Question:
WHEN CAN I HAVE HAMBURGER AND SALAD?

I know my Dr. said to wait on the beef because it can be hard to digest but does that go for ground beef also? And when can I start on salads?    — Kelly* P. (posted on March 2, 2003)


March 2, 2003
Kelly - I was having ground beef in Wendy's chili around 3-4 weeks. Most RNYers can tolerate ground beef better than steak. I was so afraid of not tolerating steak that I didn't eat it until like month 6. And made sure that I chewed it to death. Frankly, steak isn't worth the effort any more (I never was a big steak eater). <p> Salads - you may want to wait until you are at least 3-4 months post-op. I was eating sliced tomatoes around 2 months, but didn't eat salads (lettuce, etc) until 3-4 months.
   — John Rushton

March 2, 2003
My surgeon allows plain lettuce & tomato salads at three weeks...no crunchy veggies until six weeks. When I had my RNY three years ago, he allowed ground beef at three weeks, but is now asking patients to wait until the six-week mark before adding any beef or poultry to their diets. I had no problems with either the salad or ground beef. Best wishes!
   — Diana T.

March 2, 2003
I wasn't allowed to eat salad or raw veggies until 3 months post-op. Salad, or lettuce, can be hard to digest, so while our stomachs are still healing, we're supposed to wait to eat that, some a few weeks, some a few months. I tried beef in a taco at about 4 weeks post-op and handled it fine. taco meat is very soft, so it went down okay for me, but pretty much anything I tried I could handle. Everyone is different ofcourse, and I know some people have problems with meat, esp. beef, so be careful! goodluck to you! :)
   — Lezlie Y.

March 2, 2003
Depends on what your surgeon says. I was allowed to have salad at 4 months. Hamburger not until 6 months out. Please check to make sure you are ok to have them. Sharon
   — Sharon H.

March 2, 2003
I just got done eating 5 Tblsp of Manwhich made with ground round and a slice of reduced fat American cheese on it and it was WONDERFUL! I will be 4 weeks PO tomorrow. My surgeon's plan says beef at about 6 months however when it's ground beef that's ridiculous. I also have eaten Wendy's chili at the end of my 3rd week and finished it in the 4th week. There is way less chewing with ground beef than many other things I eat, which are on the doctor's list. They know exactly what I am eating as I have been taking in a listing of what I've been eating at each meal so that they can give me feedback. They made absolutely no comments about the chili, so I take that to mean the Manwhich is okay too. There is some carbs in the sauce but by the time it is combined with the meat the amount per portion is quite small. I can now add in cooked veggies and fruits. They moved me to the next level one week early because I was so concerned about getting enough protein and because at times I was very hungry by the next meal. So now I'm between 1/4 - 1/2 cup of food per meal. Raw veggies are further out in my plan. The problem is that eating salad doesn't allow you to get in much for protein. The volume of the lettuce will fill up the pouch. I also like salads but I am way more concerned of getting protein right now that I will wait till I am way further out. Chris
   — zoedogcbr

March 2, 2003
My Dr. Allows green salad at 6-8 weeks, but it must be cut up in very small pieces. I am amazed at how much salad I can eat without filling my pouch - lettuce turns to water and takes up very little space. I'm now 5 months PO and I eat a salad every day. I've been eating ground beef ocassionally since 6 weeks when I was moved to soft foods. It doesn't taste as good as it did before and a little goes a long way.
   — JoAnn B.

March 2, 2003
Hi Kelly! I was eating "normal" food including hamburger, at ten days post-op. My doctor said it's all trial and error - eat what your body can tolerate. Trust me, my little pouch lets me know if I've crossed the line! LOL As far as lettuce, I'm ten months post-op and still can't tolerate lettuce or any green vegetable. I get horrible cramps. Good luck! Open RNY 4/29/02 -138.5
   — stacey L.

March 2, 2003
I am almost 11 weeks post op and just had my first salad tonight. It was great! No problems with it. But tomorrow it may not be the same. I have found that out about alot of foods, I can tolerate them and them a week later I can't. So who knows???
   — Sheryl W.

March 3, 2003
Well, as you can see, everyone is different as to when their doctors allowed them to have hamburger and salad. What did he/she say you could have them? I had my first salad at 5 weeks post-op and boy was that good. The first hamburger was in chili and at about 4-5 weeks. At 2 months post-op though, I had a piece of stuffed cabbage (no rice) and got very sick and that was hamburger too. I think the thing to remember is that any meats that you have this early, make sure they are very moist!
   — Cindy R.




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