Question:
what was the best first (meat) item you ate when in the Post op transition phase?

I am 3 1/2 weeks post op, and am doing fantastic, but really am looking forward to some real food,, I know it wont be much but I really want a piece of chicken! Anyone have any sugesstions for what to try first, and what to just avoid for a long time? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!!!    — ILOVEJOE (posted on November 12, 2008)


November 12, 2008
My best suggestion as far as chicken goes are boneless, skinless thighs ... They taste good and they're very moist. Chicken breast can be really difficult for some post-ops because it tends to be dry. My first "meat" was actually fish - salmon - and it didn't go well ... It got "stuck" and I ended up throwing it up. It took a while before I was willing to try fish again or any other kind of meat, but I never had a problem after that. Congrats on joining the "Losers' Bench" and best of luck on your journey!
   — lauren_marie

November 12, 2008
My first meat was Chicken. I would probably suggest tuna for your first meat, however. It is soft and flakey and is not likely to cause a problem with getting stuck. It should be easily digested.
   — hubarlow

November 12, 2008
I cooked a roast with veg and gravy(aus juice) in a crock pot for my family .Took a cup ful put in blender made it into a semi liquid and froze it in an ice cube tray poped the cubes into a ziplock bag and kept in freezer.It was wonderful tasted so good and was easy to digest.also Tuna was on my first list,little pickle relish and mayo mixed with it.
   — Bette Drecktrah

November 12, 2008
I am 5 years out and have done very well. I would avoid chicken, beef and lettuce, corn, anything not easy toswallow for a long time! Eggs, boiled srimp, yogurts, cottage cheese, anything creamy with no sugar is good! Look at things with protein! That should be your number one concern! How much protein, how much water and soon how much exercise can I get in per day? If you really have to have chicken, boiled or baked NOT fried then you best chew and chew it some more! Take a bite and chew it til no end! Look for food that are very high in protein! Good luck!
   — Alivingangel

November 12, 2008
My first meat was shrimp. The important thing is to CHEW CHEW CHEW.
   — jeffkopp

November 12, 2008
I am 2 months out and still have difficulty with meats. One way I found that I can get it down - I take a couple oz of chicken and put it in magic bullet with some salsa and fat free refried beans. I tend to put a lot of salsa in to make it more liquidy or moist. It last for about 3 meals for me yet, and only way I can really get it down.
   — Wendy M.

November 12, 2008
My first meat was Tuna mixed with light mayo, onion and relish. I try to only eat Chicken dark meat, and Wendy's chili is a good one to get down and recommended by my doctor. Good Luck and Chew Chew Chew.
   — [Deactivated Member]

November 12, 2008
I am 6 weeks post op and I found that really mashed up meatloaf with thinned mashed potatoes worked really well. I'm only talking about 2-3 small bites. But, it gives you a sense chewing again and real food. Watch the carbs and fat in the potatoes. Scrambled egg substitute also is good.
   — sheilamoon

November 12, 2008
I eat a lot of soup for the first year.
   — pjwinslow

November 12, 2008
I bought a rotisserie chicken. Do not eat the breast or skin! It tasted soooo good to me after jello and broth for so long. I am 6 weeks post-op, and can now eat baked ham. CHEW CHEW CHEW!!!!! I just had a tiny bit, but it didn't hurt me at all. Meatloaf on the otherhand, hurt my stomach but didn't make me sick.
   — vrshoemaker

November 12, 2008

   — Amandai

November 12, 2008
My first meat was chicken. I made a homemade pot of chicken soup...Slow Boil a whole chicken in water with veggies for about an hour....It is moister than a baked chicken and you can use the broth to puree it. I made little frozen baggies of pureed foods and miss matched my meals with different sides...(cooked carrots, squash, mashed potatoes, green beans) You can use the chicken in mini, teeny recipes...add a few beans, salsa and cheese or parm cheese and sauce or mashed broccoli and cheddar...SOOOO many ideas with a boiled chicken and broth! Beef tasted metallic to me and gagged me for a long time. Beef also hit my pouch like a ROCK! It was too heavy...I eat everything now. I hated fish pre-op...I just loathed it! NOW? I LOVE LOVE fish...I would reccommend a nice moist, not fishy tasting, white fish like Orange Roughy or Chilean sea bass! VERY nice! Tastes great with mango salsa or olive oil and parm cheese broiled on top! YUM! Tuna is denser than most fish and dry, but it goes down pretty well...It was a bit too fishy for me, but I appreciated some flavor for sure after eating all pureed stuff for 3 months! Tuna definitely has flavor! I tried EVERYTHING pureed...some things took a while to be able to eat without bothering my pouch and some things were easier...Don't give up on things that bother you...I learned that one day something bothered me and the next it didn't at all...(Eggs were like that for me!) Fried eggs, poached eggs gave me a belly ache. and yet I could eat a hard/soft boiled egg...If the egg yoke is runny, I got sick and that used to be my fav way to eat eggs...So things change after surgery...just don't give up because you are healing and it takes a while for you to get back to eating/tasting things as you used to.
   — .Anita R.

November 12, 2008
tuna was easiest for me and then the little shrimp cocktails from the meat department - those were good too. good luck.
   — jammerz

November 13, 2008
I craved chicken just like you mentioned. My nutritionist approved it after a month, and said we could put a little of the fat free gravy on it and it went down like a breeze. No problem for me. I also had some mashed potatoes with it and had no problem with it either. The key is eat SLOWLY. Can't stress that enough. Good luck hon!
   — katiecakes

November 13, 2008
My first meat was rotisserie chicken. It was moist and easy to chew. It's the only meat I could tolerate for a long time. I couldn't eat tuna at all. It was eight months before I tried red meat and that was a lean beef patty. Best to you
   — SLittle1

November 13, 2008
Keeping in mind that everyone and their surgeries, and the doctors and nutritionist's order's are so different, you will have to make these decisions on your own. You will have to try one thing at a time and if it doesn't work for you, then wait a few weeks before trying again. Like you, I love chicken and could not wait to have some real solid food. My birthday was 11/01/2008 and our family always celebrates our birthdays. My mom made baked chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, and a jello salad. Believe it or not, I was able to get a taste of everything (this was my first real meal). I brought alone my little 1/2 cup container (went out and bought the Rubbermaid 4oz plastic containers prior to my surgery on 10/07/2008). My daughter had a chicken leg and I just took a small slice off the side (don't like white meat at all, unless cooked correctly & moist), I put that in the container after cutting it up with my "special" silverware (I purchased crystal handled toddler silverware that I take everywhere with me along with the 1/2 cup container so I know how much I am eating) into pea sized bites. I then put in a small serving of the potatoes and homemade gravy that my mom prepared almost fat-free, and 4 green beans. That filled my little 1/2 cup bowl. As far as the Jell-o salad, I had two bites of that. The key to eating our "solid" food is to chew, chew, chew. I am 5 weeks out as of Tuesday and I find that I can eat most anything. Last week, I had some real issues with food and found myself eating everything that my family was eating, no matter what it was. Even though I was only eating a 1/2 cup of food at any given time, I had no excuses to eat what I was eating and my 22 pound loss up to that point, went down to 15.50 pounds. I also stopped exercising as I started to develop some severe pains in the abdomen and with increased exercise or even simple walking around the house or shopping would cause me to double over in pain and almost take my breath away. As of this past Monday, I got back on the band wagon by getting up at 6am, going to work out for 1/2 hour, come home and take our dog for his morning exercises. I don't have my first "meal" until 8am. I am checking my blood pressure and glucose daily upon rising, and I went back to eating according to my nutritionist's plan of eating for the soft food portion. I plan on continuing this until I have my first fill on 11/20/2008. So see with me, I tried to eat what I could and it didn't work. Just take one meal at a time, not one day at a time. Remember to chew, remember to get your 64 ounces of fluids in, remember to exercise at least a little everyday, and remember to get your protein in (which I lack doing some days as I find that if I try to get all of my fluids in, I can't eat; if I eat every two hours like I'm suppose to, then I can't drink). May God be with you and everyone of us on our lifelong journey.
   — Teresa J.

November 13, 2008
A Medium Rare steak never bothered me. At 5 + years out I must be careful with: Tuna, Chicken and hamburger. Shrimp goes down good for me also... Good Luck MaryLyn
   — Kriola

November 13, 2008
First real food protein was1 to 2 eggs scrambled and I ate alot of Tilapia or other soft fish baked and Tuna with light mayo.
   — AuntPamcakes4six

November 14, 2008
My first was chicken, I ate it as it wsa prepared. I ate the thigh as it is the most moist. My hubby made it liek this: take off skin and any fat, rub mayo all over it and then roll it in italian bread crumbs, it is fantastic and I make it this way all the time. It is really moist this way. Good Luck ! Lori In Michigan
   — reretheplaylady

November 14, 2008
EVERY PERSON IS DIFFERENT!!!! whatever meat you try make sure it is very, very moist and you chew,chew,chew!!! i have always done better with beef, fish, and seafood. i eat chicken and pork, but have to be careful and make sure it is cooked in something like gravy, broth, or creamy soups. the only way to see what is best for you and what your body will tolerate is trial and error!!! good luck... hope this helps you, Holly
   — RNlvnCARSON




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