I was sleeved feb 1st, and today is the first day I was allowed to eat meat

I made some chicken, and took the smallest nibbles, and chewed them into a mush

and I felt like I was choking for the next 20 minutes

I just started being able to meet my daily 64 oz liquids minimum a few days ago

Does it ever get easier to eat? Is it always going to be a struggle to get things down, and keep them down?

I'm happy that I'm losing weight (not right now, gotta love that stall), but I feel so lost thinking about the rest of my life being a struggle to eat.

It really does get better. What I remember is that meat needs to be super moist and soft. Even if I chewed it to mush. I didn't eat ground beef for about 6 months. It takes some experiments to find what works for your sleeve.

It gets better for sure.

You are in the toughest part of the post-op experience........at least that I've been through thus far.

I remember weeks 5-6 and on being able to find my stride and glad for the trouble-free time ever since.

I was sleeved Feb 2nd and am still in mush phase. Don't be afraid of whizzing up your chicken to make it easier to digest.

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It gets better for sure.

You are in the toughest part of the post-op experience........at least that I've been through thus far.

I remember weeks 5-6 and on being able to find my stride and glad for the trouble-free time ever since.

Thank you!

Did you "find your stride" by finding things that you were able to eat, or were you more able to digest food in general?

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!

chicken is still hard for me. Fish and ground beef are the easiest for me to eat. I don't do well with steaks either. Cheesesticks are my favorite snack, they are the perfect amount to fill me up, easy to eat and keep me satisfied for awhile.

A sleeve is like a new baby. Every one has a unique temperament. Some are smooth and easy. Some are fussy. Some are colicky. Some barf waaaaaaay more than is necessary. But eventually you learn their likes, dislikes, and what they can handle. They're adaptable too, they grow and change.

It gets better for sure.

You are in the toughest part of the post-op experience........at least that I've been through thus far.

I remember weeks 5-6 and on being able to find my stride and glad for the trouble-free time ever since.

Thank you!

Did you "find your stride" by finding things that you were able to eat, or were you more able to digest food in general?

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!

I found it once I realized that the liquid phase...pre & post is simply temporary......the part where you figure out what, when and how to eat more solid foods is not much fun......but once I advanced past that and realized I could pre-portion my meals and eat a slow pace I could avoid discomfort and it all worked out great. Weight loss was steady and I felt great.

Nothing has changed over the months following, either.

Life is good. Zero complaints.

I find that i'm much more comfy with soft moist foods like refried beans, eggs,yogurt,cottage cheese than i am the few pieces of chicken or beef i've tried. Blended chicken chili was good but chewed to death chicken or beef just seems to get drier and drier.

It gets amazingly better. I had my surgery over 5 years ago, reached my goal and have maintained. I discovered, that one day I could eat something and the next day I couldn't. I enjoy pretty much all foods, just keep my portions very small. I eat around every 3 hours, a yogurt, etc. for Snacks. I use small containers so my portion control is easy. I go out to eat occasionally. Always ask for a to-go container when food is delivered, that way you won't try to over eat. When I get home, I immediately portion the left overs out and have meals for a week. It takes time to figure out what you can eat. Mostly chew your food well, small portions and no liquids while eating. The first few months after surgery I didn't see much of a loss but then I had lost 130 in a year.

Slow it down and accept that you have a new tummy overlord. All hail the tummy overlord. Although you may be permitted to have meat at this point, your stomach appears to disagree. Put it on the back burner for a few more weeks and try again. I know some people who cannot eat chicken months out. I could eat it at 6 weeks. Also, meats should have some sort of sauce on them to help them go down. Plain meats tend to upset the healing tummy.

It DOES get better. I was desperate for meat one day and tried beef Jerky at 8 weeks. I just knew that it was going to be too rough on my tummy. Runt surprised me. I swear she sighed and relaxed when I tried my first bite. Oh, name your tummy. It really helps, especially when you two are arguing like now.