melba toast and saltines...???

 I see melba toast and saltine crackers on my meal plan during the puree stage.  But I'm feeling really torn.  They seem like such refined carbs and I'm not sure why i would want to add them back into my diet...especially not so soon after surgery.  I used to love melba toast slathered with margarine.
Am I being too perfectionistic or are my instincts good to steer clear of the refined carb stuff from the very start.  I can't understand why they are even on the meal plan...they don't actually have any nutritional value at all..do they?

I hear your reasons for wanting to avoid them. But for me there was something very satisfying about crunching down on a piece of melba toast after several weeks of liquid. I didn't slather it with margarine but it soaked the runny yolk of my poached egg up nicely.

I really enjoyed having Melba Toast at that stage. It was nice to be able to chew on something. Melba toast isn't a binge food for me so I can have 2 and be satisfied. They dont have a nutritional punch but it was a nice change from mush.

This is totally your call, but I will share with you my opinion. I had a great long discussion with Adam, the Hamilton Nut on Thursday. I talked to him about my concerns about carbs and my desire to be completely wheat and white free after surgery. He agreed with me that the info I had from the Harvard School of Public Health is correct - you don't need grains to have a healthy diet, and any grains that are consumed should be whole grains, not white refined grains (and that other white stuff like potatoes and sugar are also obviously good to avoid). I found his views refreshing and different than the nuts at TWH.

He seems to take the perspective that they teach people to eat tuna with your crackers, because it's better than eating crackers alone, but that if you can get by on just tuna without the crackers that this is even better - they just don't expect that many people will do that. (He also told me that the only reason they haven't started putting people on iron right out of surgery is that people are overwhelmed and confused by the supplements and the schedule, and that once people have a deficiency they can point to it and say, look - now you REALLY have to take it, but that ideally all menstruating women would be on it immediately out of surgery but that change comes slowly to big program like they have. They are also totally revamping their post-op eating protocol, more in line with the ASMBS standards. He was very honest, I liked him a lot). My point here is that the stuff that is put on the eating plan is meant to give people options, so as not seem draconian or completely unattainable, but not all options are equal.

Some might say that the tiny amount you are eating now won't make a difference, but it does set down a habit. If you want to stay away from simple carbs, then I simply wouldn't start them. There are others sources of crunch that you will soon be able to have like nuts and veggies. Right now, given the small amount you are able to eat, I think every calorie should be coming from protein sources. If you are feeling deprived, you can experiment with some other things, like ricotta cheese with a bit of greek yogurt and sugar free flavoured syrup for something dessert-like that still has protein.

You're doing great!

I agree with Pat and I know Erica as well is staying away from refined carbs. I practically never eat anything made of flour and sugar, when I do I feel like crap. I think your instincts to avoid them are bang on! Refined carbs are slider foods that don't even fill me up so no point in even eating them.

 Yes, I'm going to pass on them.  I don't actually miss any crunchy food at this point and by the time that I do, I will probably be able to eat raw veggies and other healthy sources of crunch.

I do think that most dieticians are mainstream and traditional in their approaches to food.  I tend to believe in alternative, holistic and naturopathic ways of relating to food (although I still used to stuff myself full of junk).  So I'm going to do my best to eat only whole foods after surgery.  I may incorporate grains at some point, but they will be ones like quinoa, teff or amareth...and in limited quantities.  But right now, I don't feel like I need or want them in my diet.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

I def once and awhile grab a 2 pack of Melba toast just to satisfy that crunch that I miss. I still find sometimes some raw hard veggies like celery and carrots hard to digest even at 3 months out.

 I really REALLY wish I had never started eating carbs like crackers or toast after surgery.  I really slid down that slippery slope of trying to see what I could get away with and soon found myself having a couple ( 5 or 6) Tostito Scoops multigrain with my chili or soups.   Then I caught myself just grabbing a few more for a quick snack etc etc etc.
I've really reined myself in now and I allow myself 2 slices of Ryvita Multigrain a day.  Very high in fibre and satisfies my need to have something to crunch on.  Sometimes I even crush 1 up into my cottage cheese and yogurt just to give them a different texture.
I really struggle with reminding myself that I had this surgery to help me obtain a better way of life.  I just wish I had taken it more seriously right from the beginning!
I wish you lots of luck with your choices.  I know it's hard, but you can dooooo eeeet! 

I agree with look_out_world.  I wish that I had never started eating grains.  Even though I stick to whole wheat (with a very occasional indulgence in a bit of white bread), it's really easy to eat too much and I find that carbs don't keep me feeling full.

Good luck with your decision!

I am 1.5 years out and can eat one raw baby carrot, any more than that and it hurts. Celery is better, as are peppers and other softer veggies.
I find I go through stages of food, sometimes having Melba toast, then not, sometimes tuna, sometimes not.
I have a boring menu for a couple weeks then switch it to another boring menu. I usually don`t get stuck on any one thing, thankfully.