Are we allowed to eventually eat lettuce? Is it bc it offers no nutritional value? I don't see it mention in any of the bariatric pamphlets or online. Just wondering!

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I don't know the answer but I will miss salads for the time we can't have them! I will also miss garbanzo beans, kidney beans, pickles, and broccoli. I am on the pre-op diet, and these are the foods I am dreaming about which is strange because they are not what made me fat. I will be following this thread.

I don't know the answer but I will miss salads for the time we can't have them! I will also miss garbanzo beans' date=' kidney Beans, pickles, and broccoli. I am on the pre-op diet, and these are the foods I am dreaming about which is strange because they are not what made me fat. I will be following this thread.[/quote']

I am 6 days post op and I am craving healthy food!!!! Don't get me wrong I want to eat my husbands dinner all of the time but I am just longing to eat in general. 3 more days and I get off the clear liquid diet and on to full liquids!

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My surgeon wanted us to wait for 6 months post op. I don't really eat lettuce any more because of the lack of nutritional value. Plus I know that the dressings have a ton of calories that i don't even want to think about. So I look for the nutritious veggies at the salad bar and take just a dab of dressing...... However, raw veggies are a no no for 3 to 6 months out depending on your surgeon's and NUT directions. Honestly, y the time I get done with my protein, I have little room for the veggies anyways.

I was told by my surgeon to leave all raw veggies out until, at least, 6 months. I attempted to eat salad at that time and it was horribly painful. Now at almost 14 months out, I still have a hard time with salad (but not raw veggies for some reason). Lettuce just seems to fill my sleeve up and I'm only able to have about 4 bites of it....so I just don't bother!!! It's the ONLY food I really miss.

I use baby spinach instead of lettuce. It has a lot of iron, which is perfect for us. My doctor cleared me to begin introducing small salads at around 10 weeks. So far I have had salads that include such things as raw cucumber, zucchini, grape tomatoes, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, apples, avacado, carrots, cabbage, celery and endive. The only thing so far that has given me any trouble is raw onion. Salads are now more delicious than ever, but the serving is very tiny!

Although I'm cleared for all foods, but was recommended to avoid breads-for a year, I cannot digest most veggies still (12 weeks post-op). My nut. suggested I eat a small bite of husbands salad to get my sleeve to start accepting raw veggies rather than avoid them. But I'm afraid to try! A tbl. of sautéed chopped spinach added to an agg with cheese omlette made me so sick! I can tolerate a tiny bit of sautéed onions, carrots, celery-typical stuffing ingredients like in stuffed mushrooms or in soups and canned Chilis. I miss salads but the risk of it 'not going down' isn't worth it.

I started eating salads almost every day beginning around month 4-5. I top them with lowfat cheese, grilled chicken or lean browned ground beef or shrimp, and use light dressings. It's s very satisfying way to get protein and veggies. I have s sleeved friend who is more than a year out who can't handle raw veggies, so I think it's a sleeve, by sleeve situation. Good luck; it's early days for you and things get better!

I am 2 months out and eat finely chopped tomatoes 1/4 cup with 1 oz of meat for both lunch and dinner. I am very satisfied. According to my paperwork at week 7 my surgeon says we can have a regular diet. It's funny I have always been a salad lover however, right now I am just craving the tomato.

I use baby spinach instead of lettuce. It has a lot of iron' date=' which is perfect for us. My doctor cleared me to begin introducing small salads at around 10 weeks. So far I have had salads that include such things as raw cucumber, zucchini, grape tomatoes, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, apples, avacado, carrots, cabbage, celery and endive. The only thing so far that has given me any trouble is raw onion. Salads are now more delicious than ever, but the serving is very tiny![/quote']

What is the serving size for salad?

It's up to your sleeve, really, but I'm more than two years out and still can't eat iceberg. It just doesn't go down well and causes discomfort.

I eat salads that are veggie based or I use romaine (when I can find it here) or spinach for my salads.

Go slow with lettuce. This is another food like bread, rice, Pasta, etc. that might seem like it's sitting well but you can go from enjoying your meal to discomfort in one small bite.

And definitely wait at least two months to start trying - you want that sleeve to heal and any "roughage" food should be avoided during the beginning period. I couldn't eat lettuce or spinach until some time late in the first year. Other fibrous veggies were fine by around six months post op.

And a portion will be whatever you can fit in without discomfort! I go easy on salads made with lettuce and would say that it's far less than even half a cup for me to feel satisfied without discomfort. I can eat a greater portion of salads where lettuce isn't the base (1/2 cup) and where I live that's more common anyway.

~Cheri