hi all,

im just wondering when everyone was able to tolerate meats. im almost 8 weeks out and i tried some meat yesterday and it got me sick. it was pretty tender and i chewed it to death. i have had ground meat, but im wondering about steak, eating a burger that kind of thing. also when could you tolerate fruits

3 months out for raw fruits and veggies. I burped up pickle skin several hours after eating a pickle so that was pretty gross. I peeled all the fruit I ate, and didn't eat anything stringy like celery until well past 6 months out.

As for meats, I could not eat dense Protein until I was well past 2-3 months. I stayed on soft foods for a long time because it was easier to get in my protein with things like chicken and tuna salad. 3 bites of steak just wasn't cutting it. By 6 months, I could literally eat anything, and meats worked much better. I never eat burgers, the bread fills me up, if I want to "experience" the burger thing, I order sliders, peel off the top bun, and I can eat 1 to 1.5 sliders before becoming stuffed. I eat steak weekly, ribs, and chicken all work well.

I'm 5 weeks out, and I seem to pretty much be able to eat any meat/fish, as long as the portions are small. I don't eat raw veggies yet. I was told I could at 6 weeks.

I have done chicken, turkey, & fish since post op day 20 but I have been scared with red meat. I have tried a few tiny bites of steak and it has just not felt right. I am 6 weeks out tomorrow and I have done lettuce and spinach just no other raw veggies yet...

I didn't eat any meat until 30 days out. For a while it was really hard to eat more than a bite or two of even soft things like tuna or chicken salad.

I'm almost six weeks out , and now I can eat just about any meat. But like Tiffy said, it's better for me to stick to soft chicken, tuna and salmon right now. I can only eat 1.5-2 oz. of something like steak or ground meat, but I can get in 3-4 oz. of tuna or soft fish. Right now I need the Protein enough that I find myself steering clear of beef entirely (other than a bite or two) because I just can't eat as much of it as I need to eat.

My doc also said the same thing about fruits and veggies - and definitely avoid celery for a while. I was told that fibrous veggies and fruit peels can get lodged in the staple line and cause problems.

I'd say if you really want to eat some burger, skip the bun and try a few bites of the patty with some sauce or cheese to help it go down a little better. Eat it and get it off your mind, if that will help. But I bet you won't be able to eat nearly as much of that ground beef as you'd eat of some tuna or chicken, which is the trade off.

Good luck.

~Cheri

Why can I eat so much dense protein? Other people talk about being able to get 2 oz in, or a couple of bites, and I'm fine with a full 4 oz. Is something wrong with me? Now after that 4 oz I am definitely done, but what's the deal? I also can't seem to eat slow (taking 1/2 hr for a meal). I'm too hungry for that! I feel like eating is too easy for me compared to other people--I don't react badly to anything (though I haven't tried fresh fruit and veggies yet). My portions are small compared to before but it seems that everyone else is eating even smaller portions--like 2 bites of something! Am I in trouble?

I tried ground beef with pasta tonight... bad mistake.. I've never had such horrible burning pain in my chest. Been almost 2 hours ago... how long does this last? I can't make myself vomit, just freaks me out too much. Will put that item on the bottom of the list.

Bebs: Just a few weeks out, it's just as likely the Pasta that bothered you as the meat. Oh, and tomatoes did me in for a while, too, because they had too much acid for my recently sliced and diced tummy. Some people have issues tolerating beef until a few months out, and some don't. I can only eat a bite or two of ground beef, but for whatever reason, ground turkey goes down fine. But I can still only get 1.5-2 ounces of ground meat in, which means I make other choices most of the time.

I'm 7 weeks out and pasta is still a no-no. Not because of carbs (though that's reason enough for my blood sugar) but because I can only eat one or two bites before I start to feel sick. I think it swells up in my sleeve and it makes me feel sick every time.

I hope the pain subsided for you by bedtime. When I overeat, it's uncomfortable the entire time it takes the food to move through my sleeve. You should be feeling better by now.

~Cheri

I was fine with meatloaf 4 weeks out, I'm in week 6 and I'm ok with chicken and tuna although they don't digest comfortably. At the end of week 5 I tried to eat some hamburger patty and in the words of Pretty Woman, "big mistake. huge!" That was the only time I have ever "slimed" - the pain was something awful.

Why can I eat so much dense protein? Other people talk about being able to get 2 oz in, or a couple of bites, and I'm fine with a full 4 oz. Is something wrong with me? Now after that 4 oz I am definitely done, but what's the deal? I also can't seem to eat slow (taking 1/2 hr for a meal). I'm too hungry for that! I feel like eating is too easy for me compared to other people--I don't react badly to anything (though I haven't tried fresh fruit and veggies yet). My portions are small compared to before but it seems that everyone else is eating even smaller portions--like 2 bites of something! Am I in trouble?

Donna, no I was similar and it has worked perfectly for me. I am glad I can eat the amount I can get in, I would find less very difficult. I just fill with good quality food and rarely eat things like bread or pasta.

Jane x