questions on pureed foods

hello everyone I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I have some questions regarding pureed foods see on wedesday I was told I can go on pureed foods so now that I can Its like I dont know what to eat. they told me my pouch is about 4 tablespoons or less, I try to get in all my vitamins I start with my B-12 first thing in the morning like she told me too, then I eat something, a scrambled egg and i make it really soft small tiny bites almost like pureed with maybe 2 tablespoons of apple sauce no sugar added. I would drink my protein shake acouple hours after i eat something and try to take my calcium, I forgot to mention when i eat breakfast i do chew my multi vitamin. then lunch gets harder... cuz now im feel limited to what i can eat.. i have tuna which i had tonight for dinner.. 2 table spoons of tuna with low fat mayo and 2 ritz crackers and i have to make it really soft before i swallow like she told me.. but i am getting my 50 grams of protein in with my 2 shakes a day the calcuim seems the hardest to get down being I have to take 4 huge pills a day and i have to crush them and they dont taste so great.. then at the end of the day i have to take a iron with a vit C pill crushed also..... WOW this is overwhelming. anyways acouple of days have gone by well maybe 3 days i have not gotten all 4 calcium pills down... and forgot to get my iron in with my vitamin c... is it normal to feel cheated out of eating.. i put my food on a tiny saucer plate and my family eats like they always have and here i am with my baby spoon and my 2 table spoons of tuna and 2 crackers, I went shopping today and smelled all the food and i tell myself i cant have that stuff anymore.. i have 6 to 8 weeks of pureed food and i dont know what all to eat.. i know i can have vegis but pureed vegis just doesnt look right lol and the only meat i might be able to puree is tuna and canned chicken. Please help me tell me what you did... i was on my way home from target tonight crying cuz my stomach feels hungry and i know i didnt get my 2nd shake in so right now im typing this while I drink it... I guess this is normal right.. to feel sad some times about missing out... its a total mental thing i know it is. Just sucks. in the week since my surgery ive lost 14 pounds and thats a good thing... and im doing everything by the book its just hard sometimes.. thats all Thanks for listening...Beth

Hi Beth, Please don't feel so stressed - we all felt overwhelmed at first when we got to a different stage of foods. If you are struggling with calcium because of the size of the pills you could change to chewables which are really easy to digest.... and even taste nice like a candy.... It is normal to feel cheated out of food - if you let yourself feel cheated.... instead try to remember why you did this surgery, to get healthier - and all the time you are eating like this you are getting healthier and losing weight - and it is only for a few weeks and then you can eat foods the normal way. Personally I could not do pureed meats and veg so I just mashed mine up very well and ate them very carefully. You are probably feeling a bit overwhelmed right now - trying to remember to take everything, protein, supplements, vitamins, food etc...it is easier if you write what you need to take into a routine until you have adjusted to it better. I wrote myself a schedule and it was careful to try to follow it as closely as I could.... that does help until this becomes second nature... 14lbs is awesome! When would you ever have lost as much weight that fast before? You can do this - I know you can!! Jackie

Hey Beth, One thing I tried that I'd never had before, was vegetarian chili. Pureed (and heated!) it was really good, and I put a little parmesan on top. It had so much flavor compared to everything else! And lots of protein too! Also, mashed potatoes and gravy tasted very good to me, although I couldn't eat too much. The Atkins drinkable yogurt also was a good alterntaive, tasty and high in protein. Hang in there, this too will pass. Crystal

Hello Beth, You are doing everything right. This is such a big transition. I really doubt you felt physical hunger... but the head hunger. I remember right after surgery, it was like I was having food withdrawals and I went in the kitchen and started eating crackers without thinking. Then I wondered if I was going to die because of it. Some days are better than others..but overall it gets much better. This is a big transition and your feelings are normal. We have all been through it. I was very sad over Thanksgiving (commenting on your Target feelings) because all of my relatives and friends brought dishes that were so good..but I couldn't touch. I snuck some and ended up dumping a few times..and throwing up a few other times. But tonight I got on the scale and was at a NORMAL BMI so it was soooooooo worth it. Hang in there. This is a big physical and mental transition and with time you will get use to the routine and rules of this new game we decided to play FOREVER...lol. My doctor said you can puree foods in your mouth if you chew them up well enough so do that !!! Soft foods that you can chew into a mush. Hugs, Dana