Please Respond "why"

Hi Everyone, Please forgive me for not posting as much as I should. My hubby just left and I have been trying to settle down to the new routine without him for a while. Anyway, Why is it that I can eat JUNK totally not what I am allowed to eat or should make me terribly sick can I eat it like, wheat thins,grahm crackers,cake,icecream,chocolate.peanutbutter,rice But I go to eat what I should, I throw up or get a hurting pain in my chest, LIKE tuna,chicken,potatoes now, sliced turkey, What is wrong with me? Tonight I made chicken cord on blue, I even baked it. I could eat to bites of chicken and a few green beans and I hurt so bad so I stopped. I couldn't even touch the mashed potatoes. It was my friends bday and I had a very LITTLE peice of cake and some icecream and ate it all with NO problem.. :O( Tara

Tara: A lot of stuff like that makes no sense, but I think it happens to everyone. For me, the magic food is chocolate. If I've eaten something that isn't agreeing with me, for whatever reason, a bite of chocolate - about the size of a Hershey's Kiss, plain, no nougat, nuts or other good stuff - settles it down, QUICKLY, like magic. I'm not asking why on that one. If it keeps me from feeling like I'm going to be sick, I'm having a piece. Slippery or slimy things like ice cream, pudding or tofu goes down great. Beef, eggs, chicken - wholesome stuff - is notoriously difficult for me. Crispy crackers are always fine, but fluffy or spongy things like cake? No, not even chocolate cake. Toast is fine; untoasted bread - never. it sticks like a big ol' lump. It's different for everyone. I've had people tell me that all the things I just named as fine for ME are impossible for them.

I haven't lost and saw the scale go down since dr.bells visit.. :O( I'm getting so discouraged. I can't eat all the wholesome food and I feel at times I am starving...

Tara my hubby leaves soon for awhile too. I can also eat junk food. In fact sometimes it's easier for me to eat stuff I shouldn't than the stuff I should. Like it's easier for me to eat say bagel chips than it is chicken breasts. Just keep the faith and trying to eat healthy. It's hard. Allow yourself to eat something bad once in a while. No one's perfect!

I'm almost 6 months out, and still cannot eat chicken. It's very hard to digest, and gives me a great deal of distress. Same for green beans. The solution is simple. You go to the doctor and say "Doc, it hurts when I do this", and the doc says "Don't do that". So I do oatmeal, fat-free tuna snacks, vegetarian beans, soup, cheese, soft white fish, and a protein bar here and there. Sure, I'd like to have more of a variety, but why suffer? There's a price for everything, and weight loss surgery exacts a fairly hefty toll. The results are hard to argue with though, as I have dropped 138 lbs in 22 weeks. My advice would be to stay away from chocolate, cake, sweets, and the like, and opt instead for fat free saltines, sugar-free pops, Crystal Lite, and lots of exercise. It's OK to experiement, but when you find something doesn't work, leave it for a few weeks and try it again later. I wouldn't dwell too much on what you can and can't tolerate at this early stage. What I've tried to do is make eating a necessity, something I do only when I have to, like filling my gas tank. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat, even if the rest of the family is sitting down at the table. I refuse to try ice cream or cake, perhaps because I'm afraid that I will be able to tolerate it too well. I've tried to make other events such as my exercise time be the focal points of my day rather than mealtimes. I'm convinced that changing the way I think about food will help me stay healthier and keep the weight off permanently. I've seen lots of folks who had surgery put the weight back on, and I don't want to go there. Good luck! --Steve

I am sorry that you are having a tough time with eating. Maybe those few bites are all that your pouch can handle right now. If all you could eat was a few bites of chicken, don't go for the green beans -- just eat the chicken. If you eat a fair amount of protein and then feel like a little veggies then go for it. No real need to have anything like mashed potatoes, there really isn't much nutritional benefit in those at all. I have gone through times of great restriction and times with almost none at all. I know it can be frustrating. The further you get along the easier it will get. You will begin to understand the many moods of your pouch and what you can eat and what is gonna cause you pain. Some days all you might be able to get down are some protein drinks or a smoothie. It's okay. Just remember to take your vitamins and drink, drink, drink your water. And when you are done with that drink some more water, Try to stay away from all those tempting goodies too. One every few weeks is okay but at only six weeks out, I don't know that I would have tried any of those things at that point. Not on a soapbox here so please don't think that. I just want you to have the success you desire from the operation! Good luck to you! Eileen

Hi Tara, OK, tough love time. Am I correct that you had surgery in February of this year? Girlfriend, why in the world have you sampled the 'no-no' foods already? I do not mean any disrespect, but I'm just trying to understand. At this stage you need to treat your pouch with the utmost care, and if it means staying on soft foods a bit longer, or avoiding problem foods (like what you mentioned above, tuna, chicken, turkey). I'd suggest seeing a nutritionist who specializes in bariatric patients who can help you tolerate the nutritious foods and give you substitutions for the foods you should be avoiding at this point. Good luck! -Deb