What did YOU eat today??

HELLO EVERYONE, B 1 SCAMBLED EGG W/CHEESE L 1/2 CONTAINER OF REFRIED BEANS (TACO BELL) D PROTEIN SHAKE NO SNACKS HERE. SNACKS ARE THE REASON I HAD TO HAVE SURGERY!

Hi Dawn, There is a major difference between snacking pre and post op. Pre -op snaking was eating just to eat. It normally never had any real nutritional value. My snacks now are necissary in order to get in all my protein. Big difference. With love, Em

Em, I loved reading all the post. B carnation instant breakfast L Ismall slice pizza (Vomited) D Swiss steak and mashed potatoes Yogurt CL Water and vits NOt one of my better days -41Dolores

B-1/2 protein drink L-other 1/2 protein drink D-3 oz fish with 3 crushed ritz crackers, fat free butter and a squirt of hot sauce, baked in the oven and it was finally something I was able to keep down. I drank 24 oz of water, and 24 oz decaf tea with about 2oz skim milk and splenda. Shannon

You know...this string has definately opened my eyes at how different of advise we get from our dieticians! For instance, I'm at 2 oz of protein and 1 oz of fruit or veggie per meal plus 1 protein shake or protein bar per day, and all the SF popcycles/jello I want. My surgeon wants me to limit the carbs so I eat veggies instead of mashed potato's for lunch. That protein does not include beef of any kind. Other things that are big time no-no's for ME that I have seen listed here are: gravy, cookies (even if they are sf), sour cream, stuffing, pizza, crackers, and rice. I can understand why these all should be no-no's...the pouch has trouble digesting things like that...not to mention, pizza is what helped get me to 344lbs to start with. You get carbs with healthy high protein foods like cheese and milk...why go for a baked potato with sour cream? I don't see the nutritional value in that. I apologize. I am not trying to step on anyone's toes or say that my surgeon/dieticians are better than anyone else's. I am sincerely asking why. Is there nutrition there that I am failing to see? I see other threads from everyone frustrated because they haven't lost more or because they are vomiting...perhaps it's because of the food choices not agreeing with your pouch..? I am frustrated that I haven't lost more than 52lbs...but my standstill was because my thyroid quit working. Please...question your dietician about some of these food choices so you can get the most you can from this tool. If she/he says these foods are good for you, please ask them in what way and let me know. I love pizza and peanut butter cookies and if there's a good nutritional reason to eat it, I'd like to be let in on the secret so I can quit doing without them! Sherri

Sherri~ I personally go for the baked potatoe w/cheese and sour cream because that's how I can get in protein. There is also fiber and other vitamins in potatoes. I would much rather eat that than try to eat some of the other things I tried and just vomitt anyway. This way I know I'm getting in protein from the cheese and sour cream, they do make ff sour cream. Also gravy is not a normal thing for me to be eating, we did just have Thanksgiving, so that's why I had gravy. If someone needs the gravy to moisten the meat so they can keep it down then that makes the gravy good in my eyes. I have had many food issues and at this point I eat what I can keep in me that has the best value. I also eat an occasional cookie because I feel if I don't I may ruin this for myself, when you expect perfection from yourself you are setting yourself up for failure, just my opinion. I know I can eat that one cookie and not go crazy. If cookies are something that you feel you can't eat just one then I wouldn't recommend eating it. For me it's all about control and finally being in it, the food no longer controls me. Hope this helps you to see the other side. Jo

Jo, Thank you for your reply. I am pretty much a live and let live type of person so whatever you choose to eat, you owe me no explanation. My message was because I have 2 concerns based upon what people eat...The first is for pre-WLS people who may think that it is ok to eat pizza and whatever after WLS after seeing online that people less than 3 months out are eating this. For individual situations, I can see a dietician advising you to try something in order to keep something down (but each of the 3 times that I had that problem, I saw my surgeon for an endoscopy to have the problem corrected). I PERSONALLY would not tempt myself at this stage, nor my new pouch, with high carb foods. It's hard on the pouch to digest and too easy for me to regress. My 2nd, and most important concern is with the medical industry. I think there should be some consistant guidelines out there. My pouch is still my pouch regardless of if I live in Indiana or Nebraska or California and the advise that I recieve from my dietician/surgeon should not alter as vastly as it obviously does. My sister had WLS a year ago. All she was told was how many ounces to eat and how fine to chop her food. She's an RN so she knew which foods weren't the best of choices. Now, 1 year later, she is at 145 lbs (started off at 317lbs) and 5 lbs from her goal. Not everyone has that extra knowledge that she has. Some of us depend on our dietician/surgeon to tell us. I'm fortunate. Mine gives out sheets that very specifically says what we can have. It will be a year before bread (or pizza) is allowed back into my life...and I am fine with that. Bread swells in your stomach. I have had a piece of scrambled egg caught in my opening...take a risk of a piece of bread swelling and closing it off? Not worth it to me! That egg hurt way too much. So please...do not take my comments here personally. I know this has gotten off topic from my comments, and I'm sorry. I am just really frustrated that the medical community cannot agree on what is best for us...and be consistant with what they tell people...or do not tell people. I believe we all have to have some common sense with this...but if we all were capable of making the correct food choices on our own, we wouldn't have been morbidly obese to begin with..and the medical profession should be smart enough to realize this. Sherri ps...I love Lean Gormet meals! Exactly 2 oz of meat...too much veggies, but I can eat them another meal(s), and no starches (as my surgeon has me on).

I agree that there should be more consistency with the dietician/surgeons dietary advise. My cousin had surgery 3 weeks after I did and in the first week was eating mashed potatos and fruits and stuff I was told to forget about for the first year. I don't know how much she has lost yet (she is always out) but I have lost 84 pounds. I know how carbs have contributed to my problem so I don't miss them much because I'm not hungry anyway, but there are times when mashed potatos sound like the only thing that will stay down and I wish I could eat them. I am terrified of dumping so I have avoided all carbs - breads, potatos, pasta, fruit and sugars. I'm satisfied with not tempting fate. My biggest concern is for my cousin because if she is following these guidelines that include pasta, pizza, potatos I don't think her results are going to be what she wants. She says everything goes down fine for her so it is fine. I have issues keeping the legal foods down to the point where I want to only drink water because eating is such a hassle. My favorite thing to eat is soups. Today I have only eaten 3 strips of crispy bacon and 1/2 a piece of popcorn chicken (I threw out the other 1/2 because the breading made me nervous and I didn't feel good. I know I should eat more, but I don't want to eat and am just thirsty. I figure this first six months I will just eat to live and not punish myself for not eating when I know I won't be able to keep it down anyway.

Laura, Bacon and popcorn chicken aren't on my ok list. I would guess that bacon isn't because it's basically browned pork fat with a little meat. And popcorn chicken is breaded (carbs) and fried (fat). Meat-wise, my list has canned meat and very lean grilled pork, fish, or poultry (skinless). That's why I am such a big fan of Lean Gormet. It has the right meat at the right portions prepared the right way. I haven't had any problems as long as I chew, chew, chew. I can also have an egg or egg beaters (love the south-western style!), cheese, or beans as my protein instead of meat. My protein bars have quite abit of carbs in them (I think it's alot anyway) but the dietician told me last time to start introducing them. I've had 3 of them over the past 5 weeks...how's that for a very slow intro? LOL. I have my 12 week apt with my surgeon and dietician in the morning (12 wks will be this Friday). I plan on asking the dietician how many cals should I be eating a day ****ep hearing 800-1000...I eat ~450-600 cal/day) and what is a target range on grams of carbs a day. I agree with your concern for your cousin. Makes you wonder how she can be advised that pizza and breads are ok, doesn't it? I wish there was someplace that we, WLS post-op people could contact to try to 'encourage' consistent post-op advise. Sherri