Question:
What's up with Pasta? I can't eat it! Can u?
I cannot eat any pasta at all! This was my favorite food pre-op. My family is also big on all macaroni and they eat it alot. I always get tempted to eat it but when I do, it makes me very ill, and I have to throw it all up to feel better! Is there a reason for this? Does it happen to anyone else? — Laurie L. (posted on April 23, 2002)
April 23, 2002
Although this is very common post WLS, I have not had it happen yet. It
kind of goes down in a blob and has a hard time getting through your stoma
(opening from pouch to intestine). With some it gets better and able to
tolerate further down the post-op road, others aren't able to ever eat it.
Some have a hard time with soft breads, they do the same thing. Wait a
month and try it again, but chew very well into tiny bits. Its kind of a
good thing though. It keeps you from getting all those carbs that you
don't really need. Enjoy your journey!!
— Cheri M.
April 23, 2002
Laurie, I am 5 months post op -105 lbs and I the same way. I can't eat any
pasta or bread or I pay dearly for it about 10 minutes later.
— Lynda T.
April 23, 2002
Laurie, I am 5 months post op -105 lbs and I am the same way. I can't eat
any pasta or bread or I pay dearly for it about 10 minutes later.
— Lynda T.
April 23, 2002
Laurie - The reason you are having problems with the pasta (or any form of
bread) is that when it hits your pouch, it will continue to swell when
introduced with water (or other liquids) so the problem that you are having
with getting sick is because it's swollen too much to fit through the
stoma. I've been able to eat bread as long as it's toasted, but not bread
by itself. I hope this helps. (I'm 8 months post op and have lost 86
lbs). Good luck!!
— trtorrey
April 23, 2002
Don't worry, Laurie. The same thing happened to me early post-op. I loved
pasta before my surgery, but afterward, I couldn't eat more than a single
spaghetti strand without getting dreadfully sick. So, I did not eat pasta
for 8 months!!! Then one day I tried it again and it went down just fine.
Now, at 13.5 months post-op, I have a small amount of pasta at least once
per week. I really enjoy having it as a part of my moderate diet. Other
foods like rice, vegetables and beef gave me major problems early post-op,
but now I can tolerate them fine. In fact, there's nothing I can't
tolerate in small quantities. Don't worry ... it gets better with time.
Regards,
— Terissa R.
April 23, 2002
Pasta is a carbohydrate food and when carbs get digested the turn to sugar.
You are dumping, my dear. Stay away from the pasta. Sorry. Good Luck
— Karen W.
April 23, 2002
I can eat pasta IF I eat protein with it and really chew, chew, chew, chew!
The only time I've ever thrown up is when a spaghetti noodle didn't get
chewed enough.
BTW, I do dump on sugar. 10 weeks post-op proximal RNY.
— Kathy J.
April 23, 2002
I agree completely with Terissa. It was the better part of a year before I
was able to eat rice, pasta or soft breads in any quantity larger than a
pin-head. The way the pasta, bread or rice continues to swell was the
problem, not dumping, as I have never dumped except on quite large
quantities of sugar. I would occasionally try a bite or two as time passed
& found I was gradually able to eat a little more of these foods. Now I
am 2 years post op & I can tolerate all of these foods. I still have to
be careful & I still eat a MUCH smaller portion than pre-op, but it IS
nice to be able to add these foods back in as time goes by. During the
weight loss period, your ability to eat certain foods may well change quite
a bit and back & forth, too. However, many of us find ourselves
eventually and amazingly moving out of the weight LOSS period & into a
weight maintenence period & what you are able to eat at that time may
be very different from what you can tolerate a few or even several months
post surgery. Just hang in there, bide your time & the odds are that
somewhere down the line you'll be able to eat these foods again...but never
again by the pound!! :)
— Kathy W.
April 23, 2002
I cannot tolerate pasta. I've eaten it a couple of times since surgery and
I've got real sick. I believe it has a lot of starch.
— dolphins94
April 23, 2002
I'm almost 8 yrs postie and still cannot do spaghetti. That said, I can do
angel hair, lasagna, manicotti--all the others, as long as they are well
cooked. Al dente, no. Ow. As Tina said, they swell, so I eat them very
slowly and wait. If I get silly, I get an instant replay. Sigh.
— vitalady
April 23, 2002
Hi! At 4 months post op from an Open DS, I finally had a little pasta
without problems. We were told pasta, white bread, rice etc. has sorbitol
(an alcohol sugar) that can cause gas, nausea, bloating and diarhea.
— grammie5
April 23, 2002
Hi... I am an Italian food lover but I'm learning to adapt. I can handle
macaroni fine but long spaghetti no way - it blocks and then throwing up is
the only solution. I can handle the meatballs and sauce fine so I tried
using Orzo pasta which is larger than rice but still small. Cook it though
not till its mushy as then it is full starch. Might be a solution for you.
I still even with pasta do no more than an ounce at a meal. Good luck to
you!
— AJC750
April 24, 2002
I used to love to go to the Olive Garden, but since surgery, I find I eat 1
meatball and a bite or two of spaghetti and I'm TOTALLY full. I tried
again just a couple of weeks ago and the same thing. I'm beginning to
think I'll never be able to eat spaghetti again. Oh well, if that's the
price I have to pay to be thinner, I don't need it!!
— Patty H.
October 8, 2002
Found your answer. First, Chew it alot. Second, there is a brand I just
found at Big Lots (you may be able to find it in a store) called Pasta Lite
by Due Amici....has only 10g carbs and has 28g protein. However, I will
warn you it is hard to eat very much, it is extremely filling. You will
notice it is a bit firmer than regular pasta. The Distribution companhy is
called Orlando Food Corporation out of Maywood, NJ. Hope this helps!!!!
— missmollyk
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