Question:
can anyone give me any ideas on what they can eat at 12 weeks post-op?

   — Melodee S. (posted on April 20, 2003)

April 20, 2003
I will be 12 weeks post-op on Tuesday and I can eat anything. I mostly eat protein and a few veggies or salad. No room for fruit and I try to minimize the carbs. I choose not to eat breads, potatoes, or rice yet. When I do I hope to stay away from white starches for life. I have been blessed to have no problem foods so far. Best wishes.
   — Kim A.

April 20, 2003
I HATED this answer when I was just weeks post op. But you should be eating what your doctor says to eat. Every doctor and every WLS person is different. It just makes sense that since our tummies are healing the first serveral weeks, that we go slow and easy. I was on clear liquids for two weeks, then moved to full liquids, then to pureed foods, and then to soft foods. I now eat whatever I want (protein first) in extremely small portions. I have no taste for breads or things heavy like pasta, rice or PIZZA. Gosh, I LUSTED for pizza those first couple of weeks post op. LUSTED!!!!!! (Open RNY 10/30/02 down 132lbs)
   — Ginger M.

April 21, 2003
I will be 12 weeks on Friday and mostly eat anything that I can get to even remotely sound good at the time! I would say that 99% of my meals are protein (fish, chicken, beef, pork, eggs, cheese, veggie burgers, turkey, nuts, etc) but if something really sounds good to me I'll deviate from my normal routine. Like last night, I had BBQ ribs for dinner but we also had a big pan of cheesy potatoes, so I had three small bites (probably about a teaspoon). Last week I had about 3/4 of a piece of thin crust supreme(freezer) pizza...although I regretted it. I do also crave green veggies...fresh spinach, broccoli, asparagus, edamame (soy beans), and weed salads...and don't deny myself any of these when the mood stikes. I, fortunately, have dupming issues so have not ventured into fruits much other than one strawberry, 1 small (1/4") apple wedge, diced with peel, and a few (3) mandarin oranges...all on salads. I also carry hot & spicy beef sticks and nuts in the car in case my outings are longer than expected. Oh, and I almost forgot, I drink two (and sometimes three) protien drinks a day. Hope that helps!
   — eaamc

April 21, 2003
If I can remember back to 12 weeks, I think by then I was eating almost everything, but of course in small amounts and still chewing fairly well. Protein always comes first. At 14 months post-op, I eat similar things to what I had at 12 weeks, just larger amounts. For example, at 12 weeks I was having 1 scrambled egg with melted cheese for breakfast (today I have 1 1/2 eggs with cheese and chili on top). Lunch was 1/2 a meat sandwich on whole grain with the top slice of bread removed (today its the whole 1/2 sandwich with both top and bottom bread and a handful of WOW chips) or a few ounces of grilled meat over salad. Dinner is a few ounces of grilled fish, chicken, turkey, ground beef in tomato sauce, with steamed veggies at 12 weeks (today I can include a few bites of rice, potato, or have steak). Add 1 protein shake a day at 12 weeks (I often do 1 protein bar a day at 14 months too) and a snack or two of fresh fruit, popcorn, SF ice cream or SF candy and your all set. If you haven't forayed too much into regular sugar foods and can do without, I advise it. At 14 months, I have built into my daily diet treats that have sugar in them, like mini bite size cookies, but honestly should do without the extra calories.
   — Cindy R.