Question:
How come everyone is eating so much??
Every post I read here it seems that everyone is eating so much and so many different exotic foods! Pizza at 3 wks post op??? Sushi??? Taco Bell??? I don't get it. I'm 3 weeks post op and if I eat a teaspoon too much of cottage cheese I get so naseous. I know things affect people differently but it would seem to me that if we've all had pretty much the same surgery there should be some similarities. I don't get it...I mean the way I feel sometimes I can't imagine myself ever being able to eat normally again. Did any of you feel that way in the beginning??? I don't get it. Makes me think I have no stomach left AT ALL!! — Wunderama (posted on May 12, 2001)
May 12, 2001
Michelle,
Everyone is different but there are also different surgeries. Mine was the
R-N-Y Duodenal Switch one. THree weeks post op I couldn't eat a lot and
certainly not a lot of variety. Now at 4 months post-op I can eat pizza
(not more than a slice) and pasta, which I used to love I cannot eat very
much of. I can tolerate some veggies, which I couldn't at first, and I can
eat some fruit, and of course cheese, chicken, beef, shrimp, salmon, etc.
Don't be discouraged....it's all temporary. What I used to do was watch
the food channel (Food TV on cable or satellite dish).It helped remind me I
was human and what I could look forward to eating in future. Hang in
there.
— Claudia S.
May 12, 2001
I was on clear liquids, no solids at all at your stage. We're encouraged
to eat several 1 oz meals to maintain the tiny pouch size til goal wt and
then only to stretch slowly. At nearly 7 yrs, I can eat most of a taco
from TB. But not every time. Some days, I just eat the end off it. Some
days I can eat the whole thing. Depends on what size pouch you started
with. If my pouch was still at near-surgery day size the day I reached
goal wt, I doubt that I ever can eat a very large portion again. And
that's OK, because I can eat another tiny portion again in 2 hours (if I
want) and I will be fine, fine, fine. However, I generally leap frog, and
have a protein, then a meal, then a protein, etc. So, I am never hungry
and eat because it is time or because someone has handed it to me. It has
worked out to be way cooler than I ever thought it would be!
— vitalady
May 12, 2001
Michelle, it is still a mystery to me as well. I'm 9 months post-op, down
94 pounds, and today I had to lay down for an hour because one eensy little
packet of instant oatmeal didn't set well with me. And I used to eat three
of those packets at a time. And I don't dump or get nauseous - never even
felt like I had WLS! Or so I thunk...
— Allie B.
May 13, 2001
I remember being ammazed that 1 or 2 oz of food could fill me up
immediately post op. There were times that I couldn't even eat that much.
As time goes by and the swelling in your stomach goes down (remember it's
been through a MAJOR trama) you are able to eat more. It doesn't happen
overnight but it will happen. As far as people eating regular food at 3
weeks - my guess is that they are not following their doctor's orders. MOST
doctors recomend a liquid or soft diet for 4-8 weeks. Mine said I could
have anything that could go through a straw for 6 weeks. Before surgery I
wondered how I was ever going to manage for SIX WEEKS without eating real
food, but I did it. You also don't jump into a "normal" diet
right away either. You will need to introduce new foods slowly and see what
you can and can't tolerate. Everyone is different on this, what works for
me may not work for you or anyone else. Keep following your doctors advise
and take things slowly. You will be just fine. (Buy the way - I can eat one
small slice of thin crust pizza and most of a taco so you can eat normally,
just in smaller amounts that you did before!)
— georgiacarol
May 13, 2001
I don't have a clue. I guess everyone is different. I am 1 year post op I
can eat a cup of something if it has a lot of liquid , like soup or
chili(maybe)or salad. But I won't be eating anything else with it! post op
, I ate in tablespoons a taco would have been the last thing on my mind!(or
stomach) I don't have an answer for you , I am bewildered also. Of course I
don't eat anything with sugar beyond a bite of something every once in a
while, 3 or 4 months. Why should I tempt the hand of fate?
— Rose A.
May 13, 2001
Michelle...you sound like I did at 3 weeks....my first 6 weeks were the
weeks from hell...Hang in there things get a lot better as you go along...I
am now 4 months postop and I feel a lot better about things now....eat only
what you can at this point..don't worry about how little. You are still
healing and look at it that way, feed your body to heal right now. At 4
months you will be a lot more comfortable with the amount you are
eating...and it will be more....just take it a day at a time and things
will get better...(LAP RNY 1/16/01 62lbs Down)
— Debora H.
May 13, 2001
I was on liquids for 8 weeks then slowly slipped into regular foods after
that.. So, I agree with you I have no idea why some are eating like that
at 2-3 weeks post-op just differences in their surgeons protocol and their
belief or the surgery type they had.. My 8 weeks of liquid diet did two
things one was..it gave my new anatomy time to heal proper and two..
gave me a jump start on the weightloss :-)
— Victoria B.
May 13, 2001
It is true that different surgeons have different protocols. I was sent
home at 4 days post op on soft foods. My diet includes a variety of things
including moist meats, noodles, breads, as well as the expected soups,
cottage cheese, jello, etc. I have been eating many different things
without any nausea. Meats don't hold much appeal to me right now (all that
chewing....) but I've tried chicken, turkey, meatloaf, and chicken and
tuna salad. We are told to eat no more than 4 oz in a meal and I can
sometimes eat that depending on what I am eating. Although I do tend to
eat alot of really soft stuff like cottage cheese, yogurt, soup, crackers,
CIB, cheese - it's mostly because that is what sounds good to me right
now. I've had no nausea or vomiting at all and in fact feel pretty good.
I've lost 22 lbs in 4 wks which I know is not on the high end but then
again my starting weight was only 265 so I can't expect to lose as quickly
as others who start out higher. So no, not everyone is limited to liquids
and a few tbsp of food for weeks at a time.
— Karen F.
May 14, 2001
You have to remember not everyone has the RNY. The DS is becoming very
popular and you are left with a stomach that can hold 3 to 5 ounces of food
as opposed to the RNY where you have a little pouch that can hold only 1 to
2 ounces of food in the beginning. Also with the DS there is no dumping
and the pyloric valve is left in place so the stomach still functions as a
normal stomach and can tolerate more than a liquid diet. You also don't
have to chew everything up to a liquid consistency and you can drink with
your meals. I ate just about anything I wanted at 3 weeks post-op in small
quantities. I am now 7 weeks post-op and down 56 lbs.
— Tracy P.
May 14, 2001
I had a lap DS and I wasn't able to eat much of anything until I was 5
weeks post-op. Something that I could tolerate one day would disagree with
me the next. It was frustrating! Then, suddenly, my hyper-sensitivity to
food odors went away, and things started to taste good again. Now, I'm able
to eat pretty much any type of food, but in very small quantities.
— Shannon M.
May 29, 2001
I know exactly how you feel. I am 4 months post RNY and I still can only
eat 3-4 bites. It's only been in the last week or so that I don't throw up
after every meal. I still can't tolerate spicy foods. I just keep trying
different things and some work and some don't. So far, I've lost 105
lbs.!! Good luck and don't worry, just take it slow and you will have
fantastic results. Remember to listen to your stomach and not to your head
hunger.
— Carol B.
June 7, 2001
I'm three weeks post-op, and I can eat about 1/2 cup of well chewed food.
I've found that I can tolerate most foods (except anything very sugary or
fatty) so long as I make the pains to make it about the consistency of
Cream of Wheat and eat it quite slowly. I've been known to put a whole Lean
Cuisine dinner into the food processor to save time. (I cannot eat the
entire thing!) When I am full, I toss out the extra. At first I tried to
chew and eat like a "normal" person, and I felt sick each time.
If I chew well and eat slowly, I can fit the half cup and enjoy the food
without feeling sick.
— Peter S.
August 2, 2001
I feel like you, I can not hold very much at all. I am 8 weeks post-op and
can only eat maybe 3-4 oz at a meal and if I eat to much I have to burp it
up until I feel I'm at a comfortable amount. I have never actually thrown
up like projectile from my stomach, but when I've over eaten I get this
burping that has to be spit out. It's nasty. I have not tried to many
different foods. I have found that Ketchup and BBQ sauce make me sick. I
have basicly stuck to the diet plan my doctor put me on. Good luck.
— Regina J.
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