Question:
Ok...now I need all your help cause I'm having a very bad day...

I will be 3 weeks postop on tues...I have been following my surgeons instructions(I had a LAP RNY)on my diet..6 meals a day of 4 to 6 oz of liquid, jello, creamed soups etc...I tried mashed potato twice and felt icky both times..the one thing I've been dealing with for the last several weeks is head hunger so I've real excited to move on to soft solids...well couldn't wait any longer and I decided to try my soft solids today...what an awful day...for breakfast I had a piece of dry toast and a scrambled egg on top...made me feel like throwing up...thought ok ate too much...then later in the day tried 3 large crackers with a little bit of tuna fish on each...once again felt like throwing up..didn't want to eat again today....is this feeling going to go away because it's scaring me..also if I can't eat but just a couple bites because I can't handle any more than that how am I going to get my nutrition in....how do I get to a happy medium here....please need all the eating advise you can give me.....    — Debora H. (posted on February 3, 2001)

February 3, 2001
Hi, well first off. You must plant this in your brain. You have had major surgery on your internal organs. Right now you are eating for healing. EATING FOR HEALING....No doctor would put you on a liquid diet to loose weight. That is why you go from Liquids, to thickend liquids like creamed soups, to pureed, then soft foods, and then on to regular foods. Did you skip the pureed food?? Some Doctors have a little bit different eating plan. Go by what your Doctor said. Bread even toast is a very hard thing to eat as it balls up and sets in the pouch. If you are going to eat solids already like tuna and crackers, Make sure you chew every bite 30 times. Eat veery slowly and savor each bite. As you heal, things will taste better and you will tolerate more things. At that time you can get to eating more of a variety. Right now you must really stress protein for healing and keeping muscle mass. That is why so many go with a protein drink. I start each morning with a protein drink. I like my coffee, so I mix one cup of Hot coffee in a blender with to scoops of Carb Solutions ( chocolate flavor, no milk or sugar adds fat caloreies. This tastes like a cappucino to me is so delicioous in the morning and I get my coffee. I am a year out. If I want more coffee , I drink a cup of plain coffee first, then the protein coffee. I hope this helps . If you need more ideas e-mail me privately. Remember you are healing now. Do not lift over 5lbs. No vacumming, no pushing a grocerie cart. No lifting kids. YOu are healing. YOU are healing. Love and hugs. Carin
   — C S.

February 4, 2001
Debra, I just wanted to say that the previous advise was excellent, and try your best to follow it. I experienced the exact same feelings and "problems" that you are having, and I KNOW that they will pass in just a couple weeks or so. Hang in there!
   — Marnie K.

February 4, 2001
I haven't had surgery yet, but I have gotten to the mind-set that post surgery my tummy will be like a newborn child. I started my newborn out on breast milk (initially a clear liquid) then moved to opaque liquids (full breast milk and formula) Eventually, when she could tolerate it, she got gruel made of rice or oats, then yellow and green puree vegetables. She didn't get anything chewy, like beef or whole slices of hotdogs until after she was a year old. She only got crackers and teething bisquits when she could gnaw the heck out of them before they got in her. I beginning to believe that if I use this mind-set for WLS, I will heal my tummy under the right conditions, keep myself from vomiting and/or dumping, and retrain my eating habits. After all, it is going to be a "rebirth" of sorts!
   — [Anonymous]

February 4, 2001
Debora - It gets better, I promise. Everyone progresses at a different rate, and certain foods work for one person and not another. I am 11 weeks post, and I remember those early days. Try adding one food at a time - that way you'll know what disagrees with you. For me, I could always tolerate scrambled eggs, but when I tried toast, it made me sick as a dog. Even at 11 weeks post, I can only tolerate very limited amounts of any kind of bread. Crunchy stuff like crackers, pretzels and tortilla chips works well though. Surpisingly, one of the first "real" foods I could tolerate was fat free refried beans. I would have them with cheese and baked tortilla chips - - yum. Also, I could eat homemade chili very early on. I also like it with melted cheese and baked tortilla chips. I also found that when I did try things that disagreed with me, it helped to go back to liquids for a day or so, then try the "soft diet" things again. Good luck - it only gets better!!!!!
   — Lynn T.

February 4, 2001
Enjoy these first few months .. My Doctor said there was no way I was going to become malnurished and die that slowly I would start eating again.. So quit worrying ... I found chicken in a biscuit crackers or crutons to be a good thing to snack on..2 crackers and about 3 crutons was all I could eat I would dip my spoon into cream of chicken soup and lick it off slowly very slowly my ability to eat came back drink your protein drink and stop worrying... take your vitemens this is the biggest losing time you will ever have.. I thought I was hungry at first and would take a small taste of something and it tasted awfull still after 3 months things don't taste really good yet at first all I wanted was Water chicken noodle soup broth was good also just a little I liked fat free puddings also .. remember we have enough Fat to live on for a long time..lmao Kathy Open RNY distal 11-1-00 -55
   — Kathleen M.