Surgeon says I should stop eating like a baby

[PatrickG 5]

I saw the surgeon yesterday for my two month appointment. I reported that the only meat I am eating is in the Soups I have for lunch. He said I have to try eating more solid meat and not relying on Protein drinks and stewed meat to get my Protein. I think his words were "you can't eat like a baby for the rest of your life".

For dinner last night I ate some taco meat. No problems there. Tonight we went to Culver's for my younger sons birthday. I order ed a kids meal burger with no toppings. I ate about half of it with the bun and then ate the second half of the patty without the bun. I probably should have skipped the bun and eaten just the patty. I felt ill and when we got home I threw up.

There is a reason that I have avoided solid meat. I had pain from eating pureed tuna or chicken so I have avoided eating solid meat. I try to chew the meat thoroughly but I must not chew enough.

The surgeon is concerned that I might have a stricture. If I continue to have problems eating solid protein, I will have to do a barium swallow at the 3 month appointment to check for that.

I guess I have to keep trying. Next up is canned tuna and chicken. If that goes OK I will try chicken breast.

[Tammy K 0]

I saw the surgeon yesterday for my two month appointment. I reported that the only meat I am eating is in the Soups I have for lunch. He said I have to try eating more solid meat and not relying on Protein drinks and stewed meat to get my Protein. I think his words were "you can't eat like a baby for the rest of your life".

For dinner last night I ate some taco meat. No problems there. Tonight we went to Culver's for my younger sons birthday. I order ed a kids meal burger with no toppings. I ate about half of it with the bun and then ate the second half of the patty without the bun. I probably should have skipped the bun and eaten just the patty. I felt ill and when we got home I threw up.

There is a reason that I have avoided solid meat. I had pain from eating pureed tuna or chicken so I have avoided eating solid meat. I try to chew the meat thoroughly but I must not chew enough.

The surgeon is concerned that I might have a stricture. If I continue to have problems eating solid protein, I will have to do a barium swallow at the 3 month appointment to check for that.

I guess I have to keep trying. Next up is canned tuna and chicken. If that goes OK I will try chicken breast.

Maybe its the bun. I know I have trouble eating bread unless it is toasted or crunchy like and even then I have to chew it good. Are you sure its the meat?

[klus263 9]

Adding meat back into the diet is scary. I would get a roasted chicken from Walmart (or any grocery store) and cut up the pieces very small with a scissors or chopped with a blender and mix it with a small amount of gravy. Keeping the meat moist is keep and definately small bites and chewing completely. I also mixed very lean ground beef with pork and Beans. Or try the Hormel Turkey Chili with no beans. As for the hamburger, I just recently had one from Five Guys and also had issues-and never want to experience that again. If you need in the future, just eat the patty. If you still cannot eat meat then you will need to contact your doctor as it could be a stricture. Hang in there.

[doggz109 41]

Many VSG patients have trouble with dense Protein (chicken breast, hamburger, etc). Like those above me said...the trick is to keep it moist, over chew if you have to, no drinks before/after. If you still can't keep it down...then maybe listen to your surgeon and have the barium done. Strictures do happen....very rare but it can happen with a VSG. Good luck!

[Foxbins 625]

I had very good luck with turkey chili--the Tomato base keeps the meat moist, the pieces are small, and turkey was easy for me to digest. Then I moved on to scallops, shrimp, tilapia, chicken with gravy, and I think my first beef was a meatball. Keep trying, eat slow, wait between bites to see if it's coming up. Good luck--

[lunarose 97]

At two months I would have gotten sick too and I started on meats at week 5. Even today at 6 1/2 months I'd have issues eating that. With a bun I might eat 1/4 to 1/2 without I eat around 3/4 of the patty. Chopped meat and dark chicken meat without the skin are the easiest along with fish. Next time you try meat eat only 1-2 ounces and only the meat and see if that is better.

[Can'tweight 41]

Try to stay away from starches and sugars as my surgeon says they swell in your tummy...BREAD (excluding toasted), rice, Pasta, potatoes. I had some mashed potatoes and threw them up.

I would just take in 1-2 ounces of meat and wait to see how it sits on your new tummy. Also, remember that greasy food and fried food can make you feel yucky, as well as sugar. Lean lunch meat (turkey and ham) is also easier on my tummy. I take a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss, roll it up and take small bites. Haven't had any issues with chicken and have only had hamburger (taco) meat once. Tummy didn't care too much for it though.

Fish, chicken, tuna, and lunch meat have been the way to go for me.

[Tiffykins 672]

I recommend crock pot meats. They are generally moist, and are much easier to digest.

Pork, chicken and beef all work extremely well in the crock pot. I relied heavily on crock pot meats because I could eat them without issues. I realize this is more like "stewed meats", but I found canned meat to not only taste horrific, but the sodium content is astronomical for a lot of them even the ones "in water", just 4oz gives you 1/4 of the daily recommended value for your sodium intake.

chicken breast is the one meat, along with pork that I still have really great restriction with. I can eat chicken thighs much easier. Steak is actually the easiest dense Protein for me. Nothing beats a medium ribeye, and beef rib meat seem to work extremely well for me. If I had to guess, the bun is the culprit in last night's episode.

If you like seafood, I recommend trying shrimp and scallops. I don't eat shrimp, but I know others love it and it's easy to digest. Scallops are my absolute favorite seafood item because I can eat a good chunk of them, and hit Protein goals.

[PatrickG 5]

I recommend crock pot meats. They are generally moist, and are much easier to digest.

Pork, chicken and beef all work extremely well in the crock pot. I relied heavily on crock pot meats because I could eat them without issues. I realize this is more like "stewed meats", but I found canned meat to not only taste horrific, but the sodium content is astronomical for a lot of them even the ones "in water", just 4oz gives you 1/4 of the daily recommended value for your sodium intake.

chicken breast is the one meat, along with pork that I still have really great restriction with. I can eat chicken thighs much easier. Steak is actually the easiest dense Protein for me. Nothing beats a medium ribeye, and beef rib meat seem to work extremely well for me. If I had to guess, the bun is the culprit in last night's episode.

If you like seafood, I recommend trying shrimp and scallops. I don't eat shrimp, but I know others love it and it's easy to digest. Scallops are my absolute favorite seafood item because I can eat a good chunk of them, and hit Protein goals.

I love Italian beef so maybe I will try making some. I like a good steak too but it will have to be very tender for me to try it. Seafood sounds yummy too.

I don't like the taste of canned meats either -- too metallic. I just picked those because they are easy to blend.

Tonight I will try cubed chicken breast for dinner. I used to eat that with vegetables for lunch every day. My wife would cook it in broth so it is very tender. I'll see tonight if my sleeve can handle it.

[Tiffykins 672]

I love Italian beef so maybe I will try making some. I like a good steak too but it will have to be very tender for me to try it. Seafood sounds yummy too.

I don't like the taste of canned meats either -- too metallic. I just picked those because they are easy to blend.

Tonight I will try cubed chicken breast for dinner. I used to eat that with vegetables for lunch every day. My wife would cook it in broth so it is very tender. I'll see tonight if my sleeve can handle it.

Good luck Patrick, I hope it goes well for you. I know it's challenging since I relied on super soft Proteins, and food lube until I was around 4 months out. I ate a lot of chicken, tuna and egg salad, deli meats rolled up with cheese, and crock pot meats. It was just easier to eat my Protein, and use a little A1 Sauce to help with making steak mushy when I started eating steak. Or, I'd eat fajita (skirt steak) with greek yogurt (as sour cream) with cheese. Flank and Skirt steak is where I started with my beef consumption after ground meats. I could gnaw on those steak varieties a lot easier than I could say a sirloin or filet.

[PatrickG 5]

I tried the cubed chicken breast last night. It went down OK but I ate too much. I should have stopped at 1/4 cup instead of the 1/2 cup I ate. I of course had to throw up phlegm because there wasn't enough room for it and the meat. I am working really hard to eat solid meat but I have a lot to learn.

[aaa 3]

I had a bad time with meats when I was on purees and when I was first on solids. They just weren't agreeing with me at all and making me throw up! I basically gave up and became vegetarian. I have wanted to do it for ages and the veggie burgers go down so much better and can boost my Protein.

Although intentionally slip up and have some beef Jerky and really well stewed curried goat last week. Went down a lot better than I thought it would. I also tried a few bites of spicy rice and a tiny bit of hard dough bread too, but that's the first time I've gone near the super carbs really. I'm basically terrified of having a bad time on them so don't really have rice, Pasta, potatoes or bread in my diet yet.

It's really hard to know what's going to work. I understand how you're feeling. One day something will be going down great and the next day it'll turn your stomach. Best of luck with the meat journey