Wondering mind wants to know....

Hey everyone I have some questions... I love to eat authentic Mexican food.. So I was wondering.. How soon can we usually eat tortillas and my other favorite is popcorn...

Can and should are two different answers... 

Mexican is my favorite food and I was eating fajita shrimp and soft grilled onions pretty darn early - probably 4 weeks.

I also eat popcorn -- probably not until 5 months out and sparingly.

The first year is your honeymoon period and you should take every advantage of it and stay away from carbs as best you can. Why? Carbs make you hungry and get in the way of the protein that you need.

Whatever you try...try it slowly! You never know how picky your pouch will be.

How soon people can eat them really varies.  Some have trouble with bread and bread-like things for a very long time (or forever).  Others can eat them very early on. 

When does your surgeon recommend adding things like that?

It's been a little over 10 months since my surgery. I can most stuff, but I cant eat bread or really anything bready or made from flour. And I don't eat corn so unsure about corn tortillas. 

I am Hispanic, so Mexican food is just something we don't live without.  I started adding these foods back in around 1 month out, but I don't eat tortillas yet. Right now I am almost 3 months out. I eat enchiladas, but I use cabbage instead of tortillas for mine. For tacos, I use lettuce as the shell instead of a fried corn tortilla.  I make sure I cook my beans to be fat free, and I use lean meats and lowfat cheeses. I eat the spicy stuff fine, so you'll have to determine what you can tolerate.  Once your surgeon and nutritionist say it's okay to eat these foods again, I would explore ways to eat your favorites in a healthier way. 

For popcorn, I think my NUT said 6 months. I'd have to check my notes. In any case I haven't eaten any at this point.

Jenn, I may try using cabbage when making healthy enchiladas in a few months once I am cleared to. Great idea! I am having an RNY on September 10, so it will be awhile, lol. No worries. I am just planning nutritious, tasty meals for the future. I have been a carb monger for years, and I may be one of those people who should avoid even low carb tortillas in my plan. I can accept that, but I am looking for tasty, healthy substitutes.

Very infrequently I use a low carb tortilla.  About once a week or even less often than that, I've had a taco meat or made a wrap with turkey and cheese or made a personal pizza using that product.

Popcorn.  I eat a serving of the skinny pop once a day but I didn't start to do so until I was 6 months out.

Its a cultural thing as I'm latina, so it started on the puree phase about two weeks out.  I make my own everything - so I made a pot of beans and from that made some mexican chili, and lean refried beans for bean and cheese and with huevos rancheros in the morning.  I eat a lot of traditional south texas staples and use mexican spices in my cooking, but I haven't had tortillas.  At 10 weeks out I'm honestly focused on protein, and starting to add veggie carbs, so they aren't part of my personal plan (whole wheat/grain are on my nut plan at this stage). 

I miss them (in theory?), but also kinda don't.  I'm eating so little at this point, I don't have the room.

I eat Mexican food all the time and have been since just a couple of weeks post-op. Refried beans and cheese are wonderfully high in protein, and you can add salsa (and a small amount of plain Greek yogurt in lieu of sour cream) as well.

I just eat it without the tortilla (with a fork), and I don't miss the carbs and calories from the tortilla one bit!

Popcorn, as long as it isn't coated with butter -- or, even worse, the artificial butter flavored grease from the theater or the theater style microwave packages -- is a decent snack.  Yes, it has carbs, but it also has fiber.

Lora

My nut and surgeon both told me I should never eat any corn product again.  I think this is why the only food I covet is a corn tortilla.  I got a grilled chicken taco last week end and threw away the tortilla!  I did enjoy the fillings but boy I wanted that tortilla.  I've made a deal with myself to go one year on my doctor's plan and then test the waters to see how tortillas and popcorn work for me and IF I can control them or if I better just leave them alone.