One month post op and scared to eat

One month out today!! Everything seems to be going really well. I have lost 32 lbs (including my 2 week pre op diet). I should be on normal foods according to my Nut's plan but I am too freaked out to move past soft foods. I don't get it?!?! Why should I be scared? It is almost like I am afraid to bust the staple line or eat something that will cause intense pain.

Right now I am having a shake for breakfast (maybe 3 oz), snack - tsp of peanut butter (creamy), SF pops throughout the day and mushy egg salad or shake for dinner.  I use MyFitnessPal and it shows that I barely hit 500 calories some days. I am craving REAL food but not sure how to move forward or what to start with.

I wish the Nut's plan was more detailed instead of clear liquids, full liquids, soft foods and then back to normal food as tolerated?!?!!?

How can I start to add proteins (real ones, not shakes) again???

Thanks in advance for any tips!

I am scared too!  I get to move onto pureed tomorrow and I've been looking forward to this for a week now!  I am SO SICK of the protein shakes.  However, I have this fear that something will get stuck or that I'll cause a problem in my new tummy.  I guess I will get through it by taking baby steps and listening to my body.  I might even write down my reaction to each type of new food I try for awhile so I can remember what worked and what didn't.  And for those that didn't, I'll probably give them a try in a week or two.

My plan says no peanut butter by itself until later in the process so I'm thinking if you can tolerate that, you may be ok for some of the things you fear?  I am allowed to mix pb with other stuff right now.  I've only tried it once in a shake but that was preop.

Good luck!

Silly_Sweet,
  My plan just says creamy peanut butter as tolerated. It didn't mention if I wasn't supposed to eat it alone :eek:  It goes down fine though. I take small licks off of a spoon of pb. It actually feels pretty good, like real food!
  I am going to have to break out of my comfort zone and move forward. If I don't, I may be stuck in mushies forever! AHhhhhhhhhhhhhh! LOL

Another example of how every surgeon's plan is SO different.  I'm glad it is working for you!  Gives me less reason to be scared.  

I felt the same way and even prolonged my liquid and pureed stage.

Following are some food ideas to start adding protein at your stage;
1. Greek yogurt
2. Cottage cheese
3. Tuna or chicken salad
4. Broiled fish
5. Chicken (make sure it's moist)
6. Pumpkin Seeds (11 grams per oz.)
7. Sashimi sushi

Eating becomes easier with time.

We are making curry chicken tonight and I really want to try the chicken. I was going to have the broth and the potatoes only. Maybe I will try a small amount and see how it goes.  

How will I know if it isn't doing well in my tiny tummy? Will it hurt in my chest? In the stomach area? Will I get sick? LOL Wow... eat chick...? I sound like a chicken HAHA!! 

:P

Curry chicken is delicious but don't have it too spicy this soon post-op.

Soak the chicken in the sauce, take a small bite, chew it well and swallow.  You may get full after 2-4 bites because chicken is a dense protein it will fill you fast and keep you full longer.

Stop eating when you feel you're getting full. Sometimes I get the full feeling when I'm in the process of chewing and I end up discarding what I was chewing rather than swallowing. One swallow may be one swallow too many so you want to pay attention to your full feeling.

If the chicken does not agree with you you may feel a pressure in your chest and it may feel like  a rock is sitting in your stomach. You are early out so if the chicken does not agree with you today, try it again in a few weeks.

Eat slowly, chew well and enjoy the curray chicken.

George

I stayed on mushies/purees for 3 months, and even now at 2 years out, I still eat a lot of soft proteins only because I like them more and can get more protein in during one meal.

As for the soft foods I started on was chicken and tuna salad mixed with greek yogurt and a little dry ranch dressing sprinkles. I also used a crock pot to make sure meats were extremely moist and tender before consumption.

Start with only one new food in the event your body doesn't like it initially. Eating gets easier with time, and trying different things makes eating more pleasurable.

Will definitely use the crock pot for meats!! Great tip!

Why were you on mushies for so long? And I too find them very comforting... like a childs baby blanket, I have become comfortable with my mushy foods.

I had a complicated revision from band to VSG that included a leak.

I could not use shakes as I became lactose intolerant, and developed a whey protein intolerance post-VSG. So, I had to get my protein from food sources. Trying to eat solid meats I could only get in 1-2oz, so if I stuck with mushy/soft foods, I could eat 3-4oz and hit my protein goals easily with my 4 meals per day. My mushy/soft foods were a little more liberal than others and included meats(puree consistency or mixed into chicken or tuna salad), chili with and without beans,  I ate a lot of cheese chunks, nonfat plain greek yogurt was used in almost every meal to increase protein counts. I low carbed it during my losing stage so it made eating a lot easier for me to just focus on protein grams and fluid intake.