So I had my first post-op freakout today....

If I had to describe my WLS experience up to this point, I'd say it has been a fairy tale. My weight loss surgery got miraculously fast-tracked. My pre-op diet phase was--dare I say it?--easy and not torturous in the slightest. My surgery went great (I was walking around the hospital the next day!), and my recovery at home was a breeze as well. I also had no problem getting in the required amount of protein-rich liquids/soups during the liquid/pureed stage. In fact, my only real challenge was getting all 56 oz of water in every day. All in all, I've been cheerful, optimistic, and excited since my surgery occurred on 9/17.

But then I moved to Phase III (soft foods) this morning. My doctor's office informed me that I could eat more solid foods (yay!), provided me with a long list of foods and menu ideas to choose from, and informed me that I would need to digest at least 60-70 grams of protein over 5 meals. That didn't sound to difficult, right?

Wrong.

Today is became very clear that digesting soft food is A LOT different from digesting liquid/pureed foods. Today I only got down 1/2 an egg over easy for breakfast and 3/4 of a single slice of ham (rolled up with a tsp of avocado and a thin slice of string cheese in the middle) for lunch. By the afternoon, I became freaked out that I wouldn't meet my protein intake for the day that I stupidly drank and entire Premiere protein shake for my third meal and experienced--can you guess?--dumping syndrome.

So I'm having a pretty crappy day. I thought this food stage was going to be glorious (no more pureed foods! More food options to choose from!) but the reality was anything but. If couldn't even eat a whole egg for breakfast for instance, how in the world could I get in my required 60-70 grams of protein each day?! I felt like I was failing at the soft-foods stage and it was only day one!

My mother (who flew up for the surgery and is staying with me for another couple weeks) had to put up with a decidedly whiny, bratty, and depressed version of myself today. Other than a short walk in the afternoon, I pretty much spent the entire day on the couch watching crappy movies and alternating between feeling overwhelmed, freaked-out, and bratty.

If I had to psychoanalyze myself, I'd say the reality of having this surgery (and all the limitations and challenges it entails) is finally hitting me. I know I'll get past these emotions, but for today at least, I'm going to call it a day and hope that tomorrow is much better.

Thanks for listening. I really appreciate that this board exists and that all of you are so generous with your advice and wisdom!

I am 2 months out from RNY. I only drink 3-4 oz of shake for breakfast. I can't eat first thing in the morning. I usually have 2 shakes and 3 meals a day. The most shake I drink is 5-6 oz at a time. It was hard for me to realize I could only eat 1/2 a plum or 1/3 of an apple.

Hi Tish,

I remember wanting to eat all those new foods when finally given the freedom, but even at seven months out I still have days where some foods just don't agree with me. Yesterday I had pouch pain after eating a hard boiled egg. And my plan didn't allow for ham (beef/pork****il six months out because it can be so much harder to digest. Listen to your body and eat what you can. I found scrambled eggs went down pretty well at first, and I would buy ground chicken to make chili or spaghetti sauce and that tasted good. And then try foods again in a week or so. I couldn't eat carrots when I first tried them and now I eat them almost daily :)

I know its hard not to stress, but you have done so well. I think it is also good to have a bit of a struggle during our journies because it makes us stronger in the long run. We have a life time to eat, and that life time is probably a lot longer with our healthier selves.

Meg~

Hi,

Glad to hear everything is going well for you! My advise to you is to slow down and listen to your body. Everyone doesn't follow a timeline to the tee. Back up a little and try again. Good luck!

Almost three years out and I haven't figured out the easy-pouch days and difficult-pouch days. Sometimes, an egg or hamburger will go down easy and other days a couple of bites is it. Is it hydration, quality or age of the food, how it was prepared, chewed enough, time between bites, time of day??? I am still not sure but know I like better and need more of the difficult-pouch days. All to best and "HI" to mom.

People who are expected to eat their calories and not have protein shakes are usually on the 30, 60, 90 plan - 30g at 30 days, 60g at 60 days etc. It is NOT as easy as drinking shakes, but is doable if you include soft dairy (Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese or even a glass of milk) a couple of times a day.

Going to solids doesn't mean you have to forego liquids and purees, just that you CAN introduce more dense foods.

Eggs were very hard for me for more than a year, and then I had to have them very soft, sautee'd in butter.

Try non-fat Greek yoghurt w/your favorite fruit, Wendy's refried beans w/cheese & salsa. Shrimp and scallops are a good soft food.

Just keep trying (small quantities first) and don't give up.

I'm 2 months out from sleeve surgery and had a really easy time with recovery too. I was really looking forward to eating the stuff I couldn't have. I have always had problems eating breakfast and that hasn't changed. Instead of solids, I take 2 cups of milk and drink it along with taking my meds. It's 12 or so grams of protein, and since I drink 1%, calories aren't too bad. I can also eat cottage cheese and 2% cheese to make us some more of the protein requirements. I'm lucky to get 4 bites of anything down before I can't eat any more, and then I'm hungry and hour later. It's just trying to figure out what your body needs and what it can handle. I was told to add only one new thing a day so I could know if my body can handle it. It takes a while to retrain your mind and body, so don't beat yourself up. We've all gone through something that's difficult, and yet we are still alive and kicking!

What every one has said here is true. Don't fear it will get easier, and you will like food again. I am 3 1/2 months out and I remember the first day I could have soft foods, I was so excited! I make a pretty good scrabbled egg so that was the first thing I tried... because they are soft and delicious right? Yeah, they tasted terrible, and they did not taste soft at all, if felt like I was eating squishy bricks! I continued to drink shakes to get my protein in and add in 1 new food a day until I learned what I liked and didn't like between taste and how it felt in my stomach.I am happy to say I can eat eggs usually the form of an omelet, only very little. Go slow, you will enjoy food again just not a lot of it!

Yes, moving to more solid foods was a wake up for me too. My only advice is make sure what you eat isn't dry, small bites and chew, chew, chew. I was told to progress to the 60-80g. In the beginning I didn't always get it in everyday. You can stir plain protein powder into things to up the protein.

We all have our days...