Hi guys! Let me first say thanks to all of you who post your experiences because I am learning a lot.

I need a little help though with this puree stage. I'm in the last few days of this stage (I hope) and it's driving me nuts. I was sleeved 11/21 and followed my 2 weeks of liquids (mostly) and now I'm in purees. I was SO excited to be able to eat hummus and refried Beans and then the mush hit my throat and took forever to go down. I went back to liquids for a day just to get myself together. I know this was cheating but I made tuna salad (without blending it, but mashed it and chewed it well) and enjoyed it and it stayed down. I've also had some (very well chewed) tortilla chips with my hummus. This actually helped to get the hummus to stay down. I felt guilty so I went back to Soup, my chili puree, greek yogurt, and Protein drinks. I can eat 1/4-1/2 cup portions in about 60-90 minutes but the beans give me somewhat painful gas and take forever to digest. I am so eager to chew that I am avoiding meals just so I can get through this phase. Anybody have any advice/foods to help me pull through the long stretch?

• Check out:
  
• http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html
  
• lots of good ideas here helped me...
  
• I also got souped that looked "good" and blended
  

good luck...BTW...I sooooo cannot eat refried Beans anymore!! :-(

surgery date: Oct 12, 2011

If you find the refried Beans or other purees to be too thick, you can always add a small amount of broth to thin them out. I found that adding flavors/spices to my foods helped me "enjoy" them more (so I would add a small amount of salsa or mild taco bell sauce to my refried beans, for example).

I was allowed canned meats like tuna and chicken during my pureed/mushy stage, I just made sure to chew everything VERY thoroughly. I would mix with a bit of mayo and dill relish (check your food plan for the relish, some plans may not allow this).

Mullet Head....what a great website !! Thanks!!!

Mullet head that website is great! I needed to get some fresh ideas in the midst of this. I think I've forgotten that I know how to cook and just needed to be reminded that I had surgery on my belly and not a labotomy.

Indymom thanks for the suggestions. I have developed 2 major issues since surgery: 1) I find it hard to eat the same thing over and over again and 2) my new sense of smell often dictates what I eat. That being said chicken broth has become my food enemy after being my go to during my liquid stage. I am willing to try anything just to get through this stage though, so thanks again.