So as a mom of two girls, we tend to have pizza once a week for dinner. The girls love to snack on popcorn too. And to boot, this week was a bake sale at school where I had to make brownies. Just out of c curiosity, at what point will I be able to have a bite of any of those items? I am 3 weeks post-op and doing a liquid diet so I guess I am still daydreaming about regular food

Well depending on your docs orders, I went on full food At 8 weeks ( i still haven't had a brownie chocolate made me sick) I had popcorn at 3 months but I had "puff corn" at 2 1/2 months. Watch it's a slider.

I tried popcorn at about 3 months. It did not hurt and I was surprised at how much I could eat. I haven't tried brownines. I usually scrap the toppings off 2 small slices of pizza. That's all I can eat. But I did eat some of the bread during our recent move.

My advice is to wait until you are at goal. Stick with healthy foods avoid junk until you are there. But just to give you something to look forward to...I eat two small slices of thin crust pizza now at 16 months out. I havent tried brownies or popcorn.

I eat it all! I didn't really eat anything bad for the first 7 months because therms wasn't enough room. Maybe some ice cream, but it was like a spoonful. I love movie theater pop corn with butter. I eat it! I tell them only to fill the bag 1/2 way and I can eat about 1/2. I don't take it home. But normally when I eat that stuff it is my meal. I don't eat popcorn then have a hamburger later

it is very hard to avoid all of the foods that are "bad". the more that you say you "cant have" this or that the more you want that item. I was able to eat popcorn at about 2 months, and could eat about 1/2 slice of pizza about that time too, or if I just scraped off the top of the whole slice and eat that. as for brownies....they smell so great, and look so delicious, but still at 8 months out if I eat them I feel like crap...the sleeve doesnt like those sweets at all. my tummy starts talking to me and then I feel like throwing up.

if I want something I try a little bit to test the waters so to speak. I didnt do this to be on a diet for the rest of my life...i did it to be able to restrict what I eat so I can be healthy. I have been losing steadily and I feel at 8 months that I have lost more then I had expected to. I lost the same amount of weight that my 17 year old daughter weighs....I flippen lost a person! hehe

So basically my personal opinion is listen to your sleeve....it will tell you if you should have it or not

of course not until your doc clears you for a normal diet

Well, apparently I'm the problem patient. I'm 3 weeks out and have bites of all three. I had the toppings off a small piece of pizza, ate popcorn one night on Ambien, and ate one tiny brownie when my husband baked some.

I'm steady losing weight, 72 lbs since February of this year. I just log my foods at myfitnesspal and make sure to get my Protein in. If I start making certain foods off limits completely, I will go insane. My sleeve only holds about a tablespoon of solid food so not a big deal to me at this point.

According to my surgeon's diet, I am still supposed to be on pureed. He let me move forward due to my inability to drink Protein drinks post-op. I chew very well and the only things I cannot eat yet are bread and raw vegetables.

I'm two months out and can eat any of it...but ONLY a bite. I still can't hold anything. The brownie would probable make me yack though. I cannot eat anything rich or sweet any more (not that I need to anyway). I used to really like chocolate, but now it just doesn't taste right and makes me nauseous almost immediately. The popcorn I chew up, get the soft and then spit out the hulls. The pizza is very filling. I had a 1/4 of a slice last night.

I could never wait until goal. I indulge in pizza or something similar 1-3 times a week. And have since 2 months out.

I know with things like brownies and pizza I have to wait eight weeks post-op. For popcorn, it's more along the lines of three months. I'm one of those people who would go nuts completely avoiding goodies. I just have a bite every once in a while and it satisfies my cravings for the time being. However, I did find that my tastes have changed and some of the things I used to love pre-op I cannot stand now.

I also scape the topping off pizza and eat a small bite or two of the crust. I also pop my own popcorn in a tiny amount of olive oil with a bit of garlic salt. Popcorn is the best whole grain Fiber and is a good low calorie snack if you don't eat the movie popcorn.

Like I've said in other posts, I'm also a big fan of tiny amounts dark chocolate. I've also had little bits of ice cream in diet 7-up or orange as a float.

Most of the time I eat like a health food nut, but this is my life now and I'm not going to withhold food that I really like from myself. I just eat less and eat smarter. I just discovered that I can have mac & cheese again. I found quinoa Pasta. I will bake some with ricotta maybe and some cheddar with a bit of nonfat milk.

What I do not eat is over processed food and food with little nutritional value. Yes. the chocolate is anti-oxidant and has a good amount of Protein. I found better for me ice cream too.

I have a rule: Do I love it? -- Eat in moderation. Am I ambivalent or ho-hum about a food? -- Stay away.

Really. Do any of you remember eating food you weren't crazy about just because it was there?

I was on a liquid diet for the first 4 weeks and it was definately the hardest part of the whole procedure. Just hang in... it does get better... sooooo much better! I couldn't eat "real" food that you have to chew until 2 months post op, but just getting into the mushies was way better than liquids. Since 2 months out, I have gradually moved to eating anything I want. I suppose my weight loss has been a bit slower than some (down 80 lbs in 9 months), but other than the first few months I haven't restricted my diet at all. As others have said, if you eat a few bites of pizza at around 2-3 months out, you can probably do it, but it won't necessarily feel good. I have eaten brownies, but they aren't one of my favorite foods so I don't do it very often and can only get a few bites in before I don't want anymore. I love pizza, on the other hand, and have a slice once a week. I have just been able to eat a whole (small, thin crust) slice for the last month... before then I was only able to eat maybe half a small slice. Popcorn has been my go-to for wanting to munch since about 3 months out and it's really easy to eat. Good luck and hang in... it's the best thing I've ever done for myself and I have absolutely no regrets!

@Catracks - where did you find the quinoa pasta? I love the grain and usually cook it in my rice cooker but I'm afraid I won't be able to have it anymore once I'm sleeved in mid-June. I also wanted to ask anyone, once sleeved I understand that I will need to chew my food extremely well. Will it be that way forever? Thanks!

I'm 3 months out and can eat absolutely anything like it's nothing... I just can't eat anywhere near as much. (I used to eat an entire large pizza to feel full... now I can eat 2 slices if I nurse it for an hour.

I'm actually a little frustrated with how easy it is to eat I figured I'd just eat till I was full and I'd lose weight, but you still really have to watch your calories and diet.

At 4 months out I still chew everything well. It has become routine. Last night I was at a cocktail party where an appetizer was served on a flat-bottomed Chinese spoon. I realized everyone else was gobbling the entire spoonful, but I was eating mine 1/3 at a time!

@Catracks - where did you find the quinoa Pasta? I love the grain and usually cook it in my rice cooker but I'm afraid I won't be able to have it anymore once I'm sleeved in mid-June. I also wanted to ask anyone, once sleeved I understand that I will need to chew my food extremely well. Will it be that way forever? Thanks!

I found the quinoa pasta at Vons. Trader Joe's might carry it too. Why would you not be able to have Quinoa anymore? I eat it all the time. It's very high in Protein. I eat 1/4 cup with sauteed onions and peppers.

Here is the product website:

http://www.quinoa.net/145/index.html