9 months and 5 days out and I still can not eat meat? Looking for some support!

Hi all!

I had VSG surgery on May 11th 2015 9 months ago. I am down 120 pounds and for the most part I feel great.  Went from a 50 inch waste to a 34 inch waste and from a 3x shirt to a Medium. God only knows why but I am still have a hard time eating meat. I have no problem with  a slice of turkey lunch meat. Not the good stuff just the cheapo white moist stuff. 

Any hamburger steak or chicken sticks in my throat or after two or three bites I feel so full I can not eat anything else!! 

My normal capacity is great as far as I am concerned. In the morning a 2 egg cheese omelet. Or a bowl of cereal. Lunch half a sandwich (white turkey) on one piece of bread with a slice of cheese Mayo.....  or a can of soup Campbell's veggie beef or clam chowder with a few crackers. Or a refried bean burrito with sour cream and cheddar cheese (great protein) These seem to go down easy and stay down with out a fight...

Dinner seems to be my problem meal. As I try to eat what the family is eating. I am not going to have special meals. Or isolate myself that way. I eat so little now compared to what I use to eat it almost is shocking to see. My plate compared to everyone else's. Which is hard enough for everyone to handle, they worry I do not eat enough to stay alive. But I do.... Anyway.. Veggies go down good and I can eat a good cup of them so I do that 1st and then comes the meat! Spaghetti is the same. The sauce goes down really good but the pasta feels like I am eating a brick. It stay in my throat. You all know that feeling. And meatloaf or hamburger is hell just hell to eat.. So I eat my veggies 1st...

 If I do not eat that way all I get is about 3 bites of meat and I can not eat my veggies.... Will the ability to eat meat come back.   I would really like to have a small steak one day and eat it!!    

Has anyone else had this problem this late after surgery. 

I would have already been in to see my surgeon by like month 3.....it makes no sense at all that you could eat everything else but meat..

I have no clue how you eat but maybe you're taking too big of bites and/or not chewing well enough? 

Have you tried meat with some sauce? Maybe most meat is too dry?

Yup! 

And I did talk to my surgeon about it months ago and he said I am doing fine. And not to worry. Maybe I am just being too impatient. I might be going threw growing pains. I heard that at about a year I would want to regress. 

How much meat can you eat? 

At almost 5 years out, if I wanted, I could stuff 7-8 oz of meat in me but if be miserable. I average 4-5 oz with 1/2 cup of sides usually. 

Thats about where I am at about 1/3 to 1/2 pound of food at a sitting...

Maybe I am taking too big of a bite.  Or not chewing enough? I can honestly say I am not the best at the 30 chew thing. And the foods I do eat well really require very little chewing. I.E. Beans, eggs, soups... 

I'll try smaller bites and add in some extra chewing.. 

Thanks 

I currently have a lapband and meat has always been hard for me.  I tried to have meat in softer forms, such as in chili or wet.  Such as pulled pork but very wet, chicken with some mashed potatoes, or steak with gravy.  So the gimick is eat very slowly, chew for a long time and swallow small bits.  Small bits, then follow that with wet portion.  

Now let me tell you this may help you with eating some meat, but I do think this behavior also led to my demise.  With the lap band there was no way for me personally with my band to eat lean protein like chicken or beef without some sauce, wet side item, gravy, dressing, or something to help it go through.  All of those wet things have more calories in them than the original lean protein was supposed to have.  One thing about this type of eating, with enough food lube it will go down.  But it shouldn't, hamburger loaded with mayo or catsup isn't going to help weight loss. 

In the end I had lost 50lbs and due primarily to my new found love of food lube I gained all of that back.  Personally it looks like on paper your doing great, solid weight loss and if your health is good such as your not in need of iron or other needs found with meat I'd just let this one go.  I ate vegetarian for a long time and it's not always convenient but I didn't suffer and health related side effects.  Maybe for the time being you can work with your doctor on the meat issue, and enjoy your veggies and beans until then. 

Ground beef seems like it should be easy, but it isn't. It's the crappiest pieces they grind. Those little bits of ground gristle sit like lead pellets.

Deli ham and chicken were easiest for me at first. Get it sliced so thin you can see through it, and chew it really well.  Beef tenderloin was next. It's the most tender cut, and very lean. Chew really well, tiny bites. Then try ribeye. Lots of fat, and it goes down well. Don't be afraid of fat.

Anything ground, like hamburger or sausage, is crappy meat, and tough. Anything that must go in a crockpot is crappy meat. Get the most tender cuts you can.

Thanks for your input. I knew I was not alone. And the advice is well taken. I will stick to the more lean meats and small bites chewed very well. 

Tom

I am sorry that you are struggling.   I was the same way for maybe the first 3-4 months i think.  I started with puréed chicken salad and moved up from there.  I can only eat 1-2 ounces of any kind of meat but it has to be super moist.  

I am 7 months out and really still meat doesn't leave me room for anything else.  If your labs are good, and you feel good I wouldn't worry able it

i still can't tolerate leafy greens and they make me ill. 

I don't think there is any black and white answer.  I think all our stomachs react individually - At almost 2 years out, I still have trouble with raw vegetables or fibrous fruits, and things like rice or pasta.  It breaks my heard to not be able to eat pasta, but it is what it is - and I'm grateful to be a normal size.  Try moistening your meat - i.e., a sauce or gravy might help.  It took me a long time to be able to eat fish - but could eat an egg very early out.  Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason...just carry on lol.