here's a dumb question!

I'm getting ready to start the puree, "full" liquid stage diet.  It allows for eggs and cottage cheese.  If I scramble the egg, do I still have to blend it?  My instructions say that my food needs to be the consistency of applesauce.  Also what about cottage cheese?  I'm also confused about the yogurt, it all seems to have sugar grams in it? Is fat free, sugar free yogurt ok?  I know it can't have any fruit chunks in it.  Thanks anyone out there!!

You are not alone!! I am 6 weeks post op and that puree stage was very confusing. I did NOT like the eggs and it did not sit well in my pouch. Applesauce is good, dannon light and fit yogurt is good, yoplait light/fat free yougurts are good, cottage cheese is ok (you'll have to chew it up good), milk with protein powder added, pudding (of course sugar free) jello, soups, strained cream soups. At this point eating probably does not sound good anyways, so it will be hard to eat these new foods, but evenutally you'll get the hang of it. I am still learning and it is hard for everyday to eat "healthy" and make good choices. I eat so small, sometimes its hard to get the reccommended amount in. Hang in there and call your dietician if you have anymore questions. I hope this helps you a little bit. Good luck!! :) 

Thanks so much for your response! I'm on my first day of puree stage, but still confused! So, even if the sugar free yogurt says it has over 6 g's of sugar, we can have it? I'm even suprised applesauce is ok, since it can be so sweet. They really made me paranoid about sweet stuff causing dumping I guess! Do you know which artificial sweetners are ok? Thanks again!

your very welcome!! It can be SO confusing becasue I felt the same way about eating sugar.  Eating things that have no added sugar is perfectily fine. Sugar free pudding's are good and some sugar in yogurt is perfectly fine. Now, if we eat lets say a piece of pie or something all sugar, thats when the dumping can occur. My nurse (who had a GBP 8 years ago) told me that she had dumping after eating a few small bites of a key lime pie. So this is our safety net NOT to overeat on sugary and fatty foods. Now it may not happen to everyone and I dont think I want to even try it! LOL  Just take it slow during the pureed stage and concentrate on your vitamins and your water intake. YOu are only at 3 weeks and I was there not to long ago and it can be so confusing. They prepare you for this for months before teh surgery and then when its here...we forget everything! I am now on normal foods and I take it very slow. Things seem to do down easier than they did 3 weeks ago, so I am happy about tha****er went down very hard and irritated my pouch, but now I can take bigger sips than before.  How are you feeling after your surgery? Any complications or pains you are having now? I really love this web site becasue it is so helpful to talk to people that know exactly what you are feeling and going through. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me anytime!  Oh...I am not sure about which artificial sweetners are okay. That is probably a question for our dietician. I think if we just choose sugar free/low sugar and low fat foods we will be okay. But who am I to give advice, I am new at this too. LOL  :) I hope this has helped you and not confused you even more. Take care! Jill   Surgery date 3/21/08  315 lbs      4/2/08 270 lbs.

You are so nice to take the time to answer me with great information!  I'm on day 16 today, and I'm trying something different every meal. So far just a little at a time, although I can't really say I have a "full" feeling. I'm not having any pain, maybe a pulling feeling sometimes, but I can't say that I've ever really had a lot of pain.  I was able to quit the pain meds a day after surgery, and didn't even fill the prescrips for pain.  That made me feel better instantly, I hate the way that stuff made me feel!  I came back to work 2 days ago, but I go home early sometimes, just tired. Don't seem to have any stamina yet.  So far nothing has made me sick that I've eaten, it's weird cause I can't really feel my pouch filling up or anything? I've had cottage cheese, yogurt, cream soup (w/protein), cream of wheat cereal & egg, so far so good! Sure seems like it takes forever to just get my pills taken in the morning, 1/4 at a time, and I'm having a hard time getting the water in, too cause of the small sips.  Thanks so much for your help, I really loved hearing from you! I don't live where there is any support groups, and my surgeon is a long way also.  All the Best to You! Sherry

Hi Sherry! This is the perfect place for you to get the support you need, because once you pass the pureed stage and the soft food stage, you will be on to "normal" foods and it can be hard. I am just about 7 weeks post-op and started to add new foods to my diet. I have not reached that full feeling yet, because I dont want to over do it. I eat very little still, but feel satisfied. Tonight was the first time I went to a restaurant and actually ordered off the menu. All I had was a grilled chicken breast (4 oz) dipped in aujus (sp). I ate slow and it seemed to agree with me. Yeah!! Although it was really hard because my hubby ate an Italian Beef, fries and a large coke! UGH!! Not drinking is very ahrd for me and I sometimes crave a diet coke. I could let it go flat, but I dont want to get into that habbit. Thats when I come on here and talk to others! :)  Anyways, thats great about not having much pain Sherry! Congrats!! I hear you about the stamina thing. It will come back, but it does take time. I have good days and bad days. Sometimes I feel like I am so tired and dont feel like doing anything, and other days I feel full of energy. I am still waiting to feel energized all the time. About you not feeling your pouch filling up, I felt the same way before. Just eat until you are satisified. For many of us, I know myslef, have never felt full or satidfied. Its a learning process that we must adapt too now. Before surgery I ate so much and felt like I never got full until I totally overate! I am so glad I will never be that way again, but I do miss food. :( I was so ready for this change, but at the same time our minds dont change overnight. How are you feeling emotionally these days?  The vitamins are SO hard for me too. The water does get easier and I found drikning bottled water is eaiser on my stomach. I drink figi water. Its a little expensive, but its easy on my pouch. I also drink crystal light. Oh! watermelon (seedless) is SO good Sherry!!! It tastes amazing and you might be able to eat that soon.  Sherry, where do you live? I am in Chicago. Did you have help after your surgery? How long did it take you to get the surgery? (if you went with your insurance) I made the choice to have a gastirc bypass in August 2007 and after doing everything I needed to do for insurance and the docotrs I finally had my surgery March 21, 2008 (I think a month before you). I hope these questions are not to personal, but its very nice to talk to someone that knows exactly how we all feel. Wow, now that I have written a book!    Have a great day Sherry and it was so nice to hear back from you as well. Talk you soon! Any other questions you have or need to talk...I'm here. Take care! JIll 

Hi again Jill, Thank you so much for your great response!  I love this website too, there is no one around here that understands at all what i'm going through.  My husband is very supportive, as are my family and friends, but they just don't know!  I'm like you and i don't feel full, but just stop because i don't want to do anything i shouldn't.  So far nothing has made me sick or anything, i'm trying different stuff, one at a time.  The thing i'm getting very depressed about is my weight!  I'm not losing for 4 days now!  I understand about plateaus and stuff, but good grief i just started! How can you not lose weight when you're eating basically nothing? I am also walking on my treadmill everyday. They say that the initial time, when you aren't eating solid food is supposed to be the time you lose the most, and i feel like i'm falling behind.  I've only lost 25#'s and i'm on day 18.  I've seen lots of other people's ticker's that say 30 & 40 at this point!  It's not like i don't have a lot to lose, either.  Very frustrating for me, i don't want to go through all this and struggle the same way i always have to lose weight!  I guess there is nothing i can do right now but keep doing what i'm doing, but man this hard! Thanks again for everything, sorry to whine! Take Care and have a good weekend! Sherry

Hi Sherry! How are you? How are you feeling? I feel the same way about this site. Like you, my husband is very supportive, but he does not understand the emotional part of it either. The past few days I have felt a "full" feeling. I cant really describe it, but you will just stop. Like this morning, I had a piece of toast with a slice of cheese and a few pieces of watermelon. I ate about 3/4 of my toast and the watermelon and I felt full and had this full feeling my stomach. So, that full feeling will come. :) Sherry, you have lost 25 lbs!!! Thats great!!!! You have to think, before surgery how long would it have taken you to lose 25 lbs. I do understand about thiking you should be losing more. I was on the scale for over a week and it was not moving and I was getting concernend. I read on this web site about a women goiong through this similar situation, and she said your body needs to catch up to the quick weight loss and it stops to catch up. It made sense and keep telling yourself how far you have come and 25 lbs in 18 days is amazing!! Before you know it, it will be more and more and more. I am now 7 weeks out and for the first time I can actually see the weight loss and my clothes are falling off of me now. YOu are still early in the game and you did not come all this way to struggle. Although, it will be lots of work on our parts, but in the end it will be worth it!!! Have you been taking pictures of yourself along the way? I have been every couple of weeks and when I look back I can really see teh difference. It does help.  I do understand your frustration Sherry, thats why its nice to have poeple like "us" to talk too. We know! :) Also, if you need to "whine" again (which you were not!) e-mail me anytime!!  Hope you had a great weekend! Talk soon!!! And thank you for everything too! :) Take care, Jill           (Sorry if there are lots of spelling errors, my 2 year old does not give me much time on the computer before she starts pulling at everything! LOL) 

If you are looking for a great yogurt, Kroger Carbmaster is the best stat wise.  They have the least amount of sugars, carbs, and highest amount of protein.  The Dannon Light & Fit are pretty good too but still not as good stat wise.  (Calories:  80; Sugars: 3; Carbs: 4 minus 1 dietary fiber = 3 net carbs; Protein: 12) They come in vanilla, rasberry, peach and strawberry.  Please do not get them mixed up with their fruit or light ones...  sugars are much higher in those and can make you sick. You should be conservative in eating sugar free products.  They are often mistaken to help people lose weight, when really the carbs, calories, etc are often the same if not more than regular products.  We can have them to avoid dumping syndrome, but in the overall scheme of losing weight, they don't help. 

Thanks for the info, it 's much appreciated!