Sunshine Princess

My first were just the other day. Grilled onions and mushrooms. Very soft and I felt like a train the way I had to chew, chew, chew. But my stomach was totally fine. Tonight I had twice steamed broccoli that was cut up, and again I chew, chew, chewed and it was also fine. But also remember to eat slowly. It'll feel fine AT FIRST if you eat quickly, but then it all settles in your stomach and YIKES. Not fine. NOT...FINE....

My husband is from NYC and made chopped cheese for his lunch and made a special one for me:
1/3 cup ground turkey seasoned with salt, zatar seasoning, and hot sauce all cooked until done and chopped into pieces in the pan
2 TBSP non fat greek yogurt
2 teaspoons of sugar free ketchup
He knows I love pickles and went the extra mile and grated in a half sour pickle spear for me.
It was delicious and filling and just everything I wanted for lunch on the soft meat stage.

Ketchup chips are so good! I grew up in Maine and had them all the time as a child.

depends. Every surgeon seems to have different stages post surgery. Stage 3 for me in a few weeks is adding veggies, dairy, and non pureed soft meats like regular chicken, all seafood like shrimp and clams etc. My stage 4 isnt until 6 months after surgery when I can reintroduce complex carbs,

My husband is from NYC and made chopped cheese for his lunch and made a special one for me:
1/3 cup ground turkey seasoned with salt, zatar seasoning, and hot sauce all cooked until done and chopped into pieces in the pan
2 TBSP non fat greek yogurt
2 teaspoons of sugar free ketchup
He knows I love pickles and went the extra mile and grated in a half sour pickle spear for me.
It was delicious and filling and just everything I wanted for lunch on the soft meat stage.

My husband is from NYC and made chopped cheese for his lunch and made a special one for me:
1/3 cup ground turkey seasoned with salt, zatar seasoning, and hot sauce all cooked until done and chopped into pieces in the pan
2 TBSP non fat greek yogurt
2 teaspoons of sugar free ketchup
He knows I love pickles and went the extra mile and grated in a half sour pickle spear for me.
It was delicious and filling and just everything I wanted for lunch on the soft meat stage.

Ketchup chips are so good! I grew up in Maine and had them all the time as a child.

This isnt ridiculous at all. Going through a surgery like this one disrupts our normal routines and things we use for comfort. I am trying to find things I enjoy-like taking longer walks while listening to my favorite music, indulging in some nicer shower products, reading a favorite book, instead of turning towards food. I also recommend a therapist to talk to. Sometimes opening up about what makes us overeat or turn to food to a therapist helps us identify the feelings/emotions behind them and how we can cope better.

I had one of those and I just thinned it with some Water which was kind of a win since I ended up getting in a little more water at a time.

My husband is from NYC and made chopped cheese for his lunch and made a special one for me:
1/3 cup ground turkey seasoned with salt, zatar seasoning, and hot sauce all cooked until done and chopped into pieces in the pan
2 TBSP non fat greek yogurt
2 teaspoons of sugar free ketchup
He knows I love pickles and went the extra mile and grated in a half sour pickle spear for me.
It was delicious and filling and just everything I wanted for lunch on the soft meat stage.

This isnt ridiculous at all. Going through a surgery like this one disrupts our normal routines and things we use for comfort. I am trying to find things I enjoy-like taking longer walks while listening to my favorite music, indulging in some nicer shower products, reading a favorite book, instead of turning towards food. I also recommend a therapist to talk to. Sometimes opening up about what makes us overeat or turn to food to a therapist helps us identify the feelings/emotions behind them and how we can cope better.

If your insurance doesn’t cover it and you have insurance through your workplace, your employer has decided to not provide the benefit. It is not the insurance company, but your plan design. Call BCBS of NC and ask if your plan has an exception program where you can see if your employer will make a one time exception to the plan and cover this.

But please, it’s not the insurance company dictating you can’t have the surgery. It’s your employer’s plan design.

I have tried it and use it occasionally. The problem with adding it to things is the temperature. YOu cannot cook well with it because it clumps above 140 degree f. Adding to a drink would be kind of weird, but possible. I have added small amounts to yogurt, but no the full amount because it would dry it up pretty badly.

For those needing Protein ideas, I recently tried Oikos Yogurt. It has 140 calories and 20g of protein. Very good source of protein. I have been having that for Breakfast along with a little oatmeal. For my protein boost if my food does not measure up for the day, I use Unjury powder. It is 100 calories and comes in a variety of flavors. I prefer the chicken broth flavor and the french onion Soup flavor. I just could not do the Protein Shakes any longer. This is working for me. If I meet my protein goal with other meal items, I skip the protein powder for the day. I try to get 80g of protein.

I HATE CELERY!!! Celery and green bell peppers are the only two vegetables I will not eat. The celery strings are called butt floss in my household. ANd for all that crunch, I expect a little bit of flavor besides Water. And green bell peppers are what bitterness tastes like.
I would love to have romaine lettuce for sandwich/taco type things but I'm not pushing it.

I had sauteed zucchini at 2-3 weeks with no issues. It was delicious. I was told to avoid celery, but I was able to eat whatever else I wanted at 3-4 weeks. I am 9 months out and I still struggle with iceberg and romaine lettuce. I haven't tried celery, but I don't like it anyway.

I agree with trying cooked carrots, I never had an issue with them when I started vegetables.

Thanks! I was thinking of steaming the green Beans until they were super soft. Same with the carrots. I just really miss my vegetables!

In a week and a half, I'll be able to introduce vegetables back into my diet which I am SUPER excited about. Does anyone have any good ideas for what vegetables to reintroduce and methods of preparation? I've been advised to avoid a lot of fibrous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower) at first and to not eat raw vegetables. I'm thinking thinly sliced cucumber, cooked zucchini, steamed green Beans would be great starters.

cooked for sure. It took awhile before my stomach could tolerate raw vegetables. Cooked zucchini should work. Or cooked carrots. Not sure about steamed green Beans - may still be too fibrous. Unless they're REALLY soft...

I did the following before my pre op officially started:
1. Found a brand of Protein Shakes i liked-my recommendation is Premier Protein. The chocolate Peanut Butter is amazing
2. Found a Water bottle that i liked and had markings as to how much i needed to drink each hour
3. Practiced sipping water instead of gulping
4. Stocked up on sugar free popsicles. Jello, Gatorade zero flavors that i like
5. Practiced chewing food

Congratulations and welcome! The best advice I can give is to be ready to get up and walk after surgery, use a heating pad for any gas pains (helped tremendously for me), and definitely find a brand of Protein shakes/powder you like. My personal favorites are the Premier Protein brand ( regular chocolate is my favorite) and the vegan OWYN brand (a little pricey but doesnt have that protein after taste).

pureed chicken Parm.
1.5 oz of canned chicken
2 TBSP fat free ricotta
2 teaspoons Tomato sauce
1 teaspoon grated parmesan
seasonings-i used a little salt and pepper, garlic powder, and basil.

Layer ingredients in a ramekin and either bake or air fry (I prefer the air fryer for the crispier parm texture) at 400 degrees for ten minutes.
Enjoy.

I've attempted to reply to this in so many ways but I'd be banned. Have the day you deserve.

I hit 10k steps twice this week. I could not hit that twice a year before surgery.