Would like some suggestions

Hi all,

It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted.  My weight loss is great.  I'm 40 lbs. down from my highest weight.  I am on the treshold of 6 weeks and I am just a bit antsy about getting something great to eat.  I think I am pushing too hard to eat solid foods.  Today was not a good day of eating. 

I tried a grilled cheese on a slice of wheat bread w/ ham and low fat Swiss, making sure to make the bread nice and toasted.  I ate only 4 or 5 bites of it leaving about half and didn't feel that I had overeaten, but after about a half hour I felt the over full feeling and then threw up.

I do know that bread expands quite a bit in the stomach so though I thought I stopped at the right time, I may have not estimated correctly. 

I then tried to eat what seemed to be tender chicken breast for dinner and I threw up again.  I don't know am I just eating too fast?  I don't have a stricture or anything.  Smoother things go down all right.  Did I try to go too far ahead too fast?  I tried 2 chicken wings on Friday night and all was well when eating them.

I really am tried of the soft and also ODing on yogurt and protein shakes to make up my protein needs.  I am also still finding that smells are a continued challenge.  I used to love the smell of garlic before the surgery and I am having problems dealing w/ strong garlic smells.  I am truly hoping that this will subside in time.

Please all, tell me of tasty things that are easy to make at this stage?  I am a little off eggs too (because I use egg protein powder and have thrown up scrambled, but will try to see if I can eat no crust quiche (a little high on the fat but it is smooth to digest). I do well w/ some soups from Hale and Hearty and they are a saving grace, but I need more variety.  I am also hoping  that I can try some salad greens this upcoming week and figure out some soft proteins to put in it.

I am also at a disadvantage because I am allergic to soy so I can't even try meat subs made of soy.  Things are looking so limited.  I will not lie I am missing the variety I was able to eat pre-op.  I usually ate too large a portion size, but I did have a healthy variety of foods that I ate and liked my veggies.....I hope someone has some good suggestions for me.

NYCVSG

Height: 5’ 11” (180 cm) HW: 359; SW: 350.4; CW: 319.4: GW: 200 for now (forgot what my Doctor's GW for me is.  I think he had more of a goal BMI of about 30 or a little below. Starting BMI was 50)

Hi,

congrats on the weight loss, that's awesome.  I was just sleeved last week and am on clear liquids and empathize with you on how boring the clear and full liquid diets are, that being said the diets are for your body to heal your body, not your senses.  At 6 weeks I think you may be pushing it, grilled cheese sounds good but I don't know how realistic you are being about what you can eat.  My Dr. Told me no pasta, bread, basically starch of any kind ever, and if I do in a small amount it should be when I am in maintenance. I would call your dietician and ask for recipes you can eat on a soft diet or full liquid, or look on line for high protein low fat, your stomach is still really tender.  Also raw vegetables are really hard to break down in your stomach, I would wait on the salad for a while.  Maybe I am delusional , but I don't think food is ever going to be as good, as rich, as fattening as it was before, I think it will be different and satisfying.  I hope and wish you much success, head hunger is really annoying, but in think it is a part of the journey that we constantly have to work on!

Smiles:),

Lisa

Hi Lisa,

On my surgeon's plan, you can add a slice of wheat bread at six weeks.  I pushed it by a few days, but not overly soon.  I may not be up to that point yet though as you said.  I do have to get in touch with the dietician, but just checking for help till I can get to her.  Good luck in your journey as well.  Welcome to the other side!

First, a disclaimer, this may seem a bit harsh. This early out bread and salad greens should not be on your menu. It is way to early. As you transition off of soft foods into regular foods, take it slow. Try only one thing at a time and make sure it is moist. You can try deli ham roll-ups. Stuff a small stick of cheese on the ham, roll it up & grill in a pan. Baked ricotta is also yummy. I got those ideas from http://www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ her recipes are amazing. You can use moist cooking methods for chicken right now. Fish might also be a good option. Oh, the baked ricotta, I add some lean ground beef to the sauce now.

I know the same things get boring, but you are still healing, and will be for a few more months. You will have plenty of time to try new things. But for now, be careful and go slow.

Hey Linda,

As I explained to Lisa, it is on my plan to add bread in week six.  I am officially week six on Tuesday.  I do agree that I may have to slow down.  I just am lamenting the loss of food a bit I guess.....We'll see what I can find on eggface's site....I hope that I can look back at this time and have it just be a distant memory.

Best,

NYCVSG

This stage you are in right now is not the easiest for some. I understand that you are mourning your perceived loss of food, but I can assure you that you will be able to eat whatever you want very soon - all too soon, frankly! LOL! (You'll know exactly what I mean in a year or so!) Eventually there will be nothing you can't eat. Just consider this a little vacation from some old favorites while you get your health in order.

Right now it's time to be very gentle with your tummy. Yes, I think you're pushing it. There is no reason not to have a variety of flavors, even if you have a limited repertoire of foods. Use spices to add flavor. I added all sorts of spices to Greek yogurt to make smears and dips. I added fresh herbs to my ricotta bakes.

I really enjoyed fish at the stage you in now. Fish was easy to eat, digest and it sat nicely in my stomach. I could eat a little bit of deli turkey and deli sliced ham, soft cheeses, and some very soft vegetables.

Linda mentioned the world according to eggface. It is a wonderful resource. Use it. It will help.

I know it is hard to get through the soft food stage. I still do not eat bread after 5 years. And i LOVE good bread. I just can not hold it down. Try good meatballs-

I can not tolerate the usual milky choc, vanilla, strawberry flavors  anymore. There are other GOOD options if you Google. I like Syntrax but everything depend on YOU and YOUR tastes.

Everybody has different tolerances.  Listen to your body. I still do stupid stuff and get the foamies but now is few and far between.

I ate a lot of seafood when I started soft foods.  It went down easily and agreed with my tummy. 

I would eat sea scallops.  They are expensive, but when you can only eat an ounce or two, its affordable and enjoyable.  I also like salmon, and I've been making tilapia with capers and lemon sauce.

Chicken also works for me, and there are so many recipes out there to add variety.  This week I tried a greek chicken dish that had tomatoes, feta cheese and kalamata olives.  I make a chicken tika masala that was also a nice change.  A few weeks ago I tried a parmesan crusted chicken dish that was like breaded chicken without the carbs.  yum.  I also like chicken lazone - but it has garlic which might not suit you.

I've done a lot of nice things with veggies, as well.  Mashed cauliflower,  pan fried cabbage, roasted veggies of many types. 

Its interesting that now that my food choices are more limited, I'm eating better than ever, and I have more variety rather than less.  It takes some effort, but it is so worth it.

Good luck with your weight loss journey.  It gets easier every day.

best wishes,

Carol

Carol

I agree on the fish suggestion- shrimp, crab meat- even tuna or salmon with light mayo.Early on I used refried beans and guacamole- a big treat.  I could also have carbs but limit them as a matter of choice. I don't have room.  I sometimes have a small piece of 7 grain bread ( 45 calories) with an egg for breakfast. I only eat part of it.

My main issue even now can be eating that one spoonful too much. Whatever you think you can eat - eat a little less. You will feel better for that.

Good luck.

I think perhaps this is your body's way of telling you to hold off moving to the next food stage for a bit.  I do understand about exploring your boundaries - I did it too for a couple of months, but never once did I even get close to throwing up.

About the throwing up - if you did it when you ate grilled cheese, your poor healing stomach has to be inflamed.  Then you added insult to injury by trying chicken the same day?  Ouch!  

For 7 years with the lap band I had to deal with throwing up.  Lots of people did, and when they did, they stuck to liquids and protein shakes for a couple of days afterwards in order to give their tummy a chance to recoup.  

So, my recommendation, take it or leave it, is to stick with the phase you're on for another week, then give it a go again.  In addition, make sure that you're chewing every bite into a paste before you ever swallow.  Measure your food and eat no more than that.  And talk to your surgeon and/or nutritionist about the vomiting - that would concern me.

It's all about learning, and you're doing great so far!  Just by posting your experience you'll be helping countless others that might be experiencing the same issues!