not sure

hello out there, i'm 2 wks post op (10\26\05) and am doing great, looking for some variety in what i eat, not sure if i can eat some cooked vegatables like asparagus or carrots at different times other than the 3 2oz meals since there are very little calories or fat in them also how long before i can eat jerkey. thanks RJM

hi richard, glad you are doing well. we share the same surgeon. dr. juarez rocks! as far as eating vegetables between meals. i just have a question...are you hungry between meals or are you just wanting to snack? i don't know which part of the post op phase you are in so i can't really answer your question. but a word of caution. make sure whatever you eat right now is ok'd on the list of foods that you got from the hospital. i am thinking 2 weeks post op you should still be on the purreed phase. so stick with it! it'll go by fast. i know it's not fun. but i would hate for you to get sick or get something stuck. you are still healing. take it slowly! as far as jerkey....not yet! and when you do get the go ahead to start trying meat and such....do the steak bites (found in the jerkey area of the stores) regular jerkey is just too dry. the bites are moister. best wishes to you. brandy

Since you are only 2 weeks out. I would only eat what is on the lists that Dr. Juarez gave us. Your pouch and intestions are still healing. You don't want to eat food that might give you gas. As far as the Jerky. I would only try it when you are sure that you can chew it into liquid. If might get stuck going down and not digest rightway. Neither are any fun. Have you tried the cream soups? They might have differents one to try. Maybe you can spice up the meals with herbs or spices. I know I put some green chilie in my cream of chicken. That made it better to eat. If you want a snack between meals you can freeze some yogurt and eat it like ice cream. I know it get boring at the end of the liquid stage but hang in there. Hope this helps some. cynthia 11 months post op, -90lbs

I didn't do veggies (except mashed potatoes) my first month. You don't want fibrous veggies in you causing issues so soon post-op. At two weeks out you should be in the pureed/soft food phase, which is AWESOME after doing liquids for 1-2 weeks. So use the list you got from Bridges Center on choices and selection. You can also e-mail Jenel the dietitician at Bridges or call her anytime. I know I called her a few times and wrote her a few times regarding stuff. She knows some stuff, but I wish she had been through surgery so she knows what she is talking about. So take her advice with a grain of salt because we all have different bodies and systems and react to foods differently. Here's some foods I ate 2-4 weeks out during my pureed/soft food phase that worked for me: * Wendy's Chili * Taco Bells' Pintos & Cheese * KFC Mashed potatoes and gravy * Malt-o-Meal (season it) * Melba toast * Potato salad (puree it at first) * Ground beef (very fine and moist like in tacos, sloppy joes, meatloaf) * Green Beans (chop them up and take small bites) * Tuna salad (alone or on melba toast) * Smoothies with protein mix and frozen fruit These are just some ideas. Don't ru**** Take it slow. Take it one bite at a time. Protect your pouch. It's still healing from surgery. Avoid veggies like celery, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, etc. because your pouch isn't ready for those foods yet. Hang in there!!! Congrats on your surgery and being 2 weeks out!! How are things going? How was your hospital stay? When do you plan on going back to work? Let us know how you are doing!! Trisha PhoenixWLS Support Group Leader http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PhoenixWLS/ "You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be."

Also, just eat when you are hungry or at meal times. I know I didn't have that "hunger" feeling for a long while, but needed protein and fuel for my body so did what I could. I have tried beef jerky a few times since suigery and it is just too dry for me. I prefer the Teriyaki Beef Nuggets. They are more moist and easier to chew and digest. But you are only 2 weeks out. Don't get that now. Wait until you are on the normal foods phase. We can't tell you when that will be. Each body is different. Ask your surgeon and just make sure you know what you are doing before you do it. I know my first 3 months, ugh, it was frustrating. What my body tolerated one day wouldn't tolerate it the next. I'm like "make up your mind, body!!" So introducing foods back in needs to be done slowly and carefully. And if you can't tolerate something one day, try it again next week. Right now your intake of foods should be VERY moist and wet. I couldn't even do scrambled eggs until about 4-5 weeks out. So hang in there!! Trisha PhoenixWLS Support Group Leader http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PhoenixWLS/ "You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be."