Question:
I'm 4 weeks post op today 33 pounds gone forever, i'm having a hard

time of thinking of new meals, or recipes. i'm allowed basically anything pureed, which i just CHEW and CHEW, no pureed food for me. Thanks In Advance...    — debbie S. (posted on August 20, 2002)

August 20, 2002
I will be 6 weeks post-op on Thursday. I don't know if you tolerate noodles or not but a few weeks ago I was eating a lot of casseroles. My favorite was tuna casserole. My mom heats up 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup with a cup of skim milk. Then she melts chunks of light velveeta cheese in there. The amount you put depends on how cheesy you like it. Boil whatever noodles you like. Then mix your cheese soup, cooked noodles, and LOTS of tuna together and bake it in the oven at 375 for like 20-30 minutes with some breadcrumbs on top if you want. I picked out mostly the tuna and ate only a little of the noodles. It was easy to chew and the sauce made the tuna go down easy. Ummm. Another thing was something I call Veg-All. Brown a pound of the 96% lean hamburger with your favorite seasonings (I like to put onion in there too). I usually do this in our big dutch oven. When the hamburger is done, I add 2 cups of macaroni, 2 cans of Veg-All veggies with the juice, and a can of beef broth. Let that simmer until the macaroni is done. Then take it off the heat and stir in a cup of fat free sour cream and some dill weed. Usually we sprinkle a few "French fried onions" on there but they are optional. Also, meatloaf was really good at that point. I ate a lot of ground beef because it chewed up really well. "Pronto-burgers" are yummy and fast. Cut some english muffins in half... toast them just a little under the broiler. Mix up some 96% lean ground beef with onions, seasonings, an egg, breadcrumbs, and some tomato paste (almost like you would for meat loaf). After your muffins are toasted a little, make patties with the meat to fit on your muffins. Broil those for about 10 minutes or until they're done. Then you peel and slice a tomato, put that on there and then top it with some low fat swiss cheese (or mozzerella, whatever you like) and broil it until the cheese is done. Just watch so that the edges of the english muffins don't burn. I can't eat all the muffin but my family likes it. Cheeseburger-Mac is something else easy. Light "Velveeta shells and cheese" and browned lean ground beef mixed together. Usually with these types of things I just pick out the meat and leave the rest. One more thing, "Smothered Meat Balls"... Mix some more of that lean ground beef with onions, seasonings, an egg, bread crumbs, and a couple tablespoons of tomato soup. Make some meatballs out of this mixture. Put it in a 9x13 pan. Then you can mix the rest of your tomato soup with some canned diced tomatoes and pour it over it. Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes (depending on how big you make your meat balls). This is really yummy and saucy. When I say seasonings, I usually use Lawry's seasoned salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Hopefully you can try some of these things. Sorry this is so long... I just wanted to give you some different ideas. Good luck! =)
   — Tanya B.

August 20, 2002
Hmmm, I'm trying to think of some of the things I tried between 4-6 weeks. Unlike the previous poster, I didn't try beef or anything like that until my 3rd month, per my doctor. At 4 weeks I couldn't eat a whole lot, but here are some ideas: Canned Tuna or Canned Chicken breast, a little light mayo and some relish - blended in a blender, not as bad as it sounds, it comes out like deli tuna! I ate alot of pintos and cottage cheese. Tender turkey, finely chopped or shredded w/a tablespoon of mashed potatos, egg whites, soft boiled eggs, macaroni and cheese w/tuna, I tried to get in as much protein as possible without doing damage to my pouch or overdoing it! I also did alot of protein smoothies - FF/SF Ice cream mixed w/NF Milk, protein powder and strawberries or bananas. Alot of yogurt, soup - especially the noodles, made me feel like I was eating real Food! Let's see...what else, I also tried alot of deli meat, finely chopped and mixed with cottage cheese and broiled halibut! As I got further along in the post op stage, I got a little braver! Now, 6 months down the road, I can pretty much eat anything my heart desire - in moderation and keeping with the protein first. Now, a typical breakfast is cottage cheese, an egg white, 1/2- 1/4 apple and 5 almonds - Lunch is 3 oz tuna w/tomatoes and 1 teasp light mayo and granulated garlic OR 1/2 Lean Cuisine OR 1/2 Turkey w/cheese on a slice of rye - Dinner is generally chicken, beef or fish, veggies and or fruit. I also have 2 snacks in between - they should be called meals, but snacks makes me feel better. Late morning I have 1/2 - 1 oz beef jerky and Late Afternoon I have more beef jerky or a couple crackers and some cheese - gotta get that protein in. I also make sure I drink 80-96 ozs water. You should vist the LIBRARY on this site, there are GREAT Post Op menu ideas that cover various stages. Good luck to you and happy losing!!!!!!!
   — Rosario T.

August 21, 2002
I have lots of recipes on my website - www.rnylacrosse.com. go to the "fuel" section. Puree whatever you have to! Good Luck.
   — kultgirl

August 21, 2002
Well, I had such a terrible time getting in my protien. The shakes are terrible to me. This isnt a recipe, just something that I have recently found that is a LIFE SAVER!! Carb Solutions High Protien Bars!!! They are like eating a brownie and have NO SUGAR ADDED and BONUS 28g of protein per bar. Protien is your most important thing to get in and with choices such as this, it makes it all the easier. Now everyday without gagging or overeating I make my protien goal with the help of my protein bars. Good Luck to you!! Tonya
   — Tonya H.

September 11, 2002
I am 3 weeks post-op. I went to my doctor after 2 weeks for a check up and lost 23lbs. He told me to add bread (stay away from yeast rolls for now), meat and cooked vegetables to my diet. To cut it into small pieces and chew well. Nothing was ever said about pureed foods. I have eaten spaghetti without the sauce just some butter and parmessan cheese. I can eat 3 Ritz crackers with a small piece of cheddar cheese on them again taking small bites and chewing well. I have eaten cantelope, pickles, rice, a little p-nut butter (creamy)on a spoon, sugar-free ice cream, yogurt, sugar-free puddings, etc. I am doing great and haven't thrown up once since I've been home. I'm just careful to chew my food really well. I don't know if I am an exception but I don't feel deprived of anything and I'm dropping the weight. I never thought it would be this easy.
   — Jami T.