once I have everything in I can go back and look at how much protein, liquid, calories, fat, and carbs I would be getting. If one of those numbers is too low or too high I just look at my "menu" and either add or subtract or change quantities to make the numbers be what I want them to be at the end of the day. Then if things change during the day I go make the necessary adjustments in the fitday program and see how I'm doing. By doing it this way I do 2 major things for my self. 1. Physical: I am doing alot better at meeting my daily goals of protein, liquid and calories. 2. Emotional: By doing it this way I have STOPPED worrying ALL DAY about "HOW am I going to get this ALL in?" "WHEN am I going to be able to eat/drink ALL this stuff? WHAT am I going to eat/drink? Bottom line for me is that it takes the guesswork and the worry out of it for me. Mind you, I still have problems and frustrations - it's still hard and I've had to learn to not beat myself up when I don't meet every goal. But I know I'm "working towards" the goal and that is BIG progress. Good luck and hang in there - like Lisa said - take it as it comes and you'll be fine. I think it's truly INSPIRING that you have done a whole MONTH of liquid dieting - I don't think I could have done that! Penny

Tracie, I can't start on solid food until 3 months, but I agree with the other posts as far as you only being able to take in so much solid food. The days of very large meals are gone for us, so I think you will be fine with the solid food--I am just going to try and make good choice whenever possible. As far as the panic attacks, I know this can be very rough. The first month post-op I experienced anxiety over only having pureed foods. I did much better with this when I started soft foods. So, I think your doctor is right about this being a normal process. However, if you are experiencing emotional pain maybe you should look into taking a medication for the panic attacks? I have learned that some folks after this surgery need to take something temporarily to help with anxiety and/or depression. Also, are you taking any meds that might be causing this side effect. I learned (from experience) that a drug commonly given after WLS called Reglan can cause severe anxiety. This happened to me, and I was completely unaware of it. It was awful. These are just my thoughts. However, I will pray for you, and I hope that you get better soon. If you have a nutritionist, I have found that taking any food related concerns to them helped me more that anything. My nutritionist has helped me to devise a plan each time my diet has changed. She has been great. I was kind of nervous about going back to work with preparing meals etc. I met with her and she set my mind at ease. Try this, if you have one. God bless you. LMW

You will be fine... I actually eat less solid food that i did on liquids and purred. It also takes more time to eat because of all the chewing and it gets mroe gratifying that way. Just always remember what your goal is. Why should solid food be any different than liquid? If you were diciplined enough to do liquids you will be diciplined for solids. LImit yourself there as well if that makes it easier. Put the same limits on yourself just with a different kind of food.

Tracie, I'm with everyone else; you are going to be just fine. Someone to talk to, a counselor or a nutritionist, may help you to relieve many of your fears. My doctor has a much more laid back approach to this whole thing. I don't have a specific amount of food or liquids to take. I must walk daily and take all of my supplements. Other than that, he said my body would let me know. Thank goodness, because I have never been able to live with a diet that requires exact measurements or specific portions, etc. What can I say? I'm from the south. I was scheduled to stay on my "gooey diet" until week six, but after 3 1/2 weeks, I was so weak from a lack of protein that I had my husband make some tuna salad. I started feeling better within hours! When I confessed to the doc, he reminded me to take it easy and listen to my body. I'm not saying that anyone else should follow my lead, but I've had no ill effects except when I tried a couple of things too early. As for the cravings, I know what you mean! I indulge them without guilt, though, because I actually eat so little before I'm satisfied. I do take it easy when I eat because the pain from overeating is a strong deterent. I try to stick to a rule of three with solid foods; three bites. If after about ten minutes I still want more, then I have another bite. We actually talk at the dinner table now. My kids always thought it was for school projects. That reminds me (lesson learned) When you are eating solids, especially for the first few weeks, DO NOT try to watch t.v. or walk through the house, or do anything else while you're eating. Focus on chewing it very thoroughly and enjoying the flavor. It's very easy to over-do it until you learn the new "I'm getting full" feeling. My point is, based on my experience so far, I don't think your body will let you revert to your old habits before you have a chance to replace them with new ones. I had some fears myself, since those are the same habits that got me here in the first place, but this has really opened up a new way of relating to food. I don't eat indiscriminately - I plan ahead what I want to taste when I eat, and I enjoy every bite (not mouthful). I really savor the food. It's now more about quality than quantity. A real first for me. And I am learning again to enjoy choosing and preparing good and healthy meals for my entire family. I am already seeing a positive change in my daughter's eating habits without any of the "this food is bad" nonsense. As for me, I never realized how out of whack my thinking was about how much food is necessary to support our bodies. This is a very positive learning experience for us as a family, and I hope that I'm now better equipped to save my daughter from growing up with the baggage associated with weight/body issues. See, I ramble on too. But the thing to remember is that you are no longer a slave to food or your weight. The head hunger and food issues will have to be resolved, but you can do it! And I believe more emphatically everytime I visit this message board that the greatest gift we have through this time is each other! Good Luck, and keep us posted on your progress and revelations as they come! Kristie

Well. I tried it and it's a hassle.......Chewing so much, the though of it getting stuck, not being able to enjoy the newspaper while eating in case you don't chew right. Its a hassle..and I'm not enjoying it. I had my shrimp again they were good but it took the fun out of it by chewing it to pudding. So..how do I enjoy my food again? The soup was soooo much easier pop it open add some seasoning and sip. I look at food and go blah!

Hey Tracie, First, I know what you mean about shrimp. I used to love it, but I eat it less often now because it is such a hassle to chew. I do better with it if I cut it up into small enough bites that I don't have to worry about it getting stuck. This also gives me more bites to eat, and I don't have to worry about chewing it forever, just eating slower. This is the same thing I do with my rib eye; I'm such a fool for really good steak. I know if I let it go before I really ought to, there's still no foul (or pain). My doctor's mantra is that it has to be able to fit through your nostril - that's about the size of the stoma. However, for me, learning to savor the food is a big part of the triumph over the relationship with eating that got me to this point. For reading the paper and such, I sip on coffee or a V-8, which gratifies my oral needs. Keep on trying different things and I'm sure you'll find a system that works for you - the end definitely justifies the means! Good Luck, Kristie