Question:
Just wondering If I am doing okay with my diet.

My Doctor has a 4 week soft diet, (blender). This morning I had egg salad 2oz maybe and a couple of teaspons of cream of wheat, Lunch was maybe a teaspoon & a half of fine tuna salad (non fat mayo) and tomato soup, 1/4 of a cup???. My snack this afternoon was 1/2 cup of juice. Let me know what you think.. Thanks MaryLyn    — Kriola (posted on June 2, 2003)

June 2, 2003
Hi MaryLyn, congratulations! I would try to ditch juice--lots of sugar! Have you tried Crystal Lite in lieu of juice? I know in the beginning it's hard to find foods that blend well. You're doing just fine!
   — jenn2002

June 2, 2003
So far, so good! As soon as you can transition into more proteins, it would be good if you did that. If you're not using protein shakes (a good thing to use), then try low-fat refried beans, cottage cheese, (low-fat) ricotta cheese, more tuna, more eggs (or perhaps egg beaters). Just an FYI, tomato soup and juices have a fair amount of sugar in them -- at this stage, you're eating very little, so they're okay, *but* down the line, you may want to switch to other things, or use juices and tomato soup less often. Good luck!
   — Suzy C.

June 2, 2003
I have a 4 wk blended diet also before I proceed to soft foods for 2 wks, then I am onto regular foods. My dietician for my doctor has me measuring by tablespoons all of my food. I started out with 1 tbls of a protein, veggie or fruit and a starch. When I was comfortable to go onto more I added 1 more tbls of each of my foods. Sometimes I will concentrate on having more protein and less of the starch, veggie or fruit if I am having any. But I ALWAYS MEASURE MY FOODS. Besure to get variety into your diet so you do not become bored with your choices and are tempted to have something that you should not eat. I also have been writing down all of my foods and quantities in a little notebook so I can reflect back on some of my food choices, especially if I have had a problem with something I make a note about it next to that food. I would have replaced the snack with a low sugar protein drink. The juice later on may cause you to dump especially if you did not dilute it with half water. You can email me and I can share with you some of the ideas that I have come up with for myself to give me some variety. Good Luck.
   — ChristineB

June 2, 2003
For the most part I think you are doing great. You are sticking with easy to digest foods and you have some protein in there. You are getting to the stage where you need to start adding in as much protein as you can to your "meals" so that your body has energy and doesn't start to scavenge your muscle tissue instead of the fat you DO want to get rid of!<p>I will make a couple of suggestions based on my experience. Feel free to ignore me if it doesn't sound right for you! LOL First, make sure you eat protein every time you eat. I agree with the poster who suggested you ditch the juice for now. Caloric liquids are technically a "no-no" on many dr's lists. The other stuff you listed that wasn't protein (cream of wheat and tomato soup) can be protein enriched by either preparing them with milk (if you're not lactose intolerant) or by adding an unflavored unsweetened protein powder. Remember, you are eating so little that the name of the game here is to get in as much protein as you can with what little you eat. Also, I to this day (I am 2 yrs out) eat every 3 hours or so. It helps to keep your metabolism steady and at the beginning will allow you to get in more protein and later will keep you from feeling so hungry. I HIGHLY recommend it.<p>What would I do differently? I would make a little cream of wheat with milk according to the baby recipe for breakfast. Mid-morning I would bring out that egg salad--yum! Lunch--that tuna salad sounds tempting. If I save the tomato soup (made with milk, of course) for my mid-afternoon snack, I could probably eat more tuna salad. A couple of my mainstays during the soft-foods diet were cottage and ricotta cheese. I like to mix it with a little lemon or lime juice and a packet of splenda. Also, to boost your protein intake you might consider a protein drink a day if your dr allows it. For me it helped bridge the gap during that first 6 weeks while I was on a restricted diet. My personal favorites were the premixed CarbSolutions and AdvantEdge (both available at WalMart). Good luck and hope this helps!
   — ctyst

June 2, 2003
Sounds (looks) like you've got it all together!! Just remember to take your time and don't eat too fast!! You're doing great. Keep up the good work! Hadiyah, LAP RNY 9/3/02 265/159/115-126~~
   — yourdivaness