Hey everyone,

I'm 6 weeks post op- and my doctor recommended a regular diet starting from 5 weeks post up. He suggested cutting things up into small pieces, going with fish etc.

But I really don't know what to eat. I'm having a couple of issues: 1) I'm not a great cook and I don't have a lot of time to cook 2) when I do cook, the portions are huge and I don't know what to do with the extra.3) A lot of meats hurt when I eat them (as in painful when I swallow + heartburn).

The only Proteins which haven't bothered me so far are eggs and fish. chicken hurts, beef hurts, etc. I put a few tiny pieces in my mouth and the experience is so unpleasant and uncomfortable that I just stop.

Does anyone have some suggestions on recipes or fast food/ restaurant foods I can eat at this point which should be easier on the system?

I'm still drinking my Protein shakes at this point just to get the protein in, but they don't always work to satisfy hunger. And I'm sure we should be eating at least some solids so that our systems can get used to it.

And is it really awful to have some carbs at this point? Like when I make a scrambled egg in the morning, I use like 1/4 of a slice of bread to eat it with.

At six weeks out I was still eating a lot of foods from earlier phases: cottage cheese, yogurt, tuna, tilapia, salmon, turkey, cheese, meatballs, eggs, refried Beans, etc. I don't really cook a lot either. Just choose a Protein and then add a little bit of vegetable and fruit to it. Green beans and tomatoes are what I have been eating a lot of lately.

I went with my NUTs guidelines through the different phases and added the new foods from each new phase to what I was already eating to expand my choices.

As far as restaurants are concerned, I've also brought home leftovers from some restaurant meals (Greek, Mexican, Hibachi seafood, and Southern Cooking mostly).

I also ordered Chinese a couple of times and got chicken and broccoli with extra chicken and no rice which stretched over several meals. I also had shrimp egg fu yung.

I just use Protein shakes as a supplement and focus on real food.

Did you NUT provide you with guidelines and a list of recommended foods?

Whatever you eat at this stage, it helps if it's moist. Definitely eat slowly and chew thoroughly. I definitely didn't try dryer and tougher meats until closer to three months out.

I like the Taco Bell spicy tostada, McDonald's eggwhite sandwich or fruit parfait, Panda Express white rice bowl with some protein mix-in, kids meals from everywhere (I can only eat about half of one), chick fail a chicken salad or wrap. Most of all I found being a parasite to someone else's plate helps out a lot, a bite of this and that.

Gordons frozen grilled Cod,tilapia and salmon are very good. All cooked just reheat, 2 servings per box.

Some Frozen meatballs are precooked also, I love these.

I make several burgers on the grill and freeze them. I add cheese and have a great Protein meal.

I also bake the whole bag of skinless boneless chicken breast or tenders, again freeze what you want. Wonderful to just thaw in fridge to make dinner or chicken salad.

Best of luck to you

I am ten weeks out and still in the "soft food" stage for two more weeks. At restaurants I usually order a cup of Soup or a shrimp cocktail. Baked fish would work - but it would take me a week to finish an entree! At home I usually eat things like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, string cheese, chili, and egg salad. I could probably handle tuna salad, but haven't tried it yet. The only meat I've really had other than fish and seafood are tiny pieces of chicken and pork that were in Soups.

Go on Pinterest and look up 'bariatric recipes' or 'high protein dinners'. There are tons of easy things out there!

Thanks everyone, I'm going to try all of this out.

My doctor has a food program for sleeve patients. She says it's critical to reduce carbs to stop gaining weight via insulin and increase Protein to up your metabolism and lose weight (protein in 20-30 gram doses acts like a log on your metabolic fire). She requires patients to drink 2 Premier Protein drinks every take and a third if you exercise within 30 minutes of completing. She also has you reduce non veggie carbs to 30 or less. This works well. My loss slows down if I miss a Protein shake and is on track even if my calories exceed 1200 as long as I get them both in. It's easy to do and doesn't feel too restrictive. Today for example I wanted a piece of bread that was 28 carbs so I made that the only non meat, veggie or shake intake of my day.

I also track my intake on the Atkins app and check off every day that I journal, drink shakes, keep my carbs under 30 and excercize. I note that on my calendar w my weight every day so I can see what impacts my rate of loss.

You can do it!

Crock pot!!! Dump it in I the morning and it's nice and soft for dinner and leftovers for the next day. Pinterest is full of ideas. Also, cottage cheese is my currant favorite source of protein (and it's complete protien). You can also do tuna and canned chicken. You don't have to rush into more solid foods, but chew really well and eat slow as you do progress. Good luck.

Quick, easy favorites in our house:

-Ground turkey Asian lettuce wraps

-Bunless burgers topped with homemade pimiento cheese (the slider size burgers are perfect!)

-Marinated Rosemary ranch chicken (on the grill)

-Lemon pepper or blackened salmon (I use the weber spice/marinade packs from the store - eaaaaaasy)

-I eat tuna pretty frequently for lunch...throw in some romaine and a few olives, a vinaigrette and bam - easy lunch!

-Beef stir fry with veggies (my hubs has rice, I don't)

-Frozen mini meatballs from Sam's - these are glorious. I cook several and keep them in an air tight container and eat 2 at a time for lunch every day. Add some marinara! My hubs loves this, and he adds chopped squash/zucchini and onions to his (I don't have room for those, lol)

I love getting chicken with broccoli or beef with broccoli from the Chinese place and eating on it for a week ???? makes me feel normal, haha!

Also, if you're in a pinch, Taco Bell pintos and cheese with a scoop of ground beef was one of the most glorious post op foods ever. Lol! The Beans have some carbs obviously, but not too bad, especially if it's an occasional treat.

I MYSELF WOULDN'T TOUCH A PC OF BREAD. REFRIED Beans WITH cheese SAVED ME WHEN I WAS THAT STAGE OF CLUELESSNESS ABOUT WHAT TO EAT. I RAN THINGS THRU THE BLENDER/FOOD PROCESSOR, EVEN chicken.

Ground chicken or pork is good. Pulled parks goes down well for me too. Chicken and steak can be tough to digest. Pork as well.

I MYSELF WOULDN'T TOUCH A PC OF BREAD. REFRIED BEANS WITH CHEESE SAVED ME WHEN I WAS THAT STAGE OF CLUELESSNESS ABOUT WHAT TO EAT. I RAN THINGS THRU THE BLENDER/FOOD PROCESSOR, EVEN CHICKEN.

A piece of whole wheat bread has 14carbs. A half cup of refried beans has 12. Not a huge difference. Beans are obviously better for the protein but nothing awful is going to happen from consuming a slice of bread. The carb monster doesn't exist.

Thanks everyone, I'm going to try all of this out.

My NUTs main advise with each stage was "add foods as you can tolerate them." Don't force yourself to eat what your sleeve doesn't want yet. I still can't eat any type of shredded beef because no matter how much I chew it hurts going down. Try something and if it hurts wait a few weeks. I also buy the individual prepackaged tuna and salmon that comes in different flavors. Greek yogurt in different flavors has become a staple with me. I am nearly 10 weeks out and I just this week tried leafy greens and most fruits.

I MYSELF WOULDN'T TOUCH A PC OF BREAD. REFRIED Beans WITH cheese SAVED ME WHEN I WAS THAT STAGE OF CLUELESSNESS ABOUT WHAT TO EAT. I RAN THINGS THRU THE BLENDER/FOOD PROCESSOR, EVEN chicken.

A piece of whole wheat bread has 14carbs. A half cup of refried beans has 12. Not a huge difference. Beans are obviously better for the Protein but nothing awful is going to happen from consuming a slice of bread. The carb monster doesn't exist.

Except the refried beans has protein and the bread does not. Especially early out you have to allocate the room you have for food with the priority given to protein --- at least that is how I understand it.

Also you can buy bread that has protein, if you eat whole grain or multigrain bread. They have around four grams of protein per slice.