Hello,

As my name suggests, I am still not sure about having weight loss surgery, although I am going through the program (I am on my 3rd month). As I follow the nutrition guidelines I'm realizing a scary thing--I am a seriously picky eater, so much so that I don't see a lot of options post surgery. I know that taste preferences change, but how much? Will I start liking foods I've hated my entire life? Or will I start hating the few foods I do like?

I've been picky since I was a kid, and as I have been practicing my new eating guidelines for the past few months, things have not turned out well when I try new things (from stomach aches to just plain gagging the food right back up). So here's my problem:

From the two-page list of proteins they gave me, I like eggs, beans, plain baked chicken, peanut butter, bland deli-type turkey, and plain roast beef. I've found that the "chew fifty times" rule has been troublesome for chicken and roast beef--they get stringy and hard to swallow, and my nutritionist says they may not be something I can eat post-surgery. I can wolf down a hamburger, but chewing it 50 times turns it into a gag-inducing crumble of meat, so they are out. I don't like steak or any other form of beef. I do like nuts but have been getting ill every time I eat them; too much fat, I think. No cheese cubes, cottage cheese, yogurt, or tofu (I have been trying for 30 years to get these down). No fish or other seafood or meats.

I'm sensitive to salt and seemingly every kind of spice, so my attempts at making meals a bit less boring have been failing spectacularly. No salad dressings, marinades, or other kinds of sauces. Almost any kind of pre-made dinner tastes too salty to eat. Most fruits are too tart.

How on earth am I going to get enough protein in after surgery? Right now I am supplementing with protein shakes while I'm figuring things out, but I am determined to live my life eating real food once I've fully recovered from surgery. And I'm really scared I won't be able to eat any foods.

My experience was the the food became very bland after surgery. Over time, your taste will change and then change again and again. So keep trying different things all the time after surgery.

The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily protein, fluid and vitamin requirements. Food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight.

Weight loss is achieved after surgery through meal volume control. You begin at 2 ounces (1/4 cup) per meal and gradually over the next year and a half increase the volume to 1 cup per meal. With this minuscule amount of food, it is next to impossible to meet your protein daily requirements by food alone, so therefore you need to rely on supplements such as protein shakes.

It is common for your taste buds to change after surgery. Be willing to experiment. After surgery, my taste buds changed dramatically. Even water changed. In the hospital it tasted excessively chlorinated and I could not drink it. So I experimented. Sugar free popsicles became my best friend. Some individuals find hot or cold can help with fluids. For me, I found that I could tolerate flavored water. So I began using Crystal Light. I also found a new drink Bai which I liked cold. In the winter, I found that I tolerate hot drinks such as piping hot cocoa. But you have to use the "No Sugar Added" variety. Also fine English teas were very good.

The fluid requirement is met by a combination. It is not only the water that you drink each day. But also the water you drink when you take your vitamins and medicine. It is the milk you drink. It is the fluids content of the protein shakes. It is the water component of the soups you take. It is met by flavored water such as Crystal Light. It is met by sugar free popsicles. It is met by tea and decaf coffee. It is a combination of all the fluids that you consume during the day.

Many experience problems drinking protein shakes. I hated them. But in the beginning I drank them, three 16-ounce protein shakes a day, in order to meet my protein requirements. You do not have to like protein shakes only tolerate them. There are many varieties of protein shakes available today. Experiment until you can find one you can tolerate.

There are many different types of formulations on protein shakes. I would recommend that you keep experimenting until you find one that you can tolerate. You don't have to like it, just tolerate it. I used Muscle Milk Light (Vanilla Creme) powder blended with water and a half a banana. That worked for me. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, you might try premixed Isopure.

After a few months after surgery when you transition into the solid stage, I found softer foods, such as chili and soups, went down much easier than solid foods such as chicken and steak. Therefore that is what I primarily relied upon.

There are some recipes at the end of the following article.

http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

57 minutes ago, Conflicted said:

Hello,

As my name suggests, I am still not sure about having weight loss surgery, although I am going through the program (I am on my 3rd month). As I follow the nutrition guidelines I'm realizing a scary thing--I am a seriously picky eater, so much so that I don't see a lot of options post surgery. I know that taste preferences change, but how much? Will I start liking foods I've hated my entire life? Or will I start hating the few foods I do like?

I've been picky since I was a kid, and as I have been practicing my new eating guidelines for the past few months, things have not turned out well when I try new things (from stomach aches to just plain gagging the food right back up). So here's my problem:

From the two-page list of Proteins they gave me, I like eggs, Beans, plain baked chicken, Peanut Butter, bland deli-type turkey, and plain roast beef. I've found that the "chew fifty times" rule has been troublesome for chicken and roast beef--they get stringy and hard to swallow, and my nutritionist says they may not be something I can eat post-surgery. I can wolf down a hamburger, but chewing it 50 times turns it into a gag-inducing crumble of meat, so they are out. I don't like steak or any other form of beef. I do like nuts but have been getting ill every time I eat them; too much fat, I think. No cheese cubes, cottage cheese, yogurt, or tofu (I have been trying for 30 years to get these down). No fish or other seafood or meats.

I'm sensitive to salt and seemingly every kind of spice, so my attempts at making meals a bit less boring have been failing spectacularly. No salad dressings, marinades, or other kinds of sauces. Almost any kind of pre-made dinner tastes too salty to eat. Most fruits are too tart.

How on earth am I going to get enough Protein in after surgery? Right now I am supplementing with Protein Shakes while I'm figuring things out, but I am determined to live my life eating real food once I've fully recovered from surgery. And I'm really scared I won't be able to eat any foods.

I have to say we dislike many of the same foods. i enjoy salsa - mild to medium- so that helps me a bit.

I have never minded eating the same foods and now that i am this far out from surgery i find i can eat anything i used to eat but just in very small amounts. I dont eat certain things because of the issues i have with them-bread - but the meats i liked before i still like now and eat them now. The protein drink is just a part of life now.

The real difference and this is huge - The food is not important - I know this is difficult to grasp.

Post op food is just not the center of my life anymore. I eat to to stay healthy - not to self medicate.

Please dont worry about food pre op. You will look and feel different about food after surgery.

Post surgery is 95% mental. From Head hunger to emotional reactions to certain foods and smells it is all a head game after surgery. The surgery will do the work for your body. You have to do the work in your head and that is the actual hard part long term.

good luck

I’m sleeved 2/6/18. The first month I had to really chew well. But other than that I eat/chew normally. If I eat too fast I feel it. I have no nausea, never vomited . Protein drinks/bars can have 30g or protein . If you incorporate one into your daily regime it’s easier. I basically still like all the same foods. I don’t crave sweets anymore. I think because I have to eat every few hours so I’m never starving. (That used to be when I’d binge on sweets). I don’t have room in my tiny belly for bread, rice, starches and I don’t crave them. By the time i eat protein and veggies or fruit, I’m full. I’ve had a super smooth recovery and feel totally normal now.

I am curious as to what do you eat now if you’re such a picky eater?

4 hours ago, Conflicted said:

From the two-page list of Proteins they gave me, I like eggs, Beans, plain baked chicken, Peanut Butter, bland deli-type turkey, and plain roast beef. I've found that the "chew fifty times" rule has been troublesome for chicken and roast beef--they get stringy and hard to swallow, and my nutritionist says they may not be something I can eat post-surgery. I can wolf down a hamburger, but chewing it 50 times turns it into a gag-inducing crumble of meat, so they are out. I

How on earth am I going to get enough Protein in after surgery? Right now I am supplementing with Protein Shakes while I'm figuring things out, but I am determined to live my life eating real food once I've fully recovered from surgery.

I never did the chew 50 times thing, I agree, it's gross. I paid extra attention to chewing when I first transitioned to solid foods. But I just chewed till it was all broken down, and didn't chew past that. I had no issues with any food I ate, so I got more relaxed. After the first week or two on solids through today I just chew my normal amount, and it's fine.

I wouldn't worry too much about getting off of protein drinks. At the beginning our stomach capacity is so small that it is hard to get to 60 g only on solids. I drink one protein drink in the morning, That gets me to 32 g, then I can usually get the rest in throughout the day. You like plenty of good protein sources, like eggs and chicken and deli meat. You're overthinking this!

Oh, I also supplement my protein with some of the Bariatric Pal & Medifast soups and such, some are tasty and painless ways to get additional protein.

I am just wondering if you have explored the possibility that you are allergic to something or have some medical reason for your food sensitivity?

I know some people's tastes change after surgery, but please be aware that some don't. Food tastes the same to me and I still like the same things I did before--no appreciable difference I can tell.

3 hours ago, Bryn910 said:

3 hours ago, Bryn910 said:

I am curious as to what do you eat now if you’re such a picky eater?

Well, my guidelines are to eat protein first, then veggies, fruit, or grain. On my first visit she told me to eat "regular" versions of mayo, salad dressings, etc, because the low-fat versions often have added sugar. And she encouraged me to add sauces, dressings and stuff to make meals more interesting. And absolutely no calorie counting. Three meals a day, no snacking.

So I did what she told me. Ate a lot of eggs with cheese (a little cheese is okay if it's melted), chicken, and beef, and made a lot of different chicken salad recipes that used cashews and walnuts and mayo. I got really sick. (I remember trying a low-carb diet like this a few years back and the same thing happened--too rich for my blood, I guess).

So month two I have been pretty boring. I hate having to eat breakfast so I bought protein shakes that I drink about half of to wash down my medications. I keep frozen cooked portions of beef and chicken in my freezer, and thaw those out. Warm them up, steam a bag of veggies, and that's my lunch. Or I add the beef to some lentil soup or throw extra chicken and veggies in some chicken noodle soup. Weight watchers frozen meals with extra meat for the protein. I get Subway chicken sandwiches if I'm not home. I find most fruits too tart so I just don't bother anymore, although I will dunk a Red Delicious in a bowl of brown sugar oatmeal. Month three has been pretty much the same, but I've started adding in more things like mashed potatoes and plain rice because my stomach has been bothering me the entire month and nothing tastes appealing to me at all right now. I just want bland things right now.

(When I don't care about what I eat, I eat carbs. Wheaties for breakfast, Toast for lunch, pancakes for dinner. Mom's homemade bread and her mac and cheese. And 1 to 2 quarts of milk a day. I love milk. It's forbidden on my food plan.)

33 minutes ago, XYZXYZXYZ1955 said:

I am just wondering if you have explored the possibility that you are allergic to something or have some medical reason for your food sensitivity

You know, I've never thought about being allergic. I was always just told I was a picky eater, along with my siblings. But I did notice that in my early thirties I started being sensitive to foods I used to like--and especially to the smells of those foods. I couldn't even look at some foods (I remember a Sushi restaurant that I had to leave, and just walk around for an hour while my friends ate--I couldn't even look at their food). And don't get me started on cilantro! 10 year later I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and assumed the sensitivities were because of that. Then ten years after that I was told I have a hiatal hernia and that that's the reason for my pain and discomfort now.

But--I already have an appointment with my doctor to request a referral to an allergist, because this week has been ridiculous. A foot of snow Sunday, everything's fine, warmup on Monday, I'm sneezing like crazy. There's not even time for pollen to have come out yet! I grew up here with no allergies; now that I've been away and come back I am miserable with them. So I want one of those scratch tests where they test for everything they can think of, and now I can ask for any possible food culprits to be included! Thanks for suggesting that!

4 hours ago, allwet said:

The real difference and this is huge - The food is not important - I know this is difficult to grasp.

It's not so much that I'm worried about missing out on foods. It's that there won't be any foods to eat that will provide me with the nutrients I will need. There is just some stubborn streak in me that keeps saying that it is unnatural to be getting your nutrients from a chemically constructed shake or bar for the rest of your life.

Maybe I haven't put this well in my first post, but I thought that at some point after surgery I would be able to just rely on food (and vitamins) to provide my body with the nutrients it needs.

And you're right, I am overthinking every. possible. step. of this process. I only know a few people who've had it and they have died, so I am very nervous.

1 hour ago, sillykitty said:

You like plenty of good Protein sources, like eggs and chicken and deli meat. You're overthinking this!

Oops, it was you who said I'm overthinking this! Yes, it's true. I have collected so much info on the surgery my head is spinning. I haven't been in the hospital since I had my tonsils out as a kid, and I don't even remember that. So there's a lot of nervousness for me about both surgery in general and the bypass in particular.

1 minute ago, Conflicted said:

It's not so much that I'm worried about missing out on foods. It's that there won't be any foods to eat that will provide me with the nutrients I will need. There is just some stubborn streak in me that keeps saying that it is unnatural to be getting your nutrients from a chemically constructed shake or bar for the rest of your life.

Maybe I haven't put this well in my first post, but I thought that at some point after surgery I would be able to just rely on food (and vitamins) to provide my body with the nutrients it needs.

And you're right, I am overthinking every. possible. step. of this process. I only know a few people who've had it and they have died, so I am very nervous.

If you don't want to rely on protein shakes for your protein long term, that's entirely possible. You named enough high protein sources you like that you should be fine. You'll just have to be diligent on consuming your protein before all other foods. But you'll only be able to get there after some time and your stomach capacity expands. Some people on this forum get there early on because there plan calls for lots of small meals. With only 3 meals a day, getting to a point you can get all your proteins from solids will take a while

4 minutes ago, Conflicted said:

It's not so much that I'm worried about missing out on foods. It's that there won't be any foods to eat that will provide me with the nutrients I will need. There is just some stubborn streak in me that keeps saying that it is unnatural to be getting your nutrients from a chemically constructed shake or bar for the rest of your life.

Maybe I haven't put this well in my first post, but I thought that at some point after surgery I would be able to just rely on food (and vitamins) to provide my body with the nutrients it needs.

And you're right, I am overthinking every. possible. step. of this process. I only know a few people who've had it and they have died, so I am very nervous.

oh you will. 2+ years out - sooner for some - you can eat enough to get all protein from diet easy as long as you make the protein priority.

those carbs however - well i dont want to scare you off so enough said

1 minute ago, Conflicted said:

Oops, it was you who said I'm overthinking this! Yes, it's true. I have collected so much info on the surgery my head is spinning. I haven't been in the hospital since I had my tonsils out as a kid, and I don't even remember that. So there's a lot of nervousness for me about both surgery in general and the bypass in particular.

I hadn't had surgery since I had my tonsils out at 5 either

I understand you're nervous, but your odds of dying are actually higher if you don't have weight loss surgery.

I don’t use protein shakes on a regular basis. I eat quest bars a couple times a week because they’re delish!

Oh--should also mention my standard recommendation for protein help if you aren't crazy about shakes--protein water. The Protein2O water has 15 grams of protein per bottle and I find it much easier to drink than the shakes.