Question:
I posted a question about restaurant menus
and someone said to avoid potatoes and pasta. I would like to know why potatoes and pasta should be avoided in a post-op diet. — kathleen-Joan piper (posted on March 5, 2003)
March 4, 2003
Potatoes, pasta and other foods high in carbs could hinder your loss. If
you had an RNY the carbs MAY cause dumping.
I personally don't believe though that you should have to consider anything
a permanent no no. But then again I chose the BPD so I would not be
completely unable to eat certain foods. Once you have healed and learned
what your body will and won't tolerate post op, and so long as you are
getting your protein first, it is most certainly up to you to eat whatever
you deem as yummy. Just my two bits.. best of luck!
— Joscelin
March 4, 2003
Right after my open RNY on 8/9/02, all I ate was instant mash potatoes
because I couldn't puree my food, it was disgusting. Today, I'm almost 7
months post-op, I don't eat potatoes at all, because I can't stand them.
Pasta, it's a little different, I can eat very little. Like a little
microwaveable raviolli, and that's it. Pasta & Potatoes are definitly
carbs & sugars, but they are also fillers, so if you eat them, you
won't get a lot of protein in. Protein, veggies, then carbs. That's how I
eat. I've lost 120 pounds. Thanks!
— [Deactivated Member]
March 4, 2003
A man in my nutritional consult decided against the surgery when they told
him that post op pasta was a no no.
Early post op I ate mashed potatoes relatively often when I was on a puree
diet(real ones that I made myself) and they also helped me to transition to
meat. Ground meat mixed with some potato and mashed squash was an early
meal around 3-4 weeks. Since then I've dropped the mashed potatoes but
have a baked potato (or a small portion of one) about once a week. Baked
potatoes without butter or sour cream are lower on the glycemic index than
pasta or rice. I have no desire for pasta or rice and would probably avoid
them even if I did. At 8 weeks I find my tastes changing and it is easier
to concentrate on just protein. You probably won't want a lot of pasta or
potatoes as a postop.
— susanje
March 4, 2003
I think the last poster is right, post-op you may not even want those
things. I am Italian and rightfully so, used to eat tons of pasta. I would
eat it daily, sometimes for two of my meals! And, potatoes, well they were
my second love. Most days I would go without eating a single meat, just all
pasta or potatoes. Having said that, now that I'm post-op they really
aren't that good anymore. I have tried pasta, as well as potatoes, but
don't really care for them now. The pasta just left me with that blah
feeling and potatoes, well, I will eat some of a baked potato or mashed but
fries just sound revolting to me now. I would rather have some chicken!
That just seems soo funny to say since I could care less about eating
anything but those two items before. Everything changes it is just soo
strange.
— Dee ,.
March 5, 2003
Potatoes, pasta, rice, & white bread will hinder your weight loss.
Another thing to think about is that all of these things, especially pasta
and rice swell in the stomach. I am almost 5 months out and still cant eat
pasta and rice. They feel awful in my pouch. Bread feels a bit yucky also
and potatoes I can do but only an rare occasion b/c I tend to eat more of
that than meat. If I eat them, usually I peel and slice spray with Pam and
lots of spices and bake in the oven...regular baked potatoes need
(IMHO)lots of butter and sour cream so I choose not to go there.
— cherokey55
March 5, 2003
I am currently 7 weeks out from Lap-distal-RNY (-72lbs!). I haven't had
rice or pasta since surgery and probably won't even try them until I get
closer to goal because they fill up the pouch, from what I hear, and I
already have a hard time getting in enough protein. In the first few weeks
after surgery, when I was on primarily pureed foods, I would have a little
bit of instant mashed potatoes, but I mean I had maybe 3-4 tablespoons for
a meal. It went down SINFULLY good and I knew once I got to my regular
post-op diet, I couldn't have them again, or I'd have ALL potatoes and no
protein (as I did pre-op many times). Good luck to you!!
— thumpiez
March 5, 2003
Carbs, carbs, carbs! While they're ok in moderation further along post-op,
they will slow you down while you're in the fast-losing mode. Plus, when I
was newly post-op (and several months afterwards), breads and pastas felt
like I ate a rock which hurt all the way down.
— Jennifer A.
March 5, 2003
Yup i agree with the previous posters. There are two other things that I
would like to add. Carbs take up a lot of room not allowing you to get the
protein that you NEED. Also you can easily over fill your pouch with carbs
and start using you esophegus (sp?) as an extra reservoir because they do
not hurt like meat would if you did the same thing. I know that is yucky
but that is what the doctor told me. They could also leave you with more
hunger and carb cravings whereas protein keeps you full and satisfied for a
goog long time.
— Carol S.
March 5, 2003
Carbs sure provoke strong opinions in lots of people! Personally, I'm more
in favor of moderation. I avoided pasta, rice, and bread for the first
several months because so many people reported that they swelled and either
took up too much room or made them sick. Now, at 9 months out, I eat
everything. However, I keep the portions pretty small and if I run out of
room, it will be the carb that's left on my plate. I also try to use
whole-grain versions: the whole-wheat blend pastas aren't bad, and we
usually use brown rice and get whole wheat breads at home. In a restaurant
I'll usually--though not always--order a meat dish instead of pasta. If I
*really* want a pasta dish out I'll have it, but eat more of the protein
toppings (say, in a chicken/broccoli/ziti dish) and leave most of the
pasta. I'm sure my carb intake is higher than that of a lot of people
here, but it seems to work for me. The other point, which only *you* can
decide, is that some people seem to find that eating carbs causes cravings
for more, and that it's much easier to manage their diet if they avoid all
"white" carbs. You'll need to do some really honest
self-analysis to decide whether you're in this category.
— Celia A.
March 5, 2003
I'm pre-op but mashed potatoes are listed on my pureed food diet. My
nutritionist even said the flavored instant ones would be fine to use. I
realize I'll only have 1/4 cup so a packet will go a long way! I really
feel caught in the middle, I'll have surgery when means I need high protein
diet yet I have another medical condition in which I need a high
fiber/grain diet...so for me I'm going to chose balance and most likely eat
a lot of peanut butter and beans...because they are the only things I have
found so far that are high in both. Seriously though, I'm to listen to my
body and to my nutritionist and go from there.
— Sarahlicious
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