What fruits are people eating?

Hello all - I'm almost 2 months out and am starting to eat fruit. I've had apple with peanut butter, strawberries with splenda, tonight I ate some grapes --haven't had bananas yet because of the high sugar content. I'm not really a fruit eater but I know I have to eat some. Too much fruit for my system brings on gas -- even before the surgery. God I'm glad the gas is letting up. Anyway -- just wondering what kind of fruit people are eating. I work on a help desk all day and only have 30 minutes for lunch and find it frustrating that when I eat something hot, I have to reheat it a couple of times and don't really get to enjoy it. It seems I'm better off eating something cold like chicken salad or something that stays hot like unspicy chili and beans -- those seem to be my best foods right now. I'm not much of a turkey person, like ham but finding it lean is hard to do so I stay away from it. I made stir fry about a week ago, ate to fast and ending up dumping it -- taught me not to eat too fast -- ever again and I haven't. Any food suggestions would be great. I like the Silk Soy Milk, I usually have a cup of that in the morning before I go to work and sometimes when I get to work I'll order a one an omelet -- that works out pretty well but again -- heat and reheat and I get disgusted and throw it away. Do any of you find yourself throwing a lot of food away?

I am eating the same fruits that you are, but in limited amounts. I have had only a few bites of banana. I also had eaten pineapple. Mmm Mmm. At 2 months, I wouldn't be so very stressed about getting in a lot of fruits and veges. Make sure you get your vitamins in daily. I am lucky that I can eat at my desk and take my time. I guess I should get up and walk away from the incessant phones etc, but I continue to work. I usually have soup for lunch. We also have a small cafeteria in my building. I make them cater to me needs. I order a very small amount. They will even ladle off some of the soup for me before they add noodles or rice if that is a component of the soup of the day. A protein bar, protein shake, small pudding, or something like that also works well for lunch. Good luck as you learn your menu. I don't fret throwing food away now. In the past- different story. I don't need to eat it all anyway. I do get upset if I am out and I am forced to order a huge meal. I can't eat all that food. Leftovers haven't liked me too well. Luckily, my sonis more than happy to finish off what I can't eat. Otherwise, in the tra**** goes.

Hey Nadine - I don't focus a whole lot on fruits - even though I love summertime fruits - melons, berries, etc. Even at almost 2 years out, my total focus is on protein. Having said that, I do eat apples with peanut butter, and this morning, I bought some pineapple just cause it looked so good!! I also eat canned mandarin oranges in an Asian chicken salad that I make, but again, the focus is on the chicken first! I don't do well either with reheating. Usually for breakfast, I'll have a protein shake in my coffee, almonds or cheese for snacks, I also keep whole grain crackers in the office, I LOVE trail mix, but it's a trigger for me, so I try to stay away from that, lunch is usually chicken, tuna or egg salad, either on whole grain crackers or on sliced cukes for crunch, sometimes I do have a heatup such as chili or a concotion I make out of Morningstar Farms's fake meat or chicken strips, diced canned tomatoes, garlic and white beans. Sounds and looks gross, but there's lots of protein in and I can always add cheese to just about anything. I also do a LOT of salads, but again, not to sound like a broken record, with lots of protein - either from meat, tuna, eggs, cheese, beans, etc. I also do lean lunch meats - most delis have them, but I find the best is Saval brand roast beef - which I can usually find at Mars Supermarkets. I do roast beef rollups with provolone or horseradish cheese and either mayo, mustard or ranch dressing. BTW, I know you said you "dumped" from the stir fry from eating too quickly, but I have to tell you the difference between dumping and "stuck food" if you don't already know it. Based on what you said, you experienced "stuck food," which occurs when you eat too fast, take too big a bite, overeat, or eat something dry. The pain that occurs is like WHAM! right in the middle of your breastbone, and makes you end up making deals with God and praying to die!!! I likened the pain to that of a gallbladder attack. Drinking on top of it isn't a good idea - it's kind of like running water on top of a clogged drain - eventually it's gonna come up!!! Once it passes, either by you bringing it up or it going down on its own, the relief is instant. You may find that your pouch is tender for a day or two, depending upon what you ate. This also brings on the foamies, the slimy, clear type of vomit that smells like baby puke!!! Sometimes the foamies will actually give some relief, but not always. Often, it just makes you gag!!! Dumping, however, is a metabolic change coming from eating too many carbs or fats, causing your blood sugar levels to change drastically. Usually within 30-60 minutes of eating the offending food, you may feel dizzy, lightheaded, nauseous, irritable, etc. Again, there's really nothing you can do once it hits, it just has to pass on its own. Neither condition is pleasant, but in my opinion, stuck food is much, much worse. Well, enough of this graphic talk - I hope this helps. Just take your time, and you might want to journal what you can tolerate and what you can't, at least for a while, it'll help you try new things. Take care, Tia

Well Tia, thanks. I guess I had stuck food because you described it precisely. I eat a lot of chicken, I have purchased a couple of lean cuisine meals with just the meats and veggies I was always a picky eater before the surgery and but when you are raised on homemade burgers and fries; and you have a dad that likes ice cream 12 months out of the year and you just love certain foods in general and then have this surgery -- you see how limited yourdiet is. I concentrate on the protein as well. I either have a drink for breakfast or when I get to work have an omelet -- but those get old because I'm not much of an egg eater. Oh well, we shall move forward -- chicken salad for lunch -- holler

I'm a year out, so YMMV, but I eat tons of fruit and tons of veggies. I've found that since surgery, I've become more vegetarian and while the Doc isn't thrilled, I still regularly drink protein drinks. Now to your question - fruit wise, I eat tons of berries - blue, black, red, straw - plus bananas, pineapple, grapes, mango.... A somewhat typical dinner for me is a mixture of berries with about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of flax cereal (Trader Joe's brand) and some fat free plain yogurt. Yum!! As previously suggested though, your sole focus should be on protein first, carbs second. Good luck, Kelly

Does that cereal get soggy in the milk? I hate soggy cereal. That's what I would like to be eating in the morning, but sometimes I just have an 8 ounce glass of Silk and call it a morning along with 2 8 ounce glasses of water -- until I get to work.

Honestly, I only rarely eat cereal with milk (non-fat milk or low-fat soy). More often than not I eat it with the yogurt. It gives a nice crunch and little more body to the yogurt. A very nice meal to be honest, plus flax is really good for you. Kelly

Hey Nadine, I have had a few green seedless grapes and I peel off the skin. hugs, Cira

Cira, That sounds a little tedious to me. I've eaten the whole thing, had black seedless grapes last night and I've been having this pain on the left side by my ribs -- I think its from not having worked out in about a week --- weather too cold. Hopefully it will warm up permanently and I can get back to the workouts.

Sometimes I get tired of peeling and I chew the grape but I still spit out the skin. I think the skin is too tough for us still. I don't know maybe I am wrong. I really think you should let DVR know about your pain just in case. I still need to exercise it is really not happening for me. ughhhh I will try harder. Cira