Hi everyone, I need some ideas on the full fluids stage, I'm almost through my first week of it and I'm sick of just Soup. Is there anything else besides yogurt, pudding, popsicles, soup or nutritional supplements that will work? I still have a week left and I need some ideas. What else can be put through the blender that would work that tastes good?

Thanks!

Lite ricotta cheese saved me. You might also call your MD and see if you can progress to soft fish or a mashed up meatball.

Hi Buffie:

I made smoothies.....they taste just like liquid cheesecake.

1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt

1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese

1 cup ice

1 - 2 packages of sweetner

Flavourings: 2 tbs of unsweetened cocoa power - or - 1 teaspoon (or to taste) real vanilla -or-

2 tbs of sugar free jam

or whatever you like

Blend in a blender until very smooth

They are yummy.

Carol

Ok Carol, THAT sounds good. Can I put a little frozen fruit in for flavour? I'm stopping at Safeway on the way home, I can't TAKE ANY MORE SOUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elizabeth, what can I mix with the Ricotta cheese that's good?

I suppose you can, I was trying to keep the calories down. Just make sure it well blended and thined out a bit with the ice.

Carol

I suppose you can, I was trying to keep the calories down. Just make sure it well blended and thined out a bit with the ice.

Carol

Carol, how many calories did you take in on the full Fluid stage in a day? I'm only taking in about 400/day right now, how many should I be taking in?

Thanx Carol.

I didn't keep track, I was just watching it with the smoothies because they can be approx 200 each and I would have them early in the day, I didn't want to overdo it in case I wanted to have a creamed soup for dinner.

I was told by Kathy at TLBC that we could have as much as we wanted on any of the liquid diets as long as we took 1/4 cup at a time and took it slow, and we could keep doing this until we were satisfied.

Carol

Hmmmm. So I have 3/4 c soup (they're around 100-150 calories per cup) for lunch and some tomato juice, the same for supper and some kind of drink for a snack in the evening (sugar free). I've only lost 8 pounds since surgery (12 days). I'm SO confused, I was consuming about 100-200 calories per day for the week after surgery, and now I'm under 400 calories per day...if I'm losing this little amount of weight on this amount of calories, how am I ever going to graduate to real food again and take in like 1200 calorires per day and lose ANY weight? I feel like I've been starving every day for and not losing very much weight. I lost 22 pounds pre-op. Sorry if I'm rambling.

Hi Buffie:

Try to eat food you make yourself. The first 2 weeks I was eating just my husbands Soups and fresh squeezed juices. I was losing an average of .8 pound a day. Then, the third week I started to get a bit bored and was buying commercial soups and drinking clamato. It was all very salty. The quantity I was consuming was no different. I ended up gaining 1 lb and then the scale stayed there for 3 days until I figured it out....once I went back on my husband's home made soups I started dropping again.

I would be careful of high sodium foods....it sure has a negative effect on me.

Carol

You'll lose more on 1200 calories a day than you will on 300 calories a day, easy. If your caloric intake drops too low then your body will go into starvation mode and hang on to the fat. you need to take in a minimum number of calories to be burning, as well, you need to be getting adequate protein. I would try eating more, I would aim for a minimum of 900 calories, and a minimum of 70 grams of protein, and upwards to 1400 calories and 90 grams of protein.

Hey Buffie...I just basically did the yogurt, pudding, Soup, thick Protein shake thing. Yeah, it got boring...but truly, before I knew it, the time was up for that phase. I think I didn't do too badly because I wasn't that hungry and couldn't eat much anyways. I also had a lot of sugar free popsicles.

Don't worry about the losing weight thing....I thought the same thing and everyone told me "not to worry" about it ...that now was the time to heal anyways....they were right (of course!). Don't worry tho, your body will become accustomed to things and will catch up.

Good luck...and truly...the phase will be over with before you know it!

What about a soft scramble egg, and I also made the egg drop soup recipe that is on here somewhere. Look in the food section. It was wonderful. I also like the lipton cup a soup in the box, the cream of chicken, 4 packages in one box, rich and creaming, makes me feel like I am really eating something. I eat the weight control cinnimon and brown sugar quaker oatmeal also in the morning. At lunch I have cottage with some sugar free jelly, and sometimes that again for dinner. Hope this helps!

I agree with Leila....from talking with my doctor a while back, she was quick to inform me that when you aren't eating enough your body thinks that you are starving it and hangs onto every thing because it doesn't know when it's getting food again.

Maybe you could have really runny oatmeal or cream of wheat? Make sure your taking a Vitamin too. Good luck.

On a side note...I'm having a heck of a time finding sugar free popsicles...looked at walmart, sobey's and superstore to no avail. Or are you guys talking about those real fruit no sugar added ones? Any "lite" ice creams I found seemed to be loaded with carbs.

Where did ya buy yers?

Thanks.

here is my smoothie recipe:

1 banana

1 cup of ice

1 cup of no sugar added 100% apple juice

1/4 cup blueberries

1/2 cup strawberries

blend really well. add apple juice to thin. you get in all the fruit you need, it provides Fiber and is chock full of Vitamins.

Again, don't worry about the calories. when you get up to 900-1200 cals a day you will lose. trust me.

Time2live...I get the sugar free popcicles from walmart. They are in a bight yellow box. Look for the ones that have superheroes, or the rockets, or the crayons. Then look around to find the sugar free pocicles, creamcicles, and no sugar added fudge pops. The sugar free pops are about 10 cals each, creamcicles are (i think) 15 cals, and the fudgcicles are 20 or 25 cals each. I have been eating them on my liquid preop diet. Honestly, my appetite is so gone it is hard to look at them now. LOL but i am sure I will love having them after surgery.

Buffie: just be careful...a lot of the ideas given here are NOT the full Fluid stage, but rather are the "soft food" stage (ie. scrambled eggs etc). Just be cautious not to start the soft food until it is time; stick to the full fluids for the required amount of time!

Time2Live: I got my popsicles at Sobeys. I buy "DelMonte Mini Pops" (flavours are rasp-o-licious, mang-o-licious Peach, and Very Cherry). They are 40 cals, 0 fat, & 11 carb. And, oooooh so good. Plus they are only "one fingered" popsicles, if you know what I mean...so makes it easier to suck on and one does me fine! Such a treat!

You are both doing well; keep it up!