Soft Solids: What are you eating?

10 days out here and as of Saturday I progressed to "Soft Solids" which means I can have the following: mashed potatoes w/o skin, rice, pasta, toast, or plain crackers, unsweetened cooked or canned fruit without seeds or skin, banana and citrus fruits w/o membrane, unsweetened fruit juice, soft cooked veggies, ground lean meat, fish, tuna (packed in water), poultry, eggs cooked w/o fat, creamy peanut butter, very tender cooked dried navy pinto lima or kidney beans, black eyed peas or split peas, skim milk or 1% milk, sugar free yogurt, soy/rice milk, sugar free jello, pudding and custard, salt and sugar substitute, fat free cream cheese, fat free sour cream and low fat frozen yogurt, baby foods. Last night we went to Joe's Crab Shack and I had one dungeoness crableg and 1 grilled shrimp. Oh, and a tiny bite of bread w/ lobster fondue on it. It was so good!!! Today I had a piece of grilled blackened fish, glass of v8 and 1/2 c of fruit loops w/ about a cup of milk. What is everyone eating? What have you tried? Any yummy recipes to share?

Wow Holly! you are lucky to be able to have all that! The clinic I go to is very strict with very slow progression not to stretch the pouch early on with heavy foods. I am still on high protein liquids and I was able to move to 2B and add 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1/2 cup egg into the diet yesterday.I have to stay on this until week 4 and then I can add meats,tuna,chicken etc.. only. I need to get in 60 grams protein a day. I don't add stage 4, the heavy things like potatoes,hot cereals,breads,rice,pasta and veggies until 8 to 10 weeks after my surgery,so I won't get to that good stuff until the second week of August. I am very happy with everything,I am losing steady and I am content with what I am able to have. God Bless ya hon you could eat all that, I could bearly get my 1/2 cup cottage cheese down,I was so full! WOW are all Dr.'s and clinics diffent eh? Save your good recipes,I'll get there eventually! Nancy

Yeah, I've found that everyone's surgeon is different. I'm very confident in my surgeon and he hasn't led me wrong yet! I'm so glad I don't have to do weeks of liquid! I would go bananas! At any rate, they're all very knowledgeable and thank god for them, right? Congrats on your success! OH, btw, I didn't eat all that at one sitting. LOL! That's all I've had total for the day.

Hi Holly! LOL..I know you could not have eated that at one setting if you did??? YIKES! I have been on liquid for a month now and it seems like a banquet! LOL..I didn't mean anything by it.really!sometimes it is hard to say things typing they seem to come off the wrong way,no voice reflection.I am so sorry I did not mean to offend you I am not like that! Holly I found this out this morning when I talked to the clinic dietician, every one of our surgeons do the same operations but use differnt techniques. I had Laproscopic and my surgeon does not use drains afterwards and he does not stich or pack the incisions,he uses streri strips. Therefore my diet afterwards is for the procedure he uses. Others may have drains,stitches ect...which means the healing process is differnt and a diet for that docs surgery may be differnt. Makes all good sense to me. Hey I look at it this way, as long as it works...who cares!LOL we are all going the same direction anyway "downhill" right? They are all magnificent surgeons that have helped thousands and we are among the blessed,to have been able to have it done and be on our way to healthy thin people! thank gawd! Nancy

Nancy, your surgeon sounds like the same school as mine: 0-3 weeks, clear liquids, yogurt w/o chunks, cream of wheat (soupy), cream soups (strained), mash pototoes (from flakes, runny), 1% milk, apple & cranberry juice, Carnation Instant Breakfast, various Protein powders and drinks (like Isopure). Only 40 grams of protein. 3weeks&a day - 6 weeks; progressively more solid mushes & pureed foods. Cottage Cheese, more types of yogurts. 6 weeks and a day; modified Stage III diet for the remainder of my life! for 72 grams of protein. Thing is, direction on all stages is to take things slow, and only maybe add one new item a day to ensure that I/we can process the new item along with old standbyes. Robyn

I'm on Soft Foods too....today I had some vegetarian Skallops(protein ) with cheese, and I just ate some pasta(very small amt) with ground beef and cheese(when possible I add cheese to everything) and then I'm going to have a protein shake for a snack before bed. I'm not getting ALL of my protein in but I'm make an effort to do so..one day at a time.

MMM! I've been too scared to try pasta but I think I may have a little tomorrow. When you say small amount, how much are we talking? Like 1/3 c? From all of my research I have found that you're eating so little the first month anyway, that sure, you should try to get all your protein in but it's not a big deal. After the first month is when you should really focus. Sounds like we're on the same plan We should do a daily food journal or something. I think it would be very beneficial to not only us, but those just out of surgery or thinking of surgery. Any thoughts?

Wow! Like Nancy's Doctor, my clinic is a little more strict. Upon discharge- Full Liquids (thru day 20) Pureed foods (Day 21-34) Soft Foods (Day 35-41) Regular Foods (Day 42 on) - I'll be here 8/2 Not too bad. Right now at 4 days post-op it is all I can do to get down crystal lite. Have been also drinking skim milk, a tiny bit of yogurt, popsicles. I did attempt a protein shake this morning, and did drink most of it, but don't really want another. I am going to have to figure out protein options, so I can't get by without that. Best of luck to you. When I get further along, hopefully I will have some recipes to share! Stacy

Mine is strict also - but I also had laproscopic with the steri-strips and no drain. I get clear liquids (whi*****ludes yogurt no chunks for some reason) through week 3 and then move up to the next stage. I think it includes soft cooked eggs! Heaven!

Jumping in here....... It seems like there are many different ways that the surgeons use. I had a drain, and strips on the incisions with Laproscopic surgery. I am 11 days out from surgery and the healing process has been pretty good for me. The first 10 days were full liquids. Now i'm allowed to go onto purreed into soft foods stage. At present i've been eating the cream of wheat, grits, mashed potatoes, sugar free jello, pudding etc. I notice though that with some foods, like I tried tuna fish today and my stomach did not like it at all. I had such terrible cramping. I've been fortunate thought where i've had no dumping or nauseousness. My biggest issue is eating slowly and drinking 45 minutes after I eat. Sometimes I forget and send my poor stomach into a tizzy. I was lactose intolorant before the surgery so I haven't tried yogurt yet or drinking straight up milk. I stick with 1% and it seems to be doing ok. well.....good luck guys. Oh you might want to add some beans to your purreed stage. I cooked up some black beans with a little chilli seasonings topped it with sour cream and cheese and it was pretty good...it also helped with BM.... npeo