difference between mushy and soft?

[Jordien 30]

Tiffy maybe you can help me. You are SO good at explaining stuff!

I have stage 1 Clear liquids, stage 2 purees and then stage 3 a little less pureed. That's how I wrote it down and what I got from my bariatric nurse and class. What is the difference between 2 and 3? Which one of those is considered "mushies?" Is it mushy food with no chunks on stage 2 and mushy food with some chunks on stage 3? Where does that ricotta bake recipe fall?

Thanks! I'm spending time reading on here and getting more confused about these two stages. I know I'm sure anxious to get to Sunday/stage 2!!

[Tiffykins 673]

I had 4 stages -

Clear - broths, sugar free popsicles and Jello, all non-calorie, non-caffeinated drinks count as clear, Protein drinks mixed with Water,

Full liquids- all of the above, plus sf pudding/custards, cream Soups minus the little chunks, Protein shakes/drinks made with milk, greek yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese

Mushies/soft/purees- All of the above PLUS - Anything that can be blended- chili, chicken/tuna/egg salad, if it had chunks I chewed, chewed, chewed, and chewed some more. Refried Beans, soft cheeses, eggs, tofu, boiled veggies

Solids- all of the above, plus slowly adding in solid foods without a bunch of Condiments (like in the chicken/tuna salad).

Mushy/purees/soft foods were all the same stage for me.

I didn't play around with seedy stuff(like fruit on the bottom yogurt), raw veggies, or maybe chunky, stringy stuff.

[Jordien 30]

Ooh that helps, thanks! I'll know what to add first. I'm pretty cautious about moving ahead, but I sure am sick of Clear Liquids now. I'd love a sf pudding! ha!

[ButterflyBandita?? 0]

So does this mean that flavored Protein powders mixed with Water are OK for the clear stage? Is this pretty typical?

[Jordien 30]

hmmm... like chocolate flavored whey Protein, mixed with Water? not sure. I'm only doing the Protein Shots so far on all clears, and when I go to purees/full liquids next week, I'm going to start with my choc. whey protein in milk. what's been holding me back from using my choc Protein Powder is not being able to have milk. never thought of mixing the choc. with water. not sure I'd like that. I've learned that the clear stage is VERY boring and gets very old after a while. Ugh... 4 more days of it for me!

[Tiffykins 673]

So does this mean that flavored Protein powders mixed with Water are OK for the clear stage? Is this pretty typical?

It was for my program. They especially pushed the Syntrax Nectars for the clear stage. Those are fruity flavored, and not milky like the chocolate ones.

Just check with your nut or doc to get the go ahead.

[ButterflyBandita?? 0]

Hmmm. Good info on the Protein powders for clear stage. I always mix my chocolate Protein powder with milk and ice in the blender because that's what it says to do on the directions. I tried it once with milk and was like, "wow, that is some good stuff!".

So . . . any protein powder mixed with Water should be fine for the clear stage? And protein bullets should be fine as well?

Thanks. Not sure why, but this is confusing for me for some reason.

[meshauna 0]

I am also confused. I am on day 8 and am wondering when I can add egg subsitute and cottege cheese. Is applesauce a full liquid? I had my first 2 oz of applesauce yesterday, took 1/2 hour to eat it it filled me up. I am ready to add egg and cottege cheese. I mix my Choc Whey Protein with ice and Water. Still not drinking enough and I know not getting my protein in. Really need to add mushies. Tiff Help!!!!!!!!

[Tiffykins 673]

I am also confused. I am on day 8 and am wondering when I can add egg subsitute and cottege cheese. Is applesauce a full liquid? I had my first 2 oz of applesauce yesterday, took 1/2 hour to eat it it filled me up. I am ready to add egg and cottege cheese. I mix my Choc Whey Protein with ice and Water. Still not drinking enough and I know not getting my Protein in. Really need to add mushies. Tiff Help!!!!!!!!

eggs are mushies so whenever you're cleared for mushies or purees, you should be able to add those foods. Applesauce is a full liquid. I wasn't ever able to eat eggs even now at 16 months scrambled eggs cause some discomfort/heavy feeling. Don't push mushies, if you're having trouble getting in liquids, mushies won't help because the consistency is much heavier. I'm not sure if cottage cheese would be a full liquid or mushy because I hate cottage cheese so I never ate/eat it. Logically, if sugar-free pudding, and yogurts are full liquids then cottage cheese would fall in that same category. Just chew up the curbs to mush.

[Tiffykins 673]

Hmmm. Good info on the Protein powders for clear stage. I always mix my chocolate Protein powder with milk and ice in the blender because that's what it says to do on the directions. I tried it once with milk and was like, "wow, that is some good stuff!".

So . . . any protein powder mixed with Water should be fine for the clear stage? And protein bullets should be fine as well?

Thanks. Not sure why, but this is confusing for me for some reason.

For my program, I could mix any protein powder with Water and it counted as a clear. Protein bullets were considered a clear. When I couldn't get in any protein, I had to use the bullets even though they are not the "best" form of protein. Some protein is better than none per my nutritionist. After surgery, the shots tasted horrible so I had to mix them in sugar free gatorade to dilute them out some.

The diet stages can be confusing especially if you don't have specific guidelines. If I'm slow to reply, shoot me a message because sometimes my replies get lost in the mix on the forum. I'm having some issues getting used to the new forum, and I might miss a question or a post, so if I don't reply shoot me a message, and I'll be able to get back to you.

Hope this helps!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

Mine was very similar to Tiffy's

Day 1, nothing by mouth

Day 2-4, all clears period (all in hospital).

Day 5-10 (Aceves added 1 extra day for me since I was a revision), I was allowed to add in making Protein shakes with adding only Water.

Day 11-19, I was progressed to full liquids. I added all SF full liquids, including pudding, fudge sicles, milk (and added to my Protein shakes), thicker Soups (no lumps or bumps), yogurts, etc. I was also allowed cream of wheat!! Yum.

Day 20-29 (Stage I'm on now), Puree'd or mushy foods. Oatmeals, eggs etc or anything puree'd especially meats and whole Proteins. I'm feeling better already. I've tried mushy tuna and it didn't sit well with me! :-( Very disappointed.

Day 30-45 I will start to eat whole foods but on the softer side and working back into eating full solids.

It's always better to take your time, and listen to your cues. If you feel something doesn't agree with you, give it some time until trying it again. However that doesn't mean you can't try other things with similar consistency. It's all hit or miss. It's all a learning curve!

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

For me there is no difference between mushy and soft. Different doctors use different terminology. I had yogurt, sf fudgsicles, listed as a full liquid.

Soft or mushy are things like egg salad, and I was also allowed ground meat.< /span>

I often made ground turkey seasoned it with taco seasoning put cheese on top and mushed in a bunch of sour cream. It was yummy even though I could only eat a few bites. For clear liquid, I used unflavored whey Protein and put it in anything that was clear, such as sf gatoraide.