What the heck can I eat!!!!

I'm am so frustrated and just generally pissed off. I'm hungry and not eating. I am two weeks post op and I"m having very poor luck eating. So I've tried about 6 different protein shakes including the Unjury, the Hanks, the Isopure and several under brands. I can't stomach them. Hate them hate them hate them. I've tried low fat yogurt with some protein mixed in......made me sick. Cottage cheese same thing. I can get down the cheese sticks but only once a day because they constipate me. I've had scrambled eggs once and that was all I could stand. I've been able to tolerate deli turkey in small pieces but now I'm sick of it. I've tried three different brands of tuna, washed with some mayo added and it made me puke. Now what!!!! I'm starving and I'm so pissed off and just foul. I need food. Someone please tell me what to eat. I've tried all the stuff on the list from the Nut. and it's all the stuff that has made me sick. Kathleen

All I can tell you to do is stop whining and start trying new stuff. If you don't like it, tough tooties, you got to get it in. Hold your nose and pour it down your throat. We have all been there and I'm sorry, you need tough love and need to realize that you knew this could happen going into surgery. Go tot he health food store and get IDS liquid protein. It's 25 grams in 2.7 ounces. Drink it like a shot. Do whatever you have to do to get it down. Try Carb Countdown Milk with NSA Carnation Instant breakfast. Do whatever you can do to get in the protein, even if it means choking it down. You have a heck of alot more choices in protein supplements then were available to me over two years ago. Keep trying and find one you like. Try poached eggs (Easier to eat than scrambled) Deli Lunchmeat Cheese of any kind Ricotta with sauce Baked potatoes Mashed Potatoes Creamy Soups There are alot of things you can eat, just get creative and train your mind to look at hings differently. I used to eat shrimp for breakfast, cause most breakfast foods and me did not get along. Also, remember most of us struggled to get our protein levels up in the beginning. It's not easy. It wasn't until month 3 that I finally made my daily target.

I'm sorry but I wasn't whining. I'm lightheaded and feeling sick to my stomach with all the stuff I've tried. I've tried poached eggs....eggs don't agree with me. I have already ordered the liquid protein and I'm waiting for it to come. The carnation breakfast makes me puke. I've been living on deli meat and cheese for days. there has to be more things to try. I have two small kids to take care of so if I'm feeling lightheaded and sick to my stomach what good am I to them. Yes, I knew it was going to be tough. I am tough I just need help!

I was still on liquids at two weeks. In fact I had to do them for a full month before going on puree....Main thing to do is talk to your surgeon. Drink water lots of water sounds like your dehydrated. You won't get sympathy here on the grad board, you will get down and dirty honest to goodness answers. You need to drink protein shakes, tough it up and drink them, or else let your body take from your organs and muscles..... Darlene

Hi kathleen, Two weeks post-op I was still only doing liquids... Did your doc say it was ok to start solids... Did you skip the puree stage? Anyway... ALot of people are lactose intolerant in the beginning also... I was and it made me feel horrible... I would get nausous everytime I had dairy.. What about using the Lactaid products for a while to see how that works... As for eggs... My nutritionist said that alot of bypass pts do not tolerate tham for quite some time... Maybe hold off on them for now... Are you getting enough clear liquids? That would really help with your constipation and then you could maybe get some cottage cheese in or cheese sticks... Maybe it is that you started solids to early.. Pouches are tricky beasts and not everyone can progress according to drs time line... maybe you need more time on liquids... All the best, It will get better... It just takes time... I have been there and I remember the frustration... Just take one day at a time... Jessica

Well, this early out, you are still healing inside and probably have a lot of sensitivity and swelling around the new outlet to your new pouch. That said, it makes eating a tricky day by day ordeal. For me, it was different every day what I could and could not tolerate. I'll share what my experience was and maybe something within will help you... I came home from the hospital on the pureed stage. It was months before my pouch could tolerate lunch meat or eggs. I still can't tolerate mayonnaise...at all. Things I could eat one day, I couldn't handle the next. I wasn't able to meet my docs protein requirements until 3 months out...but I tried. Things that I lived on for the first three months: Cream of wheat Oatmeal (weight control - has higher protein) - sometimes with protein powder mixed in refried beans with shredded cheddar heated in the micro ricotta cheese with spagetti sauce heated in the micro Boil baggies of salisbury steaks (this is really soft and chews well and goes down well) Baked potato or mashed potato - this wa**** or miss Tuna ONLY mixed with cream cheese - couldn't eat it any other way Crab meat mixed with cream cheese and a dash of seafood sauce heated in the micro (I LOVED this) Stallone protein pudding (chocolate only) Sugar free vanilla pudding with unflavored unjury mixed in Sugar free popsicles Sugar free jello Unjury Chocolate mixed with milk (I had to mix it - take a sip or two and put it in the fridge and just keep hitting it randomly throughout the day) Vienna sausages Peanut butter crackers in my purse for when I got lightheaded Chicken noodle soup (minus the noodles) Wendy's chili (chewed very very well) I know there's more... I just can't remember right now. Meat in general was always tricky and remains tricky for me. It MUST be moist. One trick I have with chicken, is to cook it in a baking dish in the oven covered with canned tomatoes (with the juice) - cover with foil and coo****il done. This is the juiciest, moistest chicken.... easy on my pouch. Boca burgers are really yummy. Have you tried those? I get the All American Flame Grilled ones.... 14g of protein in one burger. It was months before I could eat a whole patty.... but I loved how easy these were on my pouch. I know not all of my choices were high in protein, but for me, it was a matter of survival. I could have easily NOT eaten - the whole thought of food in general repulsed me when I was a new post-op. Protein was something that I really wanted to get in... but when all else failed, I ate at least SOMETHING (i.e. cream of wheat, SF popscicle, potato) just so I could survive. You will find that you will have to be creative and customize along the way what will work for you. For me, it was like being pregnant - Once I had an idea about a certain food to eat, NOTHING else would be an option - I HAD to have whatever it was that was on my mind. Except the pureed ho-ho's. I dreamt about it....but never did it. I was good about that. I don't know if any of that was helpful but there it is. Hope you're feeling better soon. Pam

I was on baby food, my choice because it's easy, and liquids until 6 wks out. After following that, I really haven't had trouble with any food. I choose to stay away from sugars, bread and pasta, so I don't know how they would go.

At this point, eat whatever will go down & stay down. It doesn't matter if you like it. You have protein stores to spare, and your body is still recovering from the attack (ie - surgery), so your main concerns right now are hydration and getting in calories to live off of. As you heal, you can adjust to a more normal eating style, but for now - just get SOMETHING in. Try soups. I ate a lot of the Campbell's Soup At Hand brand soups because they are pureed without feeling/tasting like baby food. Also, Lunchables were a staple for me early on. While I couldn't handle the thought of bread, for some reason crackers or toast were okay. If you don't care for cottage cheese, then perhaps oatmeal or mashed potatoes with some unflavored unjury in it. Yes it's carbs, but this is a temporary phase until your stomach can handle more. The main thing you have to realize is that right now, this is hard work, and eating is a chore that many of us (early on) would love to have just skipped completely. But you HAVE to do it, whether you like it or not. If you eat 3 oz of something and throw 1 oz of it up, then you kept 2 oz down. Lather, rinse, repeat. Keep eating. --BT

Sounds like your pushing too fast. You absoultly must eat/drink slooooow and chew, chew, chew the hell out of everything. At 3 plus years post op I still have to make a effort to eat slow. You have to sip the protien drinks not drink them. Baby steps my dear. At two weeks you shouldn't be thinking about eating anything you need to chew. Stick with liquids or at the least puree. Good luck!

thank you for all your helpful responses. They are much appreciated. I'm trying hard not to be frustrated or move too fast. The Nut and Doc did say to try the foods I listed so it's ok. Someone mentioned fat free refried beans and fat free baked beans. That interestes me for later on but I worry about the carbs in it. I always loved beans but I'm sure that's much too soon, or is it? Anyway, your kind help lightened my mood considerably. Thanks Kathleen