Question:
I'm finding it very hard to accept my drs. orders for 6 wks. of liquids only

Has anyone else followed through with liquids only for that long and why would the dr. not allow me have soft foods yet??I'm doing protein drinks, soups, jello, tomato juice, and apple juice, water, coffee and tea.Has anybody been on liquids for 6 wks., how did you fair through it and did the dr. tell you why he prefers liquid only that long? Thanks.    — Jean B. (posted on June 19, 2002)

June 18, 2002
Jean, you don't want to do things too fast. WLS causes a change in eating habits AND lifestyle. Six weeks is long enough to give your digestive system a rest. You don't want anything to delay the healing progress and there's always a reason why the surgeon makes certain recommendations. It's best to follow the doctor's orders-he knows best. Hope this helps.
   — yourdivaness

June 18, 2002
The first 5 days were gello, soup,juice, popsicle, etc. On day 6-30 I could eat anything that could be mushed or pureed. Mashed potatoes,spaghettios, eggs with cheese, things like that. My husband even pureed roast beef with gravy. After 30 days eat anything that your stomach can tolerate. In small servings of course. We watch our carbs, and sugars. But remember every surgeon is different.
   — SAMANTHA B.

June 19, 2002
I hated the liquid diet so I feel for you! My dr told me anything that went thru a strainer was fine, so I pureed lots of stuff to help with variety. Also I loved cream of wheat made with milk according to the baby recipe on the box: a pat of butter and a packet of splenda = pure heaven! LOL To help with the chewing cravings I ate sf popsicles and ff/sf frozen yogurt bars--the Blue Bunny chocolate brand even have 4 grams of protein in them! Be creative. You will probably have a much greater initial weight loss if you stick to the dr's plan even tho it's a pain. =) Good luck and happy losing!
   — ctyst

June 19, 2002
I was on 10 days of clear liquids then on to "full" liquids, which included soups & whatnot. I felt extremely tired, rummy and my eyesight was poor from lack of nourishment and energy. I know that our new stomach's and the "re-wiring" of our system needs time to heal but I swear, I felt 100% better when I had about 2 oz. of tomato soup. Just going from the clear liquids to the full liquid was a big improvement and helped lift my spirits a bit ~ it's difficult being in pain, healing, trying to get use to the new life style & eating habits and to be given a full liquid diet. The thing that saved me, I think, is my fat/free, sugar/free popsicles - it was a bit thicker than those popsicles I got real sick of real quick. My doctors instructions would have had me go for almost a full four weeks but I'm not going to lie - I tested the waters carefully. Sometimes I just wanted the taste of something - the stuff I was craving wasn't extremely bad for me but I just wanted the taste of something in my mouth. A bite of cottage cheese chewed very well gave me a sense of satisfaction. A bite of mashed potatos - that helped. I told my doc that I thought it would help people to get on their feet quicker and feel better if they had some real nourishment in their body and he agreed but he said he takes extra precaution in giving your body time to heal. I've read about people who had soft foods prior to even leaving the hospital and I thought that was wild. I didn't make it the entire time I was suppose to but I went slow - real slow and if I tried something, I chewed it like crazy and only took one or two bites to make sure it was going to be okay. Good luck to you & don't hesitate to write if I can help you in anyway.
   — Lisa J.

June 19, 2002
Hi Jean. As soon as I read your question -- I just KNEW you had to be another one of Dr. Overcash's patients. I had surgery on 12/28/01 and am currently down 87 pounds. Dr. Overcash generally requires 2 weeks of clear liquids followed by 4 weeks of full liquids (HUGE DIFFERENCE!). In Dr. Overcash's book, full liquids includes anything that can go through a colander. I added yogurt, cream soups, very soft scrambled eggs, string cheese, etc. and didn't have any problems at all. It seemed tough at the time but, in hindsight, it was a good thing for me. I've never had a problem with strictures, nausea, vomiting, etc. I feel as though the six weeks gave my pouch plenty of time to heal before I tested it with "real food". Hang in there Jean. Feel free to e-mail me if you want to talk. Best of Luck.
   — Pam S.