Can't eat MEATS? Anyone relate?

Hi. My name is Gail and I had bypasss surgery about 6 weeks ago. At first things went well. Now I having tow specific problems. I am finding that I can't eat hardly anything. Food does not taste good at all, especially meat- I'm talking chicken, pork, beef, etc... Everytime I try it, the first bite or two might taste really good, but after that it begins to taste very poorly, almost chemically, and the consistency seems to change to something real grainy and disgusting. Trying to get in 80-90 grams of protein now is very difficult unless I just do shakes. Yesterday for supper, I tried a few bites of salad, baked chicken, and some green beans. I probably ate less than a table spoon total because it all tasted so gross. I then ate about 2 teaspoons of cottage cheese. But I am really sick of cottage cheese. Any suggestions? My nutritionists says this will go away in a couple of months. But I worried that it might not. My other problems is the scales. Yesterday I was down 8 lbs, today I am up over 5 lbs. This happens all the time. I loose then I gain. I think is mainly fluid, but what can I do to help it?

Hi Gail, What you're experiencing is familiar territory to anyone who's had bypass surgery. Since meats seem like a challenge for you right now, why not give yourself a break and try to get your protein in, in other ways. Such as: cheese, beans (not green beans, I'm talking like navy or great northern, chick peas, refried, etc. Have you tried browning some ground beef and eating taco meet? I found that in the early weeks/ ground meet (beef) was much more tolerable. To this day, I still cannot eat enough food to get all my protein in (for the most part), I do a protein supplements. I drink Nectar Naturals Tealicious. It doesn't have that funky protein smell or taste. It just tastes like instant tea (if you add at lesat 18oz of fluid to it). As for the up and down, that is totally 100% normal. We lose weight like a stairstep. Try not to obsess with the scale too much. There are other ways of measuring success, for instance, the tape measure. Get someone to help you and write down all your measurements. I've found that even though the scales may hang, chances are the waist/abdomen have shrunk. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to obsess about it. This too shall pass. Just keep doing what you've been doing and stick to your surgeon's program. The weight will come off! Take Care, Terry Take Care, Terry

I still have trouble tolerating meats unless they are very soft- but my issue is more digestive than taste as I am about 9 months post op. I did have that taste isue early on though. Sounds like the effects of ketosis you are having---things not tasting like they used to. That lasted for me for a few months... but now almost everything tastes like it used to. So there is hope. Be patient with your healing body. I have to take protein shakes or I would never get in enough protein. Solid proteins tends to fill me up very soon- only get in an ounce or so- so I would say go for the shakes as a supplement or try adding unflavored protein isolate powder to mashed potatoes, soups, oatmeal, or any sort of sauce or gravy. Good Luck Karen

I had my surgery on August 21, 2006 and I don't do well with meat either so I do three shakes a day.