hungry and frustrated!

so... im hungry... revenous actually.... the mushies are doing nothing for me. i am one week out and for the last week i have been mostly satieted by the almost sickeningly small amount of food i have consumed each day. BUT today is a different story... im hungry and can't stop thinking about food. i had a shake early... which is the only thing i have done differently.... then soup... two cookies which i chewed up into mush long before they went down... an ounce of corned minced beef...and a popcycle... i am still humgry... i don't feel any restriction at all. what else could i eat at this mush phase to change this....

it has me a bit scared to wait the 4-6 weeks for a fill...

ARRRGGG!!!

how much are  you allowed to eat on the mushy stage ?

I was allowed to eat 1 cup of food per meal 3 times a day and shakes 2 times a day for protein .

I would eat like 1/2 cup of refried beans good for fiber keeps you full with melted cheese on top and sour cream and then I would eat 1/2 cup of mashed tators that kept me full till my next meal about 3 hrs later.

Then for lunch I would have a full cup of re fried beans with salsa, cheese and sour cream

for a afternoon snack I would drink a cup of broccolli and cheese soup and use that for a snack before bedtime.

Mushy stage I lived on refried beans and mashed tators. I could not get past the puree of meat yuck it was gross and I just couldnt eat it.

At this time I was up to 1 cup of food per meal no drinking 30 min before during and after that is very important or your food wont stay in you and you will be hungry .  Two shakes a day just to keep my protein up for the day.

Hi!  Today is my first day on the mushies.  I stocked up on yogurts, soups, cottage cheese and I made eggs this morning to make egg salad.  My nut recommended pureed tuna salad, chicken salad and believe it or not, baby food chicken, turkey, beef.  I haven't bought any baby food, it just sounds gross to me!  LOL  I wish I knew what else to tell you, as I confused a bit right now, too.  Campbell's ready to drink Tomato soup is pretty good, and filling.  I tried the Chicken with mini noodles, but I strained out the noodles and then it was just yucky to me.  If you like Crab soup, I think its Campells Select Harvest that is awesome.  Fat-free puddings, too.  I hope this helps!

Hang in there - remember its only temporary!

If you like beans, they really have protein that helps satisfy, just like the refried beans do.  You will probably want to season them up well and puree.  I also pureed some very mushie chicken salad.  It's hard to get the protein that satisfies when on liquids and mushies.  I also put banana and peanut butter in my protein shake which helps. Good Luck!

Eat more! Have small meals more frequently.

But not cookies! However much you chewed them, not a good idea so early! Not just for the calories but because as we digest solid foods, our stomach actually moves, putting pressure on unhealed sutures.

Make some really thick soups with lots of added protein blended in (I used chick peas or red kideny beans for protein).

Kate

You are hungry because what you are eating is stuff that is going right thru your pouch. Eat more protein dense items like refried beans w/ sour cream and cheese. Ricotta cheese w/ marinara sauce, tuna or egg salad, greek yogurt, etc. Check out www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com She has a ton of ideas for foods and recipes to get thru the mushy stage. That is where I got my suggestions to get thru that phase.

Good Luck!

Holy Cow, I was exactly the same!!  I did eat the mushies and was ok briefly but then.... hunger and I ate again.  I think yesterday I ate too much and today am sore.  Back on liquids today to get back on track.  Be careful not to cause any damage.  What about your Optifast.  Doesn't it fill you up?  I didn't feel any real restriction until overnight when I realized ouch, this hurts.  Like you, I'm afraid to wait until my first fill on April 8th!  Back on liquids a couple of days per week like it or not!  Stay strong!!  Also, there are certain things we should NOT be eating yet at all so be careful.  Good luck!  Karol

Sounds to me you're eating too little!  You need more protein. 

Skip the cookies, the sugar will only make you crave carbs.  Soup is only good if it's hearty like lentil, or something with a lot of soft veggies and beans.  Chili is an awesome choice IF you get it with chicken or turkey. 

You should try tuna chopped fine with some LF mayo OR egg salad OR chicken salad.  Cottage cheese is great too OR NF Greek Yogurt with sweetner added and some  SF preserves mixed in.

My absolute favorite mushy food was NF refried beans with some melted LF cheese and salsa. I also ate a lot of turkey meatloaf an meatballs with marinara sauce.

You need to seek out food that are filling AND dense.  Liquid proteins will not keep you full for long. 

Make a list with all of these new ideas and go shopping.  It takes practice but you need to focus on filling foods at 1/2 cup portions.

I had to do liquids for 3 WEEKS post op, so consider yourself lucky!

Hang in there!
Lisa O.

You was lucky Lisa I wasnt allowed to have any kind of meats like turkey, chicken or anything like that till soft food stage. 

I got my protein from shakes or refried beans.  Even chilli was a no no for me that was considered soft food and that was my next stage I had to go through .

Please understand that the first couple of months are not about losing but healing. If you lose on top of healing than it would be thrilling, but you wont be feeling any help from your band for a couple of months probably. I understand completely wanting so bad for your tool to be working since you went to all this trouble, but it will eventually kick in. Keep up the work with your mushies and if there is something you feel you must have just chew chew chew so that you dont mess up your recovery.

Keep your chin up!!