Question:
After 3 weeks post-op... Is eating pizza and chicken parm allowed?
I'm 3 weeks post operation... and my fiance is concerned if I'm eating the right foods... I've had no problem with almost anything I eat... I've stopped over at subway and eaten a chicken parm. sub... and I also had 2 slices of pizza... She's concerned I'm not eating the right foods... Please get back to me on what you think... — Jeremy B. (posted on May 25, 2003)
May 24, 2003
Two slices of pizza and a sub? I would be interested to know what type of
surgery you had that allows you to eat this much at one time. Even two
slices of pizza at one time is a bit much for a rny'er especially at three
weeks out.
— Delores S.
May 24, 2003
Jeremy, I would like to first congratulate you on a successful and safe
operation. I'm happy for you that you can tolerate pizza (sometimes I wish
I could have a peice)but at three weeks I think two peices is an awful lot.
I am still having trouble with breads so I can't imagine how you can eat a
sub. Were you able to eat the entire thing? A whole sub or a half-sub? I
would definately check with the Dr. because even at 9 wks I can only eat
about 5 or 6 bites. Also remember that it is very important to try to
train yourself during this "window of oppurtunity" to make better
food choices. I know that in the first few weeks I was in such disaray
that I tried to eat anything that I could to make me feel
"normal"; although, now I've realized that I had this surgery to
help me change my lifestyle and that the surgery alone couldn't do it; I
had to take some responsibility. Anyway, I hope you don't think I'm
preaching or judging you at all because I am not, just hoping to help.
Take care and best of luck.
DeniseL PO 9wks >60lbs
— denisel
May 24, 2003
I am also concerned with you eating the right foods - and the right
quantities. I'm 10 months post-op and I can only eat one slice of pizza -
and I don't have it that often. Even this far out, I am still
concentrating on eating protein over anything else. At 3 weeks, I was on
pureed foods - I didn't progress to regular foods until 2 months. I could
not eat a chicken parm sub even now - and I don't think that I would want
to. Maybe the chicken parm inside, but the bread would simply be too much
volume and too many carbs. Didn't you have a nutritional consult prior to
the operation? Weren't you given a post-gastric-bypass diet plan? I
hope that you can get things straightened out soon as far as learning the
right food choices, because the post-op window of opportunity is not going
to last forever...JR (open RNY 07/17/02 -177 pounds)
— John Rushton
May 24, 2003
At 13 months out, I couldn't eat that much. I also still haven't tried
pizza bread or subs. I just picked off the cheese and meat on pizza. The
most I have eaten bread wise is soy pita bread ( 1/4 pice witha piece of
turkey and cheese). Somtimes I'll have a little something extra with it
like tiny salad or a few cashews. But that's about it. At 3 weeks I was
still on pureed food and got full on a few spoonfuls. Eating that much
doesn't sound right. Even if you made poor choices the surgery should stop
you from eating too much. I would call your doc and tell him what's going
on. Good Luck!!! Lisa open rny 4/26/02 -145lbs
— LisaTaz
May 24, 2003
Jermey I am wondering if you are able to eat more at 3 weeks out is because
you are a man. Talk to your surgeon's office to find out what you should
abe eating.
— barbara A.
May 24, 2003
I was on total liquids for 3 wks, then mushy foods 1 wk, then soft 1 wk. I
still can't eat 2 pieces of pizza and I'm 3 years out. A sub, I still don't
eat the bread. Not that I can't eat some,but choose to only eat the protein
first and couldn't possibly eat the bread of a sub after eating the meat
inside. Did you have RNY?
— ZZ S.
May 24, 2003
Hey Guy... were you not paying attention to the part where they gave you
examples of a healthy post op diet??? I think that you need to regroup and
start eating PROTEIN. Protein would be chicken, fish, seafood, eggs,
cheese. Go low or no on carbohydrates... this would include bread, pasta,
potatoes, and anything with sugar in it. You cant continue to eat the same
foods that got you to 400+ pounds in the first place, you need to change
the way you eat. Put your girlfriend in charge of your new diet... you are
NOT eating the right foods. ciao, Suze
— SusanMaria
May 24, 2003
Jeremy I'm sure your surgeon or nutricionist gave you instructions on
eating at three weeks i'm sure you're having to deal with HEAD HUNGER, you
have to learn PORTION control so that you don't eventually stretch your
pouch.. if you don't get enough protein you'll get sick hun... and you
don't wanna do that....You already made a comittment to the surgery... Now
MAKE A COMMITTMENT TO YOUR EATING HABBITS.
— tracy W.
May 24, 2003
Jeremy,
How committed are you to losing weight? I hate to rain on your parade but
I don't think you are eating right at all. I am 18 months post-op and I
still can't eat a 6" sub from subway. I have been to Subway one time
and I ate the meat out of the sandwich and only half of that. And I have
had the topping off one piece of pizza at a time. Even more important
though, is that is not the kind of foods you should be eating at this early
stage. WLS is a TOOL that needs to be used wisely to work. You need to
use this time to learn GOOD eating habits and throw away the old ones. At
three weeks post-op, I was eating tuna salad, canned and fresh salmon,
grilled pork chops, well-cooked vegetables, fish, chicken and eggs. I
could barely eat 6 or 8 bites at a meal. In fact, half a scrambled egg was
too much.
I didn't check to see what surgery you had, but I think you need to talk
with your surgeon or nutritionist or someone in your surgeon's office about
an appropriate post-op eating plan and try to stick with it.
Sorry if this sounded harsh but I hate to see anyone go through surgery and
blow the chance to get healthy.
— Patty_Butler
May 24, 2003
I have come to realize that not all surgery programs offer any type of
support/education, etc post-op. Mine has a built-in nutritionist,
behaviorist, and exercise specialist component. I knew my eating plan
before my surgery. Yes, I have sped up my plan some, in that I am eating
soft foods ahead of schedule, but my surgeon says they are guidelines only,
and that since I am doing fine, I can try. I focus on protein and liquids
(water, crystal lite). If your surgeon does not offer a comprehensive
program to help you, shame on him/her. Please get some help -- from a
nutritionist who is familiar with RNY, and perhaps a therapist. I suspect
you are very used to eating large quatities of not-so-healthy foods (as
were all of us). You just CAN'T do that anymore -- not if you want to
succeed. Please get help, and take care of yourself. Talk with your
surgeon about WHY you can eat so much -- you shouldn't be able to at this
stage.
Inga
RNY 4/22/03
— [Deactivated Member]
May 25, 2003
I just looked at your profile, Jeremy, and your surgeon is Dr. Philip
Schauer out of Pittsburgh. From all that I have read about Dr. Schauer, I
cannot believe that you have not been educated on a post-op diet regimen.
Did you attend the support group meetings as a pre-op? Are you going to
attend them as a post-op? If the answer is no, then you need to start
going. You also need to get in touch with Dr. Schauer's office and make
arrangements to talk to a hutritionist...JR
— John Rushton
May 25, 2003
well.. you've heard it from most of us... and since you asked.. I guess you
probably know.. you're not really eating the right stuff -- IF that's all
you're eating. You do need to make some changes in your life... but you
know what? Some people eat all the wrong things.. and they get the same
results... my guess is, its the long term that will tell. Good luck.. but
I think you need some nutritional counseling.. AND a commitment from you
that you're going to make some changes.. or you'll likely put it all back
on eventually.. its not JUST the smaller stomach that works long term.. its
what YOU put in it and how much.
— Lisa C.
May 25, 2003
Jeremey, My answer is a little different. First work on reducing the
quantites as that will really sabatoge you and then eat the meats etc from
inside the sub and the toppings off of the pizza. There is nothing wrong
with eating the toppings of a couple of slices of pizza as it will only be
2-3 ounces at the most. I would have been able to eat 1/4 of the insides
of a 1/2 sub at 3 weeks. Now on a really good day I might be able to eat
1/2 the insides but that would be pushing it. I'm 16 weeks out tomorrow.
<p>I recently found that Fazoli's chicken parmesan is one of the few
ways I can tolerate chicken breast. I order it without the pasta or
breadsticks but get extra sauce to help get it down. I realize there is
some sugar in the sauce but for me I need help getting denser foods to stay
down. So I'm picking up some carbs from the breading but the entree is
baked not fried and then some carbs from the sauce, but I tolerate it well.
It also has the cheese on top. One of these chicken breasts is two very
complete meals for me and tastes wonderful. So, in my opinion the only
thing "bad" about your choices is the extreme amount of carbs, so
dump the bread and pizza crust and cut back the quantity and the choices
are just fine. I've lived on cheese sticks since surgery and usually eat
them for a meal almost every day so having it off the top of pizza should
be fine - minus the crust of course.
— zoedogcbr
May 26, 2003
How can anyone possibly eat such bulky, dense foods at 3 weeks post op
without doing damage to the sutures inside of you??? Aren't you afraid of a
SLD or a blockage? At 3 weeks postop RNY the diet should be no more than
soft foods or even better-puree. You need to let all the surgical work
inside of you heal before you start giving your new small stomach some
digestive work to do. Please get to your dietician and/or your wls surgeon
for the proper meal plan. I can't see how a good surgeon would condone this
type of eating at 3 weeks post op.
— mary ann T.
May 26, 2003
Mary Anne, There are as many eating plans out there as surgeons. There is
NOTHING wrong with eating this dense of food at 3 weeks. My surgeon puts
us on real solid food after 1 week. He has been doing WLS for 15 years
with wonderful success. He does not suture the pouch or stoma by hand but
instead uses staples and the oversutures for extra assurance. Yes we were
very limited in the quantity we ate and had to chew it to mush but the
smart part of eating this way is that one gets very satisfied very quickly
and learns to listen to that full signal. I have seen many people post
that they are so hungry the first month or so and almost all of them have
been on liquid diets. Liquids or puree's do not stay with you and
therefore do not feel satisified. I have only 1 or 2 times been truly
starving and that's because Iwas way past a meal time.
<p>Obviously your surgeon's plan takes a diferent approach, which is
fine, but don't dump all over someone else's plan just because it is
different than yours. Starting solids early helps you learn how to deal
with them. Many people who are on liquid diets for 1-2 months have a hard
time making the transition to solids and end up using protein drinks for a
long time. Good Luck with your plan I'm sure you will do fine. I know
for me and other patients of my surgeon our plan works for us too.
— zoedogcbr
May 26, 2003
Thanks Chris D for pointing this out to me. I was always told that the few
weeks following wls was a time of healing inside. Staples or sutures, makes
no difference. Not putting any 'stress' on the new pouch, 'old' stomach and
intestines was the biggest concern. The swelling inside would be enough for
the body to deal with. But I do see your point about getting started on
dense foods quickly so that you can learn the 'full' feeling right from the
start. Geez, I learn something new here at OH everyday! :)
— mary ann T.
May 26, 2003
Mary Ann, You are absolutely right about the healing and that is why we
need to take tiny bites and chew them to the consistency of mush. My
surgeon's goal is to work on changing all our bad habits from the start -
eating too fast, too large a quantity, not listening to the full signal
etc. The funny part is I had NO problems with anything I tried for 6 weeks
and then I started throwing up at least 1 meal a day. Go figure! Dense
foods ended up becoming a problem for me later on. I could eat chicken
breast at 3-6 weeks but not from 6-13 without getting sick. I just
recently found some ways to eat it. It needs to be very very moist. If it
is too dry, no matter how well I chew it, it won't stay down.
<p>It is important to follow your particular surgeon's plan as it is
developed based on how he does the surgery and his experience with his
patients. They all have a different thinking and none of them is right or
wrong. My surgeon's post-op plan is one of the reasons I chose him. I
detest protein drinks. I could deal much better with being able to try
real food at the 2nd week. If I would have been on liquids of any kind for
1-2 months I would have gone insane. I could not even handle broth for a
week. The last day I just had jello. I could not look at another bowl of
broth. LOL
— zoedogcbr
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