Question:
I am just about to be 2 months post op

and I have noticed that I am starting to not like meat. I chew and chew and it still feels funny in my mouth and doesn't seem to go down at all well...NOW just in the last few days if I eat meat...while I am chewing I get the feeling I am going to throw up and I do...I think I am developing an aversion to meat...or is this a natural feeling after liquids and soft foods? Has anyone else out there experienced this aversion to meat? I DO try to eat it (chicken, turkey) but just the thought of beef and pork makes me SICK (I can't have beef for several more months anyway)I don't even want to have lunch meat...altho I seem to be craving seafood and I have never liked seafood in my life. Has anyone else had similar experiences with meat? Have any of you become vegetarians after weight loss surgery?    — SherP (posted on December 15, 1999)

December 15, 1999
i was just the opposite. before surgery i ate very little meat and now i crave it. i can eat hamburger, lean roast, chicken and turkey. i am still very careful to cut in small pieces and chew real well. i am 4 months out. good luck. julie
   — julie S.

December 15, 1999
Hey Sher--I tried meat at about the same time you did (2mos). I have not had much trouble but am careful to cut pieces about the size of an eraser on a pencil. This has helped a lot. I can't make myself try hamburger, which I used to love. I did get a piece of turkey over thanksgiving stuck and now am even more careful to cut very small pieces. Good luck.
   — Dot W.

December 16, 1999
Yes I am going thur the same thing I am not liking meat at all it just does not taste good right now. I am not worrying about it I just am not eating it I do like smart ones Tuna casrrole it is good. but that is about all This two shall pass in it own time I am not going to worry about it I am eating lots of veg. and fruits and soups still now. Good Luck
   — michele K.

January 26, 2000
I'm having exactly the same problem, especially with chicken. As a matter of fact, nearly everything the Dr. has told me to eat has caused me to gag or choke at some point or other, and often I vomit even though it's something I was able to eat only last week... I am now 10 weeks post-op and seem to be going in reverse. Is this normal? Strangely, I have the most trouble with chicken and turkey, and none with beef or pork as long as they are in a gravy of some sort and very overcooked. My best success so far has been with frozen foods by Stouffer's such as the Macaroni with tomato and beef and Healthy Request bowls, as well as soup of any kind and cereal. Although I miss things occasionally and have not eaten out once yet (I am a former chef and restaurant critic!), I am strangely content with my limited diet. But does anyone know if the sensation of food "getting stuck" and gagging will ever go away?
   — Peter W.

February 5, 2000
Sher, I have had the same problems. I figure that,yes, it is an aversion to meats, most types. I am going on 8 monthspost-op now and still do not want much to do with meats. I used to love steak and juicy hamburgers and still enjoy the smell of them cooking but get disgusted just thinking about eating them. However, I have found that I can tolerate processed meats very well and actually crave these now. I know it sounds gross, but a lot of things have changed for me since the surgery and 117pound weight loss. I eat spam, frozen dinner Salisbury steak, meatballs from chef-boyardee spaghetti and meatballs, devilled ham.things like that. I can eat shrimp and like that. I will taste my husband's steak when we go out to eat but that is about it.
   — Diane S.