I wasn't sure I would be able to make it to this point, but, with amazing support from my wife, I am finally through the 6 weeks of hell

My typical diet consists of the following now ...

1/2 cup of cottage cheese in the morning

small amount of Beans with some avocado for lunch

Protein shake after lunch (either EAS 42 grams or protein OR muscle maxx 45 grams of protein)

salmon or another Protein Shake for dinner with a small amount of mashed potatoes

For the past 2 weeks, I have been increasing the amount of gym time to where I do cardio 6 days a week and lift weights 3 days a week ... mainly legs, arms and chest (no core exercises as those are banned till 3 months post surgery per my doctor) ... what do you guys recommend eating now? what vegetables are safe bets? I planned on adding very well chewed chicken, but, scared beyond that.

My stomach is still very finicky ... It appears that I have developed some lactose intolerance (weird that I can do cottage cheese), but, if I don't take a lactaid before a protein shake I get diarrhea ... milk is a no go as is yogurt ... greek yogurt makes me terribly sick for 8 hours ... I know I need to probably start to add new things to my diet, but, I am more scared of the side effects vs. staying with the same foods

At 6 weeks I was on a regular diet and have no food issues so I eat a lot of seafood like crab and shrimp, lean steaks, grilled chicken strips, turkey sausage, any protein really. Don't be afraid to try stuff just eat slow and if you start to not feel so go stop. As far as vegetables I can eat anything I just fill up on protein so I don't get much vegetables.

Awesome - thanks for the reply ... I look forward to cutting back on the Protein shakes and adding more meats

At 6 weeks I was on a regular diet and have no food issues so I eat a lot of seafood like crab and shrimp, lean steaks, grilled chicken strips, turkey sausage, any protein really. Don't be afraid to try stuff just eat slow and if you start to not feel so go stop. As far as vegetables I can eat anything I just fill up on protein so I don't get much vegetables.

I did a lot of lunch meat at that stage. Slice of turkey wrapped around a bit of cheese with a dab of hummus in the middle. Lots of chili, (make it mild to start) and other home made soups with lots of protein. IF I get veggies today, they are usually in soup\sauce or I munch them for a snack. It's not that I don't tolerate them, there just isn't room at mealtime. Sometimes I crave salad and I'll get spinach salad at the salad bar for lunch. As for protein supplements, I throw a scoop of whey in my coffee every morning for a "latte". I miss the flavor when it's not there now, LOL, and sometimes do a PowerCrunch or Quest bar in the afternoon. It's RARE that I go for a traditional protein "shake". Maybe if it's REALLY hot in the summer and its been blended with ice!

Everybody is differnt. My favorite go to food is chili. I eat the beans one at a time. I now enjoy apples, but couldnt at first. At 6 weeks I still had digestive problems and dont know if it was specific foods or just my body adjusting.

I will be starting soft food this week, and my NUT suggests half protein, half carb on the plate. She says to try anything that is easy to digest, easy to chew, and to try lots of new things but to go slow in eating it. Give each new thing a little time before taking another bite, to see how it goes. Good luck to us!!!

@@gmacy You're welcome ! Good luck!

Thanks everyone ... just got back from lunch ... had some chicken fajita strips and a few small bites of guacamole ... tasted amazing!!