Question:
I wonder if anyone else craved fruit (especially citrus type) several months po

I seem to be craving oranges and lemon flavored things constantly these days (3 months post op). I also seem to have more room for fruit than any other food. I can eat two sliced oranges at a sitting - no prob. I really enjoy them (they never make me nauseous!) and it's not a difficulty really but.... I'm curious to know if anyone else experienced this, I guess I wonder if it might signal a vitamin deficiency (C maybe?). My weight loss is super(60 lbs.since RNY on 6/16)and I'm getting plenty of protein as well as a multi-vitamin daily. But man I want that fruit at every meal and even for a snack! Any ideas anybody?    — Carol M. (posted on September 13, 1999)

September 13, 1999
I had wls surgery on 6/18/99 AND 8/14/99 (the first surgery resulted in a leak). I, too, am craving fruit. Mostly watermelon and oranges. Lemonade is also beginning to sound good. A word of warning--keep up your potasium level! Last week I was rushed to the ER because I could not keep anything on my stomach. My potasium level was dangerously low and I had to have a 2 hour IV of potasium and I had to drink a large glass of it. So good luck and enjoy that fruit!
   — Linda F.

September 21, 2000
Yes, I love fresh fruit and eat at least two servings a day.... <p> TIPS ON FOODS TO AVOID <p> Your ability to tolerate certain foods after RNY depends primarily on how well you chew your foods. Each individual will tolerate foods differently. Some patients have found these foods difficult to tolerate: Shredded Cocoanut is difficult to digest and can form into a ball (called a "bezoar") which blocks the stomach opening causing prolonged nausea and vomiting. Tough meats, especially beef. Solution: Buy lean hamburger, try marinating solid meats or use tenderizer. Membranes of oranges and grapefruit. (I have no problemas long as I chew well, however, I was like that before surgery also) Solution: Use only the fresh squeezed and strained juices. Skins of fruit and vegetables. Solution: Peel apples, potatoes, etc. Fibrous vegetables such as corn, celery and sweet potatoes. Solution: Use a blender and strainer as needed to avoid undigestible fiber. Fresh bread can form into "dough balls" in the stomach. Solution: Try plain toasted bread. Fried or spicy foods. Solution: Bake, broil or grill foods. Season foods lightly. Avoid eating high calorie snack foods. If you eat chips, nuts, seeds, popcorn, cookies, etc. and other high calorie foods, you will not lose weight. If you are unable to tolerate milk, alert your physician. Try "Lactaid" or "Dairy Ease" prior to drinking milk or other dairy products. Milk in cooking is often tolerated without difficulty. Concentrated sugars (ex. Desserts, candy). Solution: Use sugar-free products. Try fructose (found in the "Dietetic" section of most grocery stores) where sweeteners are necessary in cooking. The following concentrated sweets should be avoided unless they come in sugar-free form: Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies Pies Cakes Candy Chocolate Regular Soft Drinks Regular Ice Cream Sherbet Pudding Preserves Jellies Jams and other Sweets HIDDEN SUGARS: Sugar goes by many other names. Read food labels and lists of ingredients carefully when you select food products. Beware of other words for SUGAR: Brown Sugar, Sucrose, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Dextrose, Honey, Maple Syrup, Molasses, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sorghum and Turbinado Sugar. *********************************************** Several pieces of fresh fruit should be eaten every day. If you eat a variety each week, you will never need vitamin supplements! Apples are better eaten as the fruit than as fruit juice. Dried or fresh apple can be added to bread mixes. Apricots are particularly rich in vitamin A, iron and potassium. Dried fruit are always available out of season and can be eaten raw or soaked for 24 hours in water to re-hydrate them. They can also be chopped and added to bread or cake mixtures. Bilberry and Cranberry. Utilise their excellent flavour by serving with meat or fromage frais or yogurt. Blackcurrants and Redcurrants are an excellent source of vitamin C and iron throughout the year as they freeze so well. Serve them with yogurt or fromage frais, rather than with sugar. Brambles from the hedgerow also freeze well and are another excellent source of vitamins C and E. Carambola, or Star Fruit come from an Indonesian tree. The flavour can be variable, but they provide useful amounts of vitamin C. Citrus fruit, Oranges, Lemon, Tangerine, Grapefruit, Lime, are all excellent sources of vitamin C. The fruit is far better nutritionally than the juice by itself. Best raw, useful for a snack at any time of day. Figs have the highest protein content of any fruit. Fresh figs have the best flavour, but dried figs store well and make a useful snack. They can also be re-hydrated by soaking for 12 hours and then simmering for 30 minutes. Gooseberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamins and minerals. If left on the bush, they will ripen and become sweet, when they are best raw. Unripe berries can be used in fruit stews and served with yogurt or fromage frais rather than sugar. Grapes contain a range of minerals. The skins may also help prevent heart disease. Guava turn from green to yellow as they ripen. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals. Kiwi Fruit should be eaten raw or they can be served with yogurt. Mango turn from green to yellow and then orange or pink as they ripen. The sticky flesh is eaten raw. Melons are largely water. There is no evidence that they are indigestible as suggested by Dr Hay. Peaches are a useful source of manganese. Best eaten fresh, the stones should not be eaten. Pears remain very hard while unripe, but soften quickly on ripening. Pineapple should only be eaten with a protein meal as the fresh fruit contains a protein digesting enzyme. Fresh pineapple juice is very useful for marinating meat. Plums can be eaten fresh, but some varieties are not as sweet and are better simmered until tender with only a little added water. Raspberries are easily bruised and do not travel or keep well although they are easily frozen. Eat fresh or serve with yogurt. They are a good source of iron. Strawberries are a good source of vitamins when eaten fresh. They can also be added to fruit stews. ************************************************ Open Divided (Fobi)12/8/99 Dr. John Husted M.D., Nashville, TN. Beginning weight 367 Today 210 YEA!!! Hey guys I want to tell you WATER and EXERCISE of any kind is a MUST to keep this weight loss falling... If you're on a plateau then jump start it by watching carbs and hidden sugars, drink 64 oz of water or MORE a day.. remember it washes away broken down fat...AND EXERCISE increase what you have been doing, switch or add another exercise form...USE www.dietwatch.com daily.... <p> <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/vbowen">My Webpage</a><br> <p> <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/VBowenCookBook">My Cookbook</a><br> <p> <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/Vbowenweightloss">My PICS</a><br>
   — Victoria B.