it seems any time I try to eat meat of any kind I get sick to my stomach, pretty much the only thing I can eat without getting sick is peanut butter /cheese crackers, and protein bars and shakes... should I be concerned? could it be mental? but every time I put meat in my mouth I start getting nauseated,... any suggestions? can I live off of the protein bars and shakes? should this be happening at 3 months? any help would be appreciated. thanks guys

I'm not yet three months out, but there hasn't been one thing that I have put in my mouth that I can't tolerate. As you worry about not getting enough variety, I worry about being to able to eat everything. I would say that your problem could be more emotional than physical since it begins when you put it into your mouth. With dense Protein like chicken and beef you are unable to eat as much, but eaten slowly with the 30 minute wait after Water, it still goes down easily and no digestion issues. Do you make sure that it's at least 30 minutes after drinking before you eat and that you are not drinking with meals?

I guess the most important question is, is this a new problem or have you had this since the surgery? It should be investigated regardless, but if it's a new problem, then it'd be even more urgent.

Don't panic. I can't eat meat postop, either. My sleeve doesn't tolerate it. At 3 months, I was eating pretty much exactly what you are eating now. At almost 10 months, I still don't eat meat very often (I can tolerate taco-style hamburger meat but not roast-type meat or lunch meat). There are plenty of alternate Protein sources--beans/legumes, dairy, nuts, soy--that you can enjoy.

Just take your time and try new things occasionally, and don't worry. Do what works for you. I ate protein bars a lot in the first few months postop (probably for the first 6 months, until I could tolerate enough "real" food to get enough protein). I would suggest that you ask your doctor about Iron, B Vitamins, and Vitamin D supplementation. :-) Hugs to you!

I can tolerate meats, only if cut up into baby size pieces. Shrimp is what I have a problem with... Have you tried ground turkey? We use it in everything that required ground beef! Delicious & easier on the sleeve.

I am exactly where you are!!! Matter of fact, I was looking for a post like this to see if there are others out there that feel this way too. I just ate one small taco al carbon an I feel so sick to my stomach. A pain like my stomach is real upset. It is this way with all meat, fish chicken... The only food that doesnt hurt is carbs. It will hurt for about 30-40 minutes until it has been digested. An incentive not to eat... but I find myself nibbling on the bad stuff. Still losing weight, just can't eat meat. I am not worried though, the pain goes away, and I tolerate other food fine.

The nutritionist told me that meats like beef that tend to have long fibers can be hard to digest at first. Eventually you can tolerate them, but it will take time if you really want to include them. Right now I just want to be able to eat without pain. I'm fighting hard right now to keep down the scrambled eggs I made. Food doesn't seem to want to stay down or pass through. I'm glad for the reassurance that eventually the stomach will start functioning properly. I wasn't prepared for the pain.

The only meat I can tolerate post op is chicken, shrimp, fish, scallops, ribs, crab and that is it. I happily went to Costco right before surgery and got high protein turkey burgers, and meatballs and ground beef and steaks. Yeah not happening. I tried again last night to eat a bite of dh's meatball and was instantly sick sick and I was a huge meat eater before. I hope it goes away but until then try playing around with the other stuff and see.

I think a lot of eating meat after surgery involves getting past the hurdle that it might hurt. I make sure that I have some kind of sauce/moisture for meat and that I cut it into small bites and chew well. My sleeve (Rex) still won't tolerate anything remotely spicy, but I can now eat almost any meat without issues.

As Meg said, there are many alternatives for Protein without eating meat. We have quite a few vegetarian sleevers around here. I love to check their group for new ideas. I personally eat a lot of cheese to help boost my protein intake, and I like a babybel in the morning before my Vitamins so that I don't get nauseous.

SleevedMom, if you're getting nauseous from just putting the meat in your mouth, do YOU think it's a head issue or do you get sick once you chew up and swallow the meat? If it's a head issue, it may be time for a chat with your nutritionist or doctor about whether you're really ready for meat. It might even be a good idea to talk to a therapist about the meat issue. If it's a physical issue, for instance your tummy gets upset when you eat meat, you may just need to eat more vegetarian for a while.

I've seen people who have continued with only protein bars/shakes long-term, and they do lose weight. IME, though, those people are the ones who never transition back to "normal" life. My late friend's sister in law is one of those and the sister in law ends up in the ER regularly because of malnutrition and dehydration. The sister in law says it's "too hard" to get in her Water and to eat normal food. Each time she goes in the hospital, they work on getting her into a routine where she's eating regular food and drinking water. She will comply long enough to get out of the hospital, then she's right back to only eating protein bars and drinking very little. Personally, I think the woman now has anorexia or something similar.

It is really important to try to transition to getting your protein from food, but you may need some softer Proteins and some guidance from a nutritionist or therapist to get to that point. I think that is a very natural reaction since we've had such restricted diets before and after surgery. Add in that none of us want to damage our new sleeves and leaks are a terrifying complication, and it's a wonder that any of us ever manage to transition back to "regular" food after surgery!

Good luck!! Please let us know how it goes.

I too have trouble with meat, any kind of meat! I ate some venison sausage the other day, mind you a skinny piece and it didn't sit well. Feels like minor pain or upset stomach is my best way to describe it. Even fish does this to me. I ate some Soup my wife made last nite, has burger in it, same feeling so I gave the rest to the dog. The up side of this is my cholesterol is down, way down. LOL I do hope the feeling gets better with time though. Seems I only eat for energy anymore which in my head is far better than the way I used to eat. Yogurt, cottage cheese, creamy Soups all go down good, so I guess I eat more of those until my stomach tells me differently?

I feel better that I'm not alone. LOL If that makes any sense.

Pre op weight 316

down 70 pounds since Dec 5th.

thanks for all the great posts... Its good to know I am not the only one.. this is pretty much a new thing, I could tolerate alot more before, but it just seems like all of a sudden I get nauseated after just a few bites... My family is getting frustrated with me cause they are convinced I am going to die from lack of food, well I get food in just not the meat that they want me to eat... its frustrating, but I am still glad I took this step. good luck to you all and thanks for the support.