Question:
I am 5 weeks out from surgery and I am tired of cottage cheese and cream of wheat.

Please give me some ideas on what to eat. I eat shredded cheese and drink protein drinks, but I need a variety of food as I am getting bored with the same old foods. Can anyone give me any suggestions? Thanks!! Judy Wilson    — Judy W. (posted on August 18, 2002)

August 18, 2002
I love yogurt (dannon fit n' lively), ricotta cheese with a little red sauce, refries w/melted cheddar, pureed tuna w/lf mayo and a little relish, and today i mashed a meatball with some sauce and melted some mozz on it -- YUMMY!! Good luck.
   — Jennifer W.

August 18, 2002
Refried beans with melted cheese, extremely fine cut up egg or chicken salad on a cracker, mashed potatoes with cheese, SF Carnation instant breakfast Just some ideas.
   — ZZ S.

August 18, 2002
Hi I am almost 6 weeks out and my favorites are egg flower (drop) soup and refried beans or pinto beans. Low fat chili beans is also great. I also eat three bean salad but need to make sure I chew. Oh, and scrambled eggs also work. Good luck.
   — Joanie J.

August 18, 2002
Eat whatever you want! You'll feel better and have a lot more energy. I was eating everything ten days out with my doctor's "ok". He said the sooner I could eat "normally" the better. You're not going to hurt anything. I am three and half months out down 70 pounds. I went back to work after four weeks and never had a day I was lacking energy. I know I'm probably going to have a lot of people post with an opposite opinion because of the "let your new stomach heal", but I am a firm believer that I am doing as well as I am because I got back to normal sooner! Good luck!
   — stacey L.

August 18, 2002
Hi Judy, I cooked ground beef on the stove top, with cutup onions, red and green peppers. Drain the fat, add Healthy Request Tomato soup, warm it all up on stove top, then put small amount on your plate, melt cheese on top if desired. Delicious! Kind of like pizza with no crust. But can only eat SMALL amount. Good luck!
   — [Deactivated Member]

August 19, 2002
I am a little over 4 weeks post-op and have started on the soft foods. However, I still like eating chicken salad, seafood salad and tuna salad. I've also had chili from Wendy's (low in fat and a decent amount of protein). I also have had what my mom used to term "goulash" (browned ground beef mixed up with macaroni and crushed tomatoes). On the soft diet, I can have chicken and fish but haven't had these yet because I need to work on my chewing skills. I had the tendency pre-op not to chew my food enough and I don't want to get into problems with doing so post-op. So, for right now, the foods I have been eating don't require as much chewing. Maybe this week *G*...
   — John Rushton

August 19, 2002
Judy, I am 4 weeks & 4 days post op, so I know how your feeling..I eat regular chicken, turkey and just chew the heck out of it...I also eat watermelon, very easy to chew to smithereens..I eat low fat cheese...I tried the cottage cheese and to be honest I started to feel nauseus and never had it again..I also tried to eat rigotta as my Dr. recommended..it just doesn't taste quite the same...I tried a bit of ground beef, but my stomach felt very heavy after so I have stayed away from it since then..
   — Trish R.

August 19, 2002
My dr allowed thinly sliced (deli) turkey, chicken, or ham. I ate that and lots of cheese. I like cottage cheese, and eat it with lime juice and splenda. Try the ricotta with a little cereal (Special K or Cheerios are good). Just add foods slowly. How about eggs? Tuna with a little cream cheese mixed in on a couple of crackers? Hope this helps!
   — ctyst