Your experiences 6 months out?

Here I am only 6 weeks out from surgery - but I need support guys. Can some of you give me an idea of what you can [or could] comfortably eat and drink 6 months out from surgery?   I'm interested in quantity and type of food?  eg - Is a small steak out of the question? Feeling a bit lost right now... Rick

Hey Rick.  This is an easy one.  For me, I could eat anything at six months.  I do mean that quite literally.  A small steak is a great choice.  High protein.  Hang in there.  Every day it gets a little easier. Scott

Rick, At six months I was eating just about anything I wanted, only in much smaller quantities, and enjoying my meals.  Today things aren’t any different.  Almost any meat, poultry, or fish are fine as long as they are not fried or too dry.  Greasy meats sometimes bother me so I stay away from much sausage and bacon.  I generally eat around 4 ounces of meat, which gives me plenty of room for cooked green vegetables or a small salad with my meal.  Fresh fruits and raw veggies are also in my daily diet.  The foods I have avoided or severely limited are potatoes and other starchy vegetables, bread, and sweets.  I find that I mildly dump from too many simple carbs and sometimes experience the “carb coma”.

Paul,  Please tell me more about what you mean by carb coma. I am 6 weeks out from surgery and I have dumped once so far.  It was after Rice Krispies with no added sugar or anything like that.  I think It was the simple carb that got me as well.  I hate rice krispies, I was only eating them because they were on the soft diet that I could eat at 3 weeks out.  I normally like a more complex carb cereal like Special K protein or cheerios.  I have done ok with those.  To be honest, I'm pleased that I did dump that time so I know what it feels like.  I don't want to repeat it. Ken

Ken, you might be suffering with the rice krispies because like rice, they blow up once they get wet! i can't do pasta and rice, bread, muffins etc because when they get wet, they blow up inside me. just a thought......Carbonblob

Ken, Someone else on the board referred to “carb coma” and I immediately knew what he was talking about.  For me it is part of the dumping process where I get so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open.  It doesn’t feel much different than having one too many to drink, except I’m sober as a judge. When I have over indulged in something I shouldn’t have like a small dish of ice cream, a slice of homemade bread, or even a dumpling in chicken soup, I have dumped.  First I start to get a queasy stomach and feel bloated.  It feels like if I could only burp or fart, or both, I would feel better; but I can’t.  Then I start to feel tired.  It hits me about a half an hour after I eat, soon enough to know what it was I ate that I shouldn’t have.  If it’s bad enough I have to go lay down and when I do I immediately fall asleep.  I’ll wake up in an hour or two feeling fine. 

Paul, have you tried microwaving the 99% fat free turkey bacon? i was hooked on that for a while but stopped because i wanted it too much. not greasy and tastes just like real bacon to me. so if you have a bacon jones now and then, try putting a few strips in between moistened paper towels and nuke them for a few minutes. it's pretty good......Carbonblob

CB, Turkey bacon… you bet.  I used to be the QC manager in a turkey processing plant that made it.  I love making BLTs with it, but now I can’t eat much of the bread, even toasted.  The way I prepare turkey bacon is to microwave it (I use dry paper towels) for about a minute per slice.  It turns out light and crisp.  If you try pan-frying or broiling, it will turn out like a piece of leather.

hey rick, most guys eat anything within reason. i was different. i had a very hard time with anything that wasn't soft. so i ate soup for almost a year. this is NOT the norm but it just took a while for me to heal i guess. i can eat steak but not chicken or fish. as was mentioned, steak is good protein. my doc insisted on filet mignon! for some reason it's the only kind i can tolorate so why not? now do this one favor. get it in your head to stop when you're full. that's the habit you want to get into and put the rest away or leave it. that's my big secret to maintaining weight loss. it takes a while for your nerves to get healed so you might have to weigh your food and say 6 ounces is enough. believe me, when your pouch heals, it won't let you overeat! good luck......Carbonblob

Hey Rick! I am five months out and I can eat most anything:   steak, chicken, shrimp, etc.  I have trouble with pork chops, but not with ham or canadian bacon (think it's because the pork is really dry and stringy).  Anyway, at 6 weeks, my nut wanted me to get off the protein shakes and start getting all my protein from food.  Took me about 4 weeks to do it and I still supplement with extra protein on days when I lift weights. I spent a lot on the 4% fat ground beef, that I would make into taco mix or my own low--carb version of Sloppy Joe's.  Buying the premade grilled chicken breast strips was good for me, as well.  They are very moist when heated and they come in good flavors:  fajita, southwest, garlic herb, etc.  Like Paul, I choose to limit bread, potatos, rice, and starchy veggies to almost nil.  I thought I would miss them, expecially bread and rice, but I do not. Also, CB is dead on.  You have to stop eating when you feel full.  That, and making sure I eat slowly, especially in a social situation in a restaurant, is a key.  I am getting pretty good at eating 3-4 oz of meat and a couple of bites of veggies in the same time it takes others around me to eat their whole plate.  A couple of WLS people I know ask for a box as their entree arrives and they immediately take 1/2 to 2/3s of their meal in the to-go box before eating. It is a great money saver.  I can order a $20-9 oz Filet Mignon and get three meals out of it! I have to say this, as well.  I enjoy food as much or more than I did before.  Eating slowly and savoring each bite is awesome. Good luck, Bob