I was told I can't have things like oatmeal or popcorn as they swell in your stomach. Is this true? What else should I stay away from if it is? Thanks for your help!

Thanks everyone for your replies. So when this happens do you just wait while it eventually passes or is there anything you can do to ease the discomfort.

I walk around a bit and swear I'm never eating X again or X so fast or so much X.

Lynda

I haven't had popcorn in over three years. Oatmeal is very filling, but still, three years out, I eat a half cup, that's it. What feels like it triples when I eat it is pasta....rice is the same way. I am very, very careful at measuring both of these out. At this point I can eat a fourth cup of rotini pasta and I add sauce on top....and I still only eat about 2 TB of rice and that is "safe".

Here's the dealio gang. Your body will tell you what it DOES and does NOT like. Some people have "slip" foods like popcorn and certain candies. They can eat a ton . Some have issues with particular textures. Fried foods and extremely sweet foods can only be non-nauseating in small quantities for me. Rice,noodles and breads naturally swell. Make sure to chew a lot and eat in small quantities. If you're having pho at a restaurant be careful with the noodles. They are served undercooked and continue to cook while in the bowl of broth. Eat what you can and take home. Soak the noodles overnight in the broth and they will be cooked and much more tolerable in the morning. chocolate is very acidic and should be avoided before bed as it may give you heartburn. This doesn't mean I don't have my frozen chocolate bars in the freezer. I just eat a bit at a time. I also eat high-fat and decadent natural foods. WTH is velveeta? Give me brie anyday. sugar-free is awful and the body doesn't know how to assimlate it. We don't eat enough to warrant sugar-free or low-fat. We average 500-800 calories a day as is. Why not put nutrients into the body that the body can break down and not chemicals? Aspartame also triggers a plethora of health conditions. It's frightnig actually. Remember drinking diet coke/pepsi everyday and thinking you were doing yourself a favor? That soda was impeding your weightloss.

Bottom line. Everyone's body is different. Each journey is different. It's all about experimentation at this point. Your doctor will make recommendations, but ultimately your body will tell you if you've blundered or not. Trust your instincts. Trust your body.

Here's the dealio gang. Your body will tell you what it DOES and does NOT like. Some people have "slip" foods like popcorn and certain candies. They can eat a ton . Some have issues with particular textures. Fried foods and extremely sweet foods can only be non-nauseating in small quantities for me. Rice' date='noodles and breads naturally swell. Make sure to chew a lot and eat in small quantities. If you're having pho at a restaurant be careful with the noodles. They are served undercooked and continue to cook while in the bowl of broth. Eat what you can and take home. Soak the noodles overnight in the broth and they will be cooked and much more tolerable in the morning. chocolate is very acidic and should be avoided before bed as it may give you heartburn. This doesn't mean I don't have my frozen chocolate bars in the freezer. I just eat a bit at a time. I also eat high-fat and decadent natural foods. WTH is velveeta? Give me brie anyday. sugar-free is awful and the body doesn't know how to assimlate it. We don't eat enough to warrant sugar-free or low-fat. We average 500-800 calories a day as is. Why not put nutrients into the body that the body can break down and not chemicals? Aspartame also triggers a plethora of health conditions. It's frightnig actually. Remember drinking diet coke/pepsi everyday and thinking you were doing yourself a favor? That soda was impeding your weightloss.

Bottom line. Everyone's body is different. Each journey is different. It's all about experimentation at this point. Your doctor will make recommendations, but ultimately your body will tell you if you've blundered or not. Trust your instincts. Trust your body.[/quote']

I'm at 8 weeks post op and am struggling to keep my calories under 1,000. I do not average 500-800 calories a day without feeling horrible. I use whatever trick I can and am learning everyday to the best of my ability. Good for you- that you are so disciplined and aware of the dangers of 'sugar free' and the dangers of chemicals in our foods but some of us don't have the money, knowledge, or full control YET to avoid everything we like, need or want.

I'm at 8 weeks post op and am struggling to keep my calories under 1' date='000. I do not average 500-800 calories a day without feeling horrible. I use whatever trick I can and am learning everyday to the best of my ability. Good for you- that you are so disciplined and aware of the dangers of 'sugar free' and the dangers of chemicals in our foods but some of us don't have the money, knowledge, or full control YET to avoid everything we like, need or want.[/quote']

One thing I quickly discovered was that sugar-free foods stoked my appetite like nothing else. One SF pudding and 15 mins later I was ravenous. Cutting out artificial sweetener, adding a couple Protein supplements ( various types, non-dairy) has made it so much easier to keep calories between 650-800 per day. All our bodies respond differently but you may want to forgo the artificial sweeteners for a couple days and see if your hunger does not subside significantly.

Just some food for thought.

Ps- discipline has never been my strong suit either.

Thx jenlen :-)

After the surgery I was really struggling to find things to eat and DRINK that agreed with both my stomach and palate. I did start off eating a lot of sugar free foods but decided after researching that if I want something sweet I would just have it with the sugar in small amounts. The exceptions are protein bars when I'm falling short on my daily requirments. It took awhile and it's taking awhile to get to the nirvana we are all searching for lol! It just grates on me when people pontificate and lecture with what seems like is no empathy. Thx again..have a great weekend!