Purée food

My surgery is set for Monday. I'm scared and excited at the same time. I'm really nervous how I'm going to do with puréed food. I've always had an issue with food texture. Has anyone else had this issue? Any suggestions?

It's definitely not uncommon and, sadly, something that just needs to be powered through.

How are you with yogurt? Cottage cheese? It it that texture in general? Or certain foods of that texture?

It is certain foods that the texture is tough for me. I do not like yogurt but years ago I could eat cottage cheese so I will definitely try that again.

Purees aren't that bad. I don't puree soups and stuff - I just would finely mince/puree meat and slowly add some broth. It's mostly like a creamy soup without solids, especially with a splash of milk or so. Do you do soups? Purees can sound intimidating, but they were not bad for me. I drank plain broth right after surgery to get acclimated a bit.

As Gwen mentioned, yogurt and cottage cheese can work too. There are a lot of options.

I do like soup so I will definitely do that. When I think of purée I think of the consistency of baby food. I am drinking plain broth right now and that i can do. Thanks for the help!

If it was baby food I'd cry, heh.

It's not as bad... I use bone broth, but you can use any broth. I'd experiment a bit and see what works. The main thing is to introduce only 1 new thing per meal so you can determine intolerances and things that don't sit well with you.

So, say, I wouldn't puree chicken soup since it's got a lot of stuff in it. If it's just chicken breast and broth with some salt, then I can gauge it, if that makes sense.

After I could tolerate a few more spices, I would make taco fillings minced/pureed super fine in broth with a dollop of greek yogurt Literally just a small amount of garlic and cumin in the chicken. However, the greek yogurt made it feel more like actual food. That was well over a month out, though. Harvey the sleeve was slow to mature. He's kind of a brat :P

The main thing is to make sure you don't push things. Just be slow and cautious and you will be okay.

Good luck with your surgery, recovery, & new journey!

I went from 3 weeks liquid straight into soft food. If you do any liquid diet 1st you will likely be ecstatic about purees. The limited diet isn't the best, but remember the success of your surgery depends on it!

Nervousness is normal. It will be over and done with soon enough and you'll wonder why you were so worked up. Wishing you an uneventful surgery, and speedy recovery.

I had my WLS in December and by the time I was eating puree, 4 weeks out, it was Christmas. I thought I could enjoy come puree meatballs with gravy. I wanted to puke, it was horrible! Needless to say I didn't do well in puree stage. My nutritionist had me go back to liquids but add a little more consistency. She said I could buy my favorite soup, which is Progresso, and puree it. It was delicious! I mostly ate cream of wheat, sweet potatoes, sugar free pudding, and cream soups pureed along with my protein shakes. Congratulations on your decision to have the surgery. You'll be fine. We're all a little nervous about the food and all after surgery. The most important thing is that you stay hydrated after surgery. Good luck.

I was lucky and my surgeon doesn't do the puree' stage. That being said, the first foods she recommends after finishing liquids are basically purees on their own.

I was craving refried beans with cheese in a SERIOUS way through my liquid stage. That was my first meal after the doctor's appointment where I was cleared for soft foods. :)

There are probably a lot of foods you like that are the same texture/consistency as a puree' naturally. I am incredibly picky about food, and often it's a texture issue for me also. So I know what you're talking about. Get a list from your doc of suggested foods, and look for things on there that you already like.

Eggface also has a bunch of puree/soft food options and ideas here: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/puree d-foods.html

Good luck!!