Question:
I AM 10 DAYS POST OP, MY DAOCTOR HAS TOLD ME TO START ON PUREED AND SOFT FOODS.

I THOUGHT NO PROBLEM I WILL EAT BABY FOOD ---YUK. I AM SO AFRAID I AM GOING TO SCREW THIS UP. I AM STILL DRINKING ALL MY LIQUIDS AND I HAVE NOT FOUND MYSELD HUNGRY. I THOUGHT YOU ARE NOT SUPPSED TO EAT IF YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY. HELP.---NOT SURE IF I SHOULD JUST KEEP DRINKING AND PLAY BE EAR ==OR WHAT    — Dena W. (posted on July 10, 2003)

July 9, 2003
Eat! You will not feel hungry now but you need to start eating so your digestive system will function normally. I started soft foods day 12 but now my surgeon is starting them much sooner. Try some tuna salad or scrambled eggs. If you have eggs, make sure they are very moist. And you don't have to eat but a couple of bites - very tiny bites at first. Cream of Wheat of thin oatmeal is also good. Give it a try - and remember even if it is soft or pureed, chew.
   — Patty_Butler

July 9, 2003
You definitely need to eat!! If you don't your body could go into starvation mode and slow your metabolism to accomodate itself (slower weight loss). In addition you need protein.
   — M B.

July 10, 2003
Hi, my nutritionist said not to use baby food... not really enough protein compared to the oither things in it. She suggested tuna with lo or no fat mayo, canned chicken, and said we are to puree it to the consistency of baby food...
   — Tim W.

July 10, 2003
You won't "feel" hungry for probably six months. You definitely need to eat. My nutritionist doesn't have us eat baby food - just any food we normally would eat, but purree it. Just pop it into one of those mini food processors or something. She said things like casseroles were good that way (I was thinking Lasagna!) Of course you don't want to make bad choices like bacon and eggs (bacon is too fatty) but choose high-protein, healthy foods and just blend the heck out of them. Some people will prepare a "batch" of blended stuff and freeze it into ice cube trays, which are about an ounce each, pop the cubes into baggies once they are hardened and label it, and then just microwave the right portion when they're hungry. Here's a list of foods and their protein value to give you some ideas. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/9847/protein.html
   — bethybb

July 10, 2003
Baby food isn't even that great for babies; it's just a "convenience". First off - it is costly compared to buying the raw foods yourself; second, it is half water. It also contains preservatives and it doesn't taste that great! If you want pureed foods, (i.e. green beans, chicken, beans) cook it up yourself, toss it into a blender and pulverize. Fill up an ice cube tray with the stuff you just made, and stick it into the freezer. Take out "cubes" when you need them, and nuke em. A couple of filled trays and you've just made yourself enough food for a week!
   — Karen R.

July 10, 2003
Take a gander at my profile... it might help your diet choices some! :~) And make food a bit more paletable!
   — Sharon M. B.

July 10, 2003
I have been on puree for a week and these are the things I've eaten. I've been popping them in a little mini chopper to make sure that the pieces are smaller than the stoma. That's all the surgeon I have is looking for. She said it doesn't have to be baby food consistency but small enough that if I eat too fast or don't chew enough that it won't get stuck and also puree allows us to get a little more food in while our stomachs are swollen. So here's a sampling of what I had... Chicken tortilla soup salsa lasagne taco (no shell) chicken with salsa and cheese roast chicken and mashed potatoes hummus with tomatoes and cukes (I just cut these into tiny cubes) peanut butter with bananas string cheese shrimp with chinese veggies egg roll (just the inside) black bean soup (great protein source) and so on. I usually have what my family is having just a tiny tiny bit run through the chopper
   — Amy S.