Stupid question...

Okay, I know this is going to be a stupid question but it's something I've been wondering about for some time now and can't figure it out. One nurse at the clinic told me I can eat chili with NO beans. Another said I CAN eat beans. I've eaten Wendy's chili (which they named specifically that I could eat). I read on one of the boards that beans are hard to digest and therefore, we should not eat them. I also read that steak is hard to digest. I eat steak too. The clinic told me I could eat ANY meat, peanuts, peanut butter (which made me sick so can't eat that now), cheeses and so on. Is steak okay or not? IF foods are "hard to digest", what happens to us? Is that what causes constipation? Does it block us? I really just don't know. I keep reading about hard to digest but not what that does. Gale.

Gale I would do exactly what your doctor and nutritionist have told you to eat. Every doctor does things diffrently. You will get all kinds of advise but if you are just a few weeks out you really should call your doctor. Good luck Jane

Yeah but they're telling me two different things; it just depends on who I speak with when I call. That's why I thought I'd go with those here who have so much more experience and knowledge about this than I do. I've done very well sticking with the no carbs today but I'll tell ya, I'm craving that pickle again. My mouth was watering earlier just thinking about how badly I wanted it. I got a few small slices of turkey and a slice of fat free cheese instead. Hope that drives the pickle craving away. Gale

Hey Gale, ya know i can't eat peanut butter either!! but I have eaten any type of meat since I was at least 3 months out without any concerns at all. If I have problems digesting it just seems to sit in my pouch weighing heavily..I get that yuck feeling until it's gone. I would say if you chew chew chew chew..until it's mush..do small amounts you should be fine esp. if it's what you are doing already... if you have a guide book or something to go on or if you have a nutritionist at your office I would suggest you go make an appt. and sit with her. as far as Wendy's...I am not sure I would have made it through these last couple of years without it..I eat Wendy's chili all the time..never had a problem. Every person is different.. I would do as Jane says..follow the rules as given to you by your office until you are at the stage where you can make many choices..they have us on a strict diet i nthe beginning for a reason. My surgeon told me after surgery to treat my new pouch like a newborn baby..introduce food slowly,...small amounts until you know it's ok to eat it..and think about the snack foods we eat..would you give that to your child? start from the beginning and eat good healthy foods, you will do just fine. Brenda

I am careful not to eat too much these days. I overate one time really badly and it was NOT a good experience. I haven't overeaten since. Lesson learned. That was a few weeks ago. I made it through yesterday without the carbs although I craved that pickle something fierce. I just grabbed the turkey and ff cheese instead. I kept thinking about the "pound retained for each pickle" and THAT got me through it. lol This morning I'm having Earl Grey tea instead of the decaf coffee I usually have... sweetened w/Splenda. I told my daughter I'm giving her the sugar. Can't find anyone who want the ww pasta though. Funny how people will snarl their nose up at healthier type foods without even giving it a try. I didn't know I could make an appt. with the nutritionist. They really have been wonderful there and I like everyone of them. It just depends on who I speak with as to whether or not I'm "allowed" to eat something. I know one thing for sure... they have these high protein bars there that have 14 grams of carbs PER BAR! This is when I wasn't getting any protein supplements down. Well, I questioned the amt of carbs, I don't remember their comment and I said they were the ones selling them. They then replied something along the lines of, "Oh if there ours, then they're okay". Guess what. They're not okay. They make me sick. I can cut each bar into THREE pieces and do okay with them but if I eat even half of one, I get sick to my stomach. I paid $30.00 so I won't just toss them as hubby suggested. He or the girls can eat them. I did think of them as my "allowable snack" though. That's okay because if I see the weight leaving again, I'll certainly be happy about sacrificing a small snack like that. AND if I absolutely have to have something sweet, I'll eat the sf choc. pudding. That stuff is sooo yummy. Thanks for all the help. Gale

wow gale, I am surprised your pouch can hold an entire bar..I still can't do it on some of the larger ones and there are a few I have purchased at different groups meetings I have attended, that will still make me sick.. I like the Power Crunch bars but know I can' only do half... I was about 2 yrs out before doing bars, they just made me crave other stuff. this is all about lifestyle changes, its a huge head game ..you just have to be prepared and ready for the challenge..it becomes second nature after awhile Brenda

I'm glad to hear I'm not "strange" for not being able to eat these. I only ate a whole one once, I think. I can hold more than I would have thought although I find myself eating less these days than I did even a week ago. I questioned them about me eating those bars when they recommended them to me. I was told NOT to eat more than 5 carbs at one sitting before the surgery and just figured post op would be the same. They hadn't told me a "number" on how many carbs I could or couldn't eat until the last visit. That's when the nurse said NO carbs but then just minutes later told me the protein bars would be fine. There were about four of them there (counting that nurse) and they all agreed I could eat them. Well, I haven't eaten even 1/3 for several days now. I think those things might have been the start of these cravings I've been having. My mind kept saying it was okay to eat those bars ANY TIME I wanted a snack since the nurses said they were okay. (and snacks are what they told me to use them for). I just decided I'm not going to eat them. I feel 14 carbs are too many for me. I usually ate less since I ate 1/3 but it just wasn't benefiting me so I quit. My dh, dd and gd can have 'em. I just hate that I spent $30.00 on what is basically a glorified candy bar (in my mind that is). Gale

Hey ladies, I am 3 yrs out and still can't do milk, so puddings, yogurt stuff like that is a definately no no for me. I can eat beans now but could not for the first several months. I can eat just about any meat set in front of me and until my gallbladder started acting up spicy foods didn't bother me either. What did bother me that first year was bread and pasta..I can do some bread now if I toast it but here is my philosphy on bread. If it fills you up and that's all you can eat, why bother? it's empty calories, so why not just eat the meat without the bread? I was also told something by Dr. Curry here in Cincinnati at one of my support group meetings a few months after my surgery, I told him that meats sit so heavy on my stomach it seems to take forever to digest..his reaction was "GOOD, think about what you are saying, if it takes awhile for it to digest then it stays with you longer then lets say mashed potatoes which are carbs anyway"...it really made me think, so I watched the amount I ate at a sitting realizing I was taking a bite to many, "possibly"...started eating just meats..for a snack I chose things like string cheese or buy bricks of cheese then cut them into small hunks so I can just pop one in my mouth and chew easily... often times the lactose problem will get better as time goes on, mine hasn't unfortunately, I would love to have a bowl of cereal...I can't eat eggs so I keep egg beaters in my freezer, I still can't do pasta, talk about bloat...oh my gosh!!! and watch eating apples this fall..always peel them, thought I would die the first bite of apple after surgery..my little trick there is to cook them with splenda...yum. what a great snack or treat for the family..but it again is something I only do for a "treat" .. As far as protein bars it is very very rare I eat them because I realized after a friend pointed this out, they made me crave....I had to keep this under control esp in the beginning..I treat my eating habits and problem like an addiction, if I feel there is something here that i can't stay away from, ..I throw it out!!! you wouldn't believe the cookies and junk food that has been thrown away since my surgery..during the holidays we had cake here (brought in by a family member for our dinner) I was picking at it, not eating it just walk by and pick at it..so I went to the trash can and opened it up..it was like a slow motion advertisment as my husband and daughter tried to get up out of their chairs..saying NOOOOOOOOO...I had told them to get it out of the house by taking it to work..so if I can't control it ....OUT IT GOES!!!! today we just don't have that stuff around here, they appreciate my weight loss more today than they did.. and appreciate the fact I try to stay compliant...here is my take on the addiction thing, if someone is an alcoholic and is trying to quit..would you put a bottle of vodka in front of them? if it's someone you care about trying to stop drinking but they still hang out at the bar, would you feel sorry for them because they struggle? and you may say, but we "have" to eat, and I say..EXACTLY...that is the reason we need to make lifestyle changes. All of us here know what a diet truly is, if you are like me you have been on every diet known to man..that should mean we know right off a cookie isn't something we should eat, we know that we shouldn't bring in chips or things such as that..and we have to do certain things in moderation..but once again what is moderation? I remember at weigh****chers they would tell us we can have 5 hershey kisses..ok that's fine, but I have to purchase a bag of them to get 5...what happened to the bag?? yep, I would keep going back till it was gone..!!!! I have struggled please don't think I have, but this is one time where I want to take control...I fail at times but I pick myself back up and try constantly to find new ways to do things, I read, I ask questions and I attend support groups..I even conduct some. Just set your mind to it and you will be fine..!!! well off to work I go...have a wonderful day. hope this helps Brenda

Thanks for sharing your story, Brenda. Milk would swell me terribly pre-op and I really should have known better than even try the pudding. I was thinking that the small amt I'd be eating wouldn't bother me. It did and I doubt I'll ever be able to eat pudding or anything made with milk. They told me at the clinic that Skim milk would be fine. Well, that's what I drank b4 surgery and it wasn't fine. I need to think things through a little more before "going for it". Like you, I sure wish I could eat cereal. I miss that more than anything. I don't particularly enjoy eating "cooked" breakfast so much even when my daughter cooks it for me. I would just like to sit down to a nice, cold bowl of high-fiber cereal. I just don't see that happening. I wonder why so many had problems with beans and they feel like part of my body to me. NOT that I'm complaining. OH MY, how I LOVE beans. They help "get things moving" too. Bread is something I eat ONLY when I get a pill hung and can't get it back up and then it's whole wheat. I tear a small piece, chew it fairly well and swallow. It moves the pill on down and sure tastes good too. I have only had to do that once since my last visit to the clinic when they said no carbs. (other than those bars). I've actually started chewing my calcium up now and no longer get choked on them or get them hung. I kinda thought the same thing your doctor friend said about the food hanging around but then thought too that maybe if it's hanging around longer, we're absorbing more of the fat and calories from it. I guess since it's only meat, they're aren't too many of anything we can absorb from it. And... it keeps us from getting hungry too soon after, yes? Back to the milk thing though... as bad as milk swells and hurts me, any other dairy (I haven't tried yogurt and don't plan to any time soon) doesn't bother me at all. I can even eat cottage cheese, and that is OH SO GOOD, without a problem. I wonder why that is. I don't like the string cheese though. I bought some of that and tried it and EWWWW... I gave it to my granddaughter. I LOVE block cheese so I think I'm going to get me some of that and cube it. I'll have it sitting around for my mornings I don't want to eat hot food and just have a few cubes. Gale

At Georgetown I got a very detailed weekly diet. I still can't digest bread & pasta very well. I ate pinto beans 2 months out & thought I was going to die! It felt like the beans grew 10 times the size. I've got friends that can't eat dairy now. I think everyone is different in that respect. I can eat steak if it's not tough but I stick with chicken or fish if we're going out. When foods are hard for me to digest, it feels like a brick is sitting there & I get a bloated feeling so I can't eat anything for awhile so I avoid those foods. I don't think it blocks anything but it feels like it at times! Maybe a nurse will respond to this.