Question:
I am clear liquids for 3 weeks. What can have besides JELLO, broth,

sugar free pops? I'm so hungry. It's not just mental. I already spent a whole day trying to figure that out. I am hungry! I'm 5 days post-op.    — [Anonymous] (posted on January 21, 2002)

January 21, 2002
Good lord I thought **I** wrote this question!! I am five days post op and can't stand the liquid diet. I had to be on it for two days before surgery, so I've been on it a week. I'm very shaky and nervous feeling. I called the doctors office. They said it might be hypoglycemia. They said to try orange juice. I tried it. Not sure if it's helping. I don't want to be on the liquid diet anymore! I am hungry dammit. I want to eat some cottage cheese, some string cheese, mashed potatoes, ANYTHING. REAL FOOD. I'm questioning why I did this! I want the chinese food I see on TV, and all the KFC commercials.... UGH!!!!! Maybe I shouldn't have gone through all this. Maybe I don't have enough self control! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! (thanks for letting me vent and sorry I didn't have an answer for you. i hope you find one)
   — Goldilauxx B.

January 21, 2002
Coming to your rescue!!! Here is a great list for clear liquid diet and phasing into full liquids: Stage OneClear Liquids: Broths of all types, creamed soups, Get campbells noodle or rice soups and puree the heck out of them! Drink lots of crystal light, water, sugar free popsciles, sf jello, and if you just can't stand it, jew on a piece of ultra hard jerky but spit out the pieces, don't swallow them!! You should only be on clear liquids for a week, and the second week start adding in full liquids. You can add sugar-free pudding and sugar-free popsciles at this stage though! Stage Two: Full Liquids: Stay in this stage for two weeks. You can keep eating the foods you already are eating, but start adding these foods in slowly until youare on Full Liquids the whole day by the end of the two weeks. High Protien shakes (make sure to get one that doesn't have sugar in it, for example, Twin Labs Whey protien mix Banana/Strawberry Supreme is really good, and actually tastes good! You can add a half of a pureed banana or pureed Strawberries to this to make is richer, if you want, but don't put more than one type of fruit in your shake at a time, it might make you dump -- make SURE you get at least 75 grams of protien a day!) Get creative with your shakes by getting a vanilla flavor and adding low acid orange juice or by adding crushed pinapple and pureeing it finer, then add a dash or two of coconut flavoring for a Pina Colada!! You are allowed to LOVE this change in eating habits! Skim milk, soy milk, sugar free pudding, (you can add dry milk to any of these to make it higher in protien), fat free no sugar added light yogurt without fruit pieces in it, sugar free or no sugar added fudgesicle, no sugar added carnation instant breakfast (you can add these to your protien shakes to make them more yummy!), hot cocoa (sugar free), coffee with dry milk to make it high in protien!, and a variety of Campbells cream soups, be sure to strain all the food pieces out or puree them into the soup before eating. Stage Three: Pureed Foods: Stay on this stage for a full two weeks also. Keep eating Stage one and two foods, just add these in until your tummy adjusts! Pureed foods are foods with a smooth, baby food consistency. BE SURE you blend, strain and puree everything before putting it in your mouth! Your tummy isn't ready for seeds or lumps yet! Mashed potatoes, unsweetenednatural applesauce, cream soups, baby foods (or puree any food that you would normally eat), soft scrambled eggs, cream of wheat, oatmeal, malt-o-meal, cottage cheese, cream of rice cereal, white rice cooked well in a cream soup, and pureed, etc. You can use any meat that you have baked, broiled or poached. When blending up meat, mix in a small serving of cooked cream of rice ceral and milk. It will make it easier to puree. Meats cooked in a crock pot puree easier. Stage Four: Soft foods: Stay on this stage for two weeks: Soft foods do not have any hard pieces such as nuts seeds, chunks or other solid or large pieces. Add only one new food item per day, so you can see if you can handle it. Make SURE you eat every three to four hours!! You can still eat the foods on the other lists, too! Toasted whole wheat breads, plain whole wheat crackers, cooked cerals without added fruits or nuts, plain whole grain dry cereals softened in milk, sugar free/low fat ice cream, limit your fats to olive or or canola oil, trans-fatty free margarine, low fat cream and cream substitutes, lowfat gravies, light whipped toppings, low sugar/ff salad dressing, Pam cooking sprays, low fat/ff mayo; canned or cooked chopped fruits without seed or skin and packed in their own juice, 100% fruit or veggie juice. Sample Menu: Breakfast -- 1/2 cup soft scrambled eggs, 1 slice of toasted whole wheat toast with "I can't believe it's not butter!" spray and 100% fruit spread. Take your vitamins!! Snack: 4-6 oz light yogurt Lunch: 12 cup tuna or chicken salad and 1/4 cup pineapple Snack: 1 oz of fat free or light cheese and 2 whole wheat crackers Dinner: 1/4 to 1/2 cup ground turkey, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1/4 cup canned or cooked green beans. Take your vitamins!! Snack: 4-6 oz of sugar free/fat free pudding After two weeks of this, start adding in regular foods one at a time, making sure you chew your meats until they are almost liquified before swallowing them. Eat six small meals per day, eat slowly, chew completely, do not drink with meals, choose foods based on their nutritional content, exercise regularly, take your vitamins and make sure you meet your protien needs!!!! The better you are meeting your protien needs, the faster and more your weight will come off! Here is a BIG hint!! Time yourself. If you get up at 7 am, drink a large glass of ice cold water right off the bat. THen go about your morning and at 8 make your protien shake (I make mine extra yummy by adding in some pudding or yogurt or orange juice). Take a WHOLE hour to drink this!! Then do not drink anything from 9-10. From 10-11 drink all you can of water, juice, popsciles, crystal light, even clear broth. From 11 to 12 eat or drink nothing. From 12 to 1, eat your lunch. Make it take the whole hour!! Tiny bites, eat slow, chew it to death! From 1 to 2, drink or eat nothing!! From 2 tyo 3 drink as before; from 3-4 have a nice snack of protien, like cheese and chicken. Make it take as long of that hour as it possibly can. From 4-5, eat and drink nothing! From 5-6 Drink as before. From 6-7, eat your evening meal. Protien first! Then if you can eat antyhign else, add carbs first. Make it take the whole hour to eat. Do not eat or drink from 7-8. From 8-9 Drink, popsicles, etc. You can even have some pudding if you want some. If you are up late, keep with the three hour schedule. Why am I saying this? I am just five weeks out of surgery and have gone from 350 to 275. My bloodwork is excellent, no mineral defiencies, no hair falling out, lots of energy, I am no longer on any of my diabetic meds/insulin, the doc had to cut the amount of blood pressure medicine I take in half!!! And we were able to completely stop taking the meds for Psuedo Tumor Cerebri!!! I could just KISS my surgeon on the nose!!! LOL GOOOD Luck, and email me if I can be of further help!!
   — Sharon H.

January 21, 2002
I was able to have V- 8 juice, orange juice (no pulp), apple juice etc. After my 10 day follow-up & Staple removal, the doctor told me I could have creamed soups and low-fat cottage cheese. Hang in there, it gets easier with time.
   — Michelle D.