Question for veteran sleevers. Food eating question.

Just wondering -- Will it  ever be possible to eat rice, and not have issues with it?  

I have heard it swells up and causes pain.  

Tonight I baked rice and chicken for dinner, and of course I just ate the chicken.  I know rice has carbs, but it would nice to be able to have just a few bites so I feel more like I am a part of the family.  I am the only one in my family who has a weight issue, and I wish I could partake in a tiny amount.  

I also know pasta is not encouraged and sometimes causes problems, but when we go back to Italy on vacation in 2013, I will most definately want to have a few bites of pasta.  Who can go to Italy and not have a few bites?    

I assume that soup cannot be considered with a meal bcos it is liquid.  Unless, soup is the only entree.  I will miss soup with dinner, even if it is a tiny amount.

If you could give me some insight on the rice issue, I would appreciate it, especially bcos I have an Asian friend coming to be with us at Christmas this year.  I know he will want rice every day.  Just wondering if it is something I can have at all?    

Thank you!  

 I tried to eat rice after about 18 months out and I got really sick. Threw up about 15 minutes after eating it and really suffered the entire time. I only ate a small amount of it. I have a really tight sleeve. I do not eat rice anymore. I haven't tried pasta. 

I can have a little rice along with other things.  It doesn't bother my stomach like some other refined carbs.  The only time I have rice is with something really protein-heavy.  I get a light portion of brown rice when I get a steak bowl from Chipotle (one of my few fast food meals), and I made some amazing homemade jambalaya with shrimp, chicken, andouille sausage, lots of veggies and a little brown rice.  It was good and I had leftovers for days and days.

I wasn't cleared for rice until 3 months out, though, and my plan calls for rice and refined carbs to be whole grain and consumed sparingly. 

It may cause pain it may not (I'm no vet) the only thing that upsets my stomach is eggs. I can eat all the crap I shouldn't it WILL stall you so be prepared for this just like before surgery if you eat pasta and rice it will either stop your weight loss or cause a gain.

I had one piece of sushi with most of the rice removed and even the little bit that stuck to it made very full and uncomfortable fast.

Since then all my sushi has been sashimi.

Ya know.....other than sushi I was never much of a big rice eater so its not important to me.  I likely won't try it again for a long time.

I know there are a few people who are able to eat rice....but my thought is that its really just a mop for the "flavor" and not really necessary if you are eating good food.

Just wanted to add about Italy.....yes they are known for pasta but there are some amazing meats, seafood, produce, etc there and you don't have to eat the pasta if you don't want to....in fact a family member who was there for about six months said they only ate pasta maybe twice a week.  It was also a very small portion compared to what is served in the USA.

I am not a veteren yet but I have had just two small bites of rice with something and have done ok, my sleeve seems to be very tolerate of different things, just not tolerant of quantity. Others seem to have a lot of trouble with things like rice, pasta and bread.  When you are cleared by your doc's plan to try these foods it's worth a shot but take it easy and one food at a time.

Rice and beans are on my doc's first month menu, and I have had no problems with it, even from that early time. The most frequent use of it for me early on was as part of the filling in a Chipotle soft taco (generally less the tortilla in the early days.) Some people do have problems with it, but there will be someone who has problems with most any food you choose to consider. The best thing to do is to follow my doc's basic advice on progression which is to test new foods one at a time for tolerance - if it works, great; if not, try again in a couple of weeks time. On the potential swelling issue, that mostly depends on how well cooked it is in the first place - well cooked (or overcooked) and soft, there is little expansion left in it as opposed to undercooked. I don't have it often, but do on occasion (usually brown rice along with some beans to complete the protein profile) and it works OK.

Likewise, pasta is not something I have very often, or in any great quantity, but do on occasion and have had no problems with it. As with rice, some will have a problem - YMMV. I haven't ordered any pasta dishes since surgery - way too much of it relative to other meal components for any sane nutritional balance (other than possibly for carb loading marathoners!)  but sometimes some is served on the side with meat dishes like chicken parmesan, so I may have a bit of it along with the chicken (or will ask to substitute additional veg for it.)

Of course the inevitable carb issue will crop up (particularly here on OH,) and that is something that you have to decide on for yourself. Whether carbs bother you or your weight loss is a personal matter - some have problems with them while others don't - but is not something that relates specifically to being sleeved.

The soup is a bit of a grey (or gray, depending upon your dialect preferences,) area - most of us seem to find that drinking virtually up to meal time is workable as the liquid passes thru quickly, so things like broths would have little impact. Unfortunately broths are a bit boring and not what we normally are considering when looking at a meal accompaniment, so there will likely be some components of the soup that will take up stomach space and not be that nutritionally dense, or the wrong nutrients (as in not protein!) The odd times that I order soup at a restaurant, I usually get it packed to go and have it as a later meal. There is nothing wrong, as you move on out in progress and have a good handle on your protein, that you can't sacrifice some of the protein component of the meal for some other elements of the meal like a little of the soup - assuming that you are getting in your required protein for the day.

i have eaten a few bites of rice and had no problems with it. I have also had a few bites of spagetti and not had any issues.  I just made sure I stayed within my carb limits. 

 
So.... a few things......

It took me about 6 months to get my head flipped around.....It's just a natural progression that takes time...... the "not feeling part of the family" thing will fade.....you and your family will get used to it and it becomes a non-issue. When you see and feel and your family sees and feels your substantial WL success everything just seems so worth it and it will become a non-issue.

Now.... my standard message is to lose the weight first.... don't let anyone or anything get in your way.

Why.... because maintenance is the time to find your tolerances and limits. If you start getting experimental gradually letting questionable foods in during WL you might have a much harder time losing the last 20-30lbs.

OK.... that was the set-up......

I have NOT found a food yet that I cannot tolerate...... Mexican, Indian, Thai, Korean, Peruvian...what ever..... I havn't figured out if this is a good thing or bad thing......

In maintenance I have upped my carbs from 40grams (WL) to 80grams a day.....this allows me some occasional Bread, Rice, Pasta, Potato...... I virtually can eat anything with limits (not moderation)

Since WLS I've traveled to about 6 Countries and have ate just about everything...... the key is to keep within the portions. None of this..... I can eat X amount of this or more of that(that's crap)......In maintenance I keep my meals to around 3oz. (volume) this way if I chose to eat rice....guess what.... I'm gonna be eating less overall food than eating just a dense protein and a little veg.

I'm actually going to Italy next month and will be eating varied foods including a little bread and pasta.

But here is the deal.... my experience may not be yours...... I don't tend to get these triggers from a few carbs. Some people claim those white carbs can cause havoc and trigger cravings and such.....If that's you....my way isn't gonna work for you......only time will tell....

frisco