Struggling Here

I am 5 months post op and it has not been a good 5 months. I have had a lot of complications but I am doing better. I need help figuring out what to eat. They said I'm malnourished because of everything I went thru but I just give up because nothing really sounds good or tastes good. So I hardly take a bite of anything. Please help. 

Doesn't matter if it tastes or sounds good....you have to eat. I went through periods, still do sometimes when nothing tastes good and then my tastebuds come alive and something tastes amazing....

Sometimes food is just food for sustenance. I promise you when I eat a hard boiled egg, it is just sustenance.

I did use protein shakes the first 2 years. That can help, but they should be 100% whey protein, I recommend the ones you shake or blend yourself. Syntrax is an good brand.

There is a daily menu thread on here...look at it to get ideas, and join in to be accountable and make a plan for your menu...

You HAVE to eat, or you will end up with a lot mo complications!  Just keep trying different things, 2 ounces of dense protein 4 or 5 times a day isn't very much but you will get your protein in that way, and make sure you get your fluids in, I love ice cold water or hot decaf tea  or decaf coffee, I drink those 3 things by the gallons...lol

I'm sorry to hear about your complications. 

Posting here is a good idea.  You might not like all the advice you receive or the tough love, but know it's coming from people who genuinely want you to succeed.

Search around, read a lot, and start to put together a plan. You don't need to completely change your diet over night, but just look to improve a little every day and week.

Log what you are eating. I use my fitness pal. Once you know for sure what you are getting protein wise, aim to add a few grams every couple of days. Make a list of the protein sources you can tolerate now, and build on them. 

Are you getting your supplements and vitamins in? I added reminders to my phone so I wouldn't miss them. 

Also, do you have a list of reasons you wanted wls in the first place? If not, make one. Those reasons are still important, and are why you need to get a handle on your nutrition now. Even if you don't feel like eating, you have to.

Take care, keep posting on here, or at least reading. It really helps

Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble.  I am three months post-op and have had trouble finding foods that taste good.  You just have to keep trying.  I have had the worst time with tunafish but just try it every few weeks and yesterday it was better.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason to what I can tolerate and when... my NUT said I am opposite most people she has seen.  I can handle a VERY rare piece of steak (couple of ounces at most) but still cannot tolerate chicken or fish well.  Just keep at it.  At three months I eat a lot of cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and protein drinks.  I use Premier Protein and Syntrax.  I also use a high protein milk to make sugar free chocolate pudding.  I try to get protein in everything, at every meal and snack... babybel cheese, cheese sticks, pepperoni chips.  I even have unflavored protein powder to add to things to boost protein.

Just keep at it and remember why you went down this road to begin with.  There is a mourning that goes along with the knowledge that you just can't eat things again, I think.  Maybe you have some of that.  I hope your struggle gets easier.

That was me- steak was no problem from the beginning but tunafish for 6 months made me hack like a cat with a hairball...

What an amazing job you have done so far! Over 100 lbs in 5 months gone! If you can accomplish that you can accomplish anything with the right mind set.

   Eating for me was a full time job for a while for me so I can relate. I could barely get down 2 oz. So you just eat more times during the day. Make sure to wait 1 hour before and 1 hour  after before trying to put any liquids around that food. And please make sure you are drinking more than enough! That is what you can get that sick feeling from. I drink  more than my body weight every day and that makes a huge difference in my life. 

   My blood work was coming back the same way. The protein was always reading low even though I averaged  70 - 100 grams a day of good protein. I will be 1 year out on the 21st. I met my goal at 6 months and have gone down now to my lowest BMI for my cushion bounce back. I am holding steady for months now Thank- God and my blood work showed I was only 1 point under normal protein levels.

    You have the ability to do this also. Here you will have all the support of the ones that went on before you and have learned to stay compliant and have remained successful . With their guidance and support and your medical team you will not fail. 

    It has to be done! Right out your menu each day and adhere to it. It will be well worth your efforts!

Try some things you maybe didn't like prior to surgery.  I have been so surprised by how much my tastes have changed.  I never really liked spicy foods before...now I love them.  I found pico de gallo to be crazy delicious and I ate it on pretty much everything for months. No clue why.  But once you find some new things that you do like it will be easier. 

Best wishes to you!

~E

I am in the same boat as you Jami minus the complications but I am only 3 weeks out (today) so far I'm down 19lbs. I was doing really good getting all of my protein and vitamins in (well at least 2-3 of the 4) daily but haven't lately. I am constantly nauseous and my lower back is killing me. Crushing my meds has been a struggle (I'm on a bp, thyroid and acid reflux pill that I take in the morning) I am supposed to keep crushing them for another week but this morning I just swallowed them and I wasn't nauseous (YEAH!)  I've tried a couple of different protein drinks but they all make me nauseous as well....... Tried an Atkins one this morning and I almost got through all of it, over the course of 6 hrs (11 oz) and now I'm nauseous again...... Please tell me what I am doing wrong..... or that this is going to get better soon :(

Nicole