Question:
I am 19 days post-op and I can eat an order of pintos/cheese from Taco Bell..

Is this too much for this length of time. Since I am so new at this--I need reasurrance that I am not doing something wrong... Thanks    — Marcia B. (posted on September 8, 2002)

September 8, 2002
Hi Marcia, That is so funny, I am obsessed with Pintos and cheese and they settle with me well. Though I had my Lap Rny on July 17th I really have been never been able to finsh the whole thing. Just remember everyone is different. Good Luck..
   — Kristina H.

September 8, 2002
First off, what type of WLS did you have? I looked in your profile and if you mentioned it, I missed it... Did you have an entire helping of Pintos 'n Cheese?? According to the Taco Bell Nutrition guide (http://www.tacobell.com/menu/nutrition1.htm), the serving size of this is 4.5 oz, which sounds like a bit too much according to the guidelines my nutritionist laid down for the post-op people at HUP (1-2 oz). The Pintos 'n Cheese are only offering 9g protein for that 4.5 oz too, so if you cut the serving in half, you'd only be getting 4.5g of protein for each meal you maek of the 2.25 oz of P n' C. There are better protein choices out there.
   — John Rushton

September 8, 2002
Are you eating them slowly? You might be giving your pouch time to partialy empty and thats way you can eat the whole thing.
   — maryburton

September 8, 2002
why would you want to eat something so high in fat. remember why you had this surgery.....good luck
   — barbara A.

September 8, 2002
I really think people ned to keep in mind that everyone is different and everyone has a different surgeon. I am just disgusted with a few of these answers and I think some people should go by the rule "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". Here is my opinion... If you are craving the pintos and cheese, you can probably have some. Yes, they are high in fat, but they do have protien in them. Not the daily allowance... you will still have to get some more protein in there, but I don't know many other things on the "mush" diet that are chocked full of protien. I am on that diet, too. The only things I have heard about the pintos and cheese is to watch the beans. I have heard that they can give you some horrendous gas. If you are really concerned about it, however, the best thing to do would be to call your doctor and ask about it. They are going to be the onese who know you best and are going to be able to answer your questions. I wish you luck and hope you find out what you need to know!
   — sammygirlwpc

September 8, 2002
Hi there, the Pintos and Cheese only have 8 grams of fat for the whole serving. So, I don't think it is that bad. I am 5 weeks out and can still only eat about 1/2 serving at the most. Also, beans have never, ever given me gas since surgery. Just thought I'd share! Have a great week!
   — cherryindallas

September 9, 2002
Marcia, I ate them in week 2 alot....I see nothing wrong with them....Calories and fat content don't mean that much in the first 4-6 weeks b/c you are hardly eating anything. If you think about it, if you add all the food you have eaten in the past few weeks, that is still probably less than once dinner. Beans are an EXCELLENT form of protein, not to mention a great source of fiber. The fiber will aide your digestive devolpment and help you go the bathroom. Don't worry about calories now, just worry about the protein in the first 4 weeks. Good Luck! Heather (Open RNY 8/15 down 26lbs).
   — heathercross

September 9, 2002
I had to do the same thing, and when I did they tasted terrible. not like they did two weeks prior. Nothing wrong with them though. The same was true with Mashed potatos from QFC.
   — sadierussell

September 9, 2002
If you eating to get your protein requirements (vs drinking protein supplements), then you have to average 10g protein per meal if you are doing 6 meals as my surgeon and nutritionist recommend. Eating a 1/2 serving of pinto beans is only going to give you 4.5g of protein...meaning that you'd have to make it up somewhere else. I prefer to make more protein-rich choices for my meals since I am not supplement with protein drinks. 4 oz of Wendy's Chili gives me 9+g of protein at one sitting (and before someone says 4 oz is too much, remember a good portion of that is liquid).
   — John Rushton

September 9, 2002
I'm with John on this.. there are much better choices for protein out there... if you must have fast food, get a chicken whopper junior at Burger King and eat just the chicken out of it... for the most part, there are very few good choices at fast food restaurants... if things aren't fat laden, they're full of carbs... (I had a veggie burger at BK yesterday because I ran out of jerky.. and had no choice.. I ate it without the bun.. got home and was unhappy about how high the carbs were and low the protein it) .. in any case.. people get angry when others comment on the quality of what people eat.. but I do think we have to make better choices than we used to.
   — Lisa C.

September 9, 2002
Lisa, as you said, chicken is one of the best choices you can make. 2 oz of breast meat (no skin) gives you a whopping 17g of protein, no carbs and only 2g of fat and is only 92 calories.
   — John Rushton

September 10, 2002
Don't worry about the pintos and cheese. I did the SAME thing at 3 weeks out and I too could eat the whole thing bc they are like mashed potatoes. I am 41 lbs down at 7 weeks so it did not hurt me!
   — Becky F.

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