Starting Phase 3

hi, guys starting phase 3 soft foods, to be honest can't wait.  This has been so hard for me. Missing bread and rice guys.  Question does anyone know when am I able to eat lettuce?   

Honestly? Right now your new tummy is so small that lettuce doesn't not have enough nutrition to eat it right now. Meaning you need to get the most for you ounce. Meat, cheese, and vitamins. That's pretty much it.  That said on phase 3 I did make a broccoli casserole with mashed broccoli. LoL 

I was almost 2 years out before I could handle lettuce, but I also do not have a gall bladder. Now I eat it pretty much everyday lol 

Thank you, new at this and it's seems so hard

Hi, 

You are not alone. I missed bread from day 1. I hope to one day be able to eat a small piece of toast .  don't think we can ever have regular wheat bread again. 

I could have salad after three months.  Every plan is different.

You will be able to eat bread and rice again some day,  but not much and not often.   I don't think I ate bread for over 18 months, and then I had it only when vacationing, or when celebrating a holiday or birthday.  Its a rare treat, even now 3.5 years post op.

Carbs cause food cravings for me big time, and if I ate bread or rice regularly, I'd be fighting food cravings  and gaining weight. 

I think I could have lettuce at about 3 months post op.  I have salads regularly now, and don't have any trouble with it.

best of luck with phase 3.  I wish you every success!

Carol

Thank you Carol, I hope it gets easier

At almost 2 years post-op, I eat rice and bread very seldom and in very small amounts. You're still at the stage where you're yearning for the foods you can't (for now) and shouldn't eat. You'll soon find that a diet of healthy proteins and non-starchy vegetables will diminish your cravings for junk carbs, although they'll never completely go away.

The time will come, and soon, when you will see people eating portion sizes that you used to eat, and you will wonder, "How can they possibly eat all that!?" 

As for lettuce, follow the schedule your nutritionist and surgeon gave you. It should tell you when you can start adding raw vegetables to your diet. Lettuce can be hard to handle for a while, and as Carol noted, it doesn't give you much of a nutritional bang for your buck, so to speak.

psychoticparrot