Food; nom nom nom

Okay, so I'm about 2 weeks out and I was rather worried I was progressing too soon.  I saw my doctor yesterday and he gave me the ok to eat things like Chili and beans with chopped up tomato and shredded cheddar.

I'm afraid though, I have no problem actually eating things, but I feel like I'm spending more time on the toilet than not :s  

tmi, sorry.

 

And on with the topic of this post.  I have in mind some home made chili with (ground beef/porc/and shredded chicken breast, kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, carrots, red peppers and spices).  (The doctor also said I could have acidic foods as well as spices).

I also found a recipe for something I am traditionally not fond of, but am sure there is masses of protein in, meatloaf with hard boiled egg in the middle (http://norecipes.com/blog/killer-meatloaf/).

 

I have been staying away from *any* carbs, complex or otherwise so far (like the sf puddings my dr said were good for post op).  

The beans have me excited...

If you have diarrhea, treat it.  Take some imodium.  And take some more if necessary.  You can also try taking extra calcium.  That helps quite a bit.

Thanks!  I've been afraid to leave the house, and I have one week off before i'm back to work so I really want to be swimming.

I think I will treat it indeed.  I was hoping the beans would 'solidify' things...

 

I know people say it evens out on it's own (especially after you start in on the iron), how long did it last for you, if I may ask.

If your bowels are particularly sensitive, try omttting onions from the chili, or cooking an onion whole in the pot and removing it, thus getting the flavor but not eating it.  Onion can give me horrible diarrhea if I eat too much, and I used to load up chili with it.  I've made my own adjustments.

Chili would not be one of my first choices at two weeks out. There's a lot of fiber in the beans and vegetables. While I would have enjoyed the taste, I would have paid for it later. And a lot of that chili is carbs.

I was eating protein dense food. I dabbled in some bean chili about two months out that sat ok, but I was reminded by other posters of the high carb content. Likewise, I ate some oatmeal with protein powder, and was reminded here about the carb content. I chose to eat them anyways, only because all my other meals were very protein dense with little to no carbs.

Tomatoes bother some people as well.

If you choose to eat foods with carbs, make sure your other meals are protein-dense. This is a time when your food choices are going to become new habits for you. Make sure they are good habits. I can't stress enough, if you stray from a very protein-dense diet at a later date, you will be ok. If you stray from a diet that is already laden with carbs, your weight loss will suffer and you will get frustrated.

Your surgeon, possibly like mine, needs to be assured that you are eating food. Mine did not want me relying on protein shakes. He wanted me to eat, though foods like chili were not on his list.

Good luck on an easy recovery and congratulations.

I have been eating only protein dense foods so far, and I also was very worried about the carbs.

When I talked to him on Sunday he said I should not sorry about complex carbs and that beans are also filled with protein, especially if I am adding shredded chicken breast along with the ground meats.

I want to lose as much weight as possible, and if I can't eat *any* carbs at all, I won't, but I also don't want to cut all vegetables and beans and such and then binge at some point because I want something not meat.

I chopped up some garlic, and cucumber, tossed it in some low fat yogurt with some lemon juice and a pinch of salt and 20g of protein powder.

It tasted super yummy and I had no issues with the bathroom, but I did get to taste it over and over again (reflux).  I thought he was going to repair the hiatal hernia but it turns out it wasn't 'significant' :(

 

Susan,

I'm two weeks and one day out, from my surgery. My Dr. recommends the chili too. I have been successful with a little scrambled egg and cheese and edamame. Not sure if that edamame is approved or not, but those darn shakes are not desirable to me, anymore.

Are you craving anything? I'm so excited to hear about your "tomatoe", I have been craving one. Today, I was sucking out an orange like a crazy person, because I'm afraid of the citrus and the membrane around the fruit.

How are you doing with your fluids? Currently, I suck at that.

Tell me everything, I need a buddy...

Hah, I've avoided all fruit in fear of the sugars.  No, that's a lie, I put 3 teaspoons of orange juice in 800ml of water for a hint of flavour (and because I hate fake sugar drinks).  I've also become keen on herbal teas with a bit of cream.  Orange mandarin and lemon ginger (I hate ginger, but I can stomach this gladly).

I can see where you're coming from though.  I have forced the fluids, so i'm doing ok.  I don't let myself go to sleep until I've drank 3 800ML cups of fluid.  2 days ago my husband made me a cup of hot cocoa (just hot milk with a spoon of high grade cocoa (no sugar or sweetener involved) and a touch of cream), that was heavenly.  Milk/cream has sugar (lactose) so it's subtle but of so good.

My husband gagged on it (he liked 6 spoons of sugar in a cup of tea), he might not be able to gain any weight, but I dare say he'll have clogged arteries and diabetes by 50.

I'm craving a lot of things.  Mostly Salad.  I used to eat a giant bowl of leaves, shredded carrots, diced tomatoes, feta cheese, every lunchtime.   mmmm feta.  Goat cheese got me through Christmas.

There is something you can buy in europe (I haven't seen it here) heart attack on a plate I used to call it.  You take feta or soft goat cheese, and wrap it in bacon then fry it so the cheese is all gooey and the bacon is crisp.  Used to have it as an occasional treat with salad and egg. 

I worry about the fat content on those bad boys, but they would have protein....

I think the issue is a lot of people are still on liquids 2 weeks out.  I have been having soft foods (they say to puree everything, I may or may not have been doing this with my teeth) since day 3.  The doctor e-mailed me saying I can progress to semi-solids (what does that mean? Soft but not pureed?).  

I have no issue with staying on track, but finding what 'on track' means seems to be variable depending on who you talk to, and many people will call you an idiot for even asking it (not that I have seen this yet on the DS board).  

 

 

Edit:  Look! I wrote a book!

Susan remember we need to, eat extra fat as a Dser. Use the full fat stuff because we need it because we don't absorb the majority if the fat.

My surgeon advises all low fat everything, my after care doctor doesn't seem to mind fat or low fat.