Last week I was attending a group session when one of the group members said that he went to a steak house to celebrate his birthday and he ate a steak. He had gastric sleeve surgery in early November. He said the steak was so tender that he could eat it without a problem. The other group members looked at each other puzzled. How could this guy eat a steak less than two month post op from a gastric sleeve? I was sleeved close to a year and a half ago and I still can't tolerate steak. Pre op I would scarf down a 32oz porterhouse with no problem and then order dessert.

He then said that we shouldn't be ashamed to ask for a doggie bag as he went to a restaurant a few weeks ago and couldn't finish his order of roast beef and took the uneaten portion home. One group member asked him WHY is he eating this stuff and HOW can he eat it. He said that it was his birthday with the steak and he doesn't want to be deprived. He said if he deprives himself he's only going to want it more. It goes to show you, WLS takes care of the stomach not the mind.

21 hours ago, Swanton_Bomb said:

I'm actually a little worried that I seem to be tolerating almost everything well. The only time I almost threw up was when I tried to switch from chewable vitamins to the big pills. Tonight (6 weeks out) I tried broiled shrimp, and while it filled me up quickly, it went down fine. I can only eat a tiny bit but most foods feel just fine, and I worry that I may be able to eat too many things too soon.

You and I had surgery the same day. I am 100% allowed to try red meat, so not sure what the issue is with the dude that had some steak.

Like you, I haven't had any issues tolerating anything, although I haven't tried steak or pork yet. Any chicken/seafood/turkey etc goes down really easily. I can only eat about 3oz of protein at a time before I get full (lump in throat, burp, or sneeze are my signs).

My surgeon said not to worry, it's GOOD that we can tolerate stuff without issues, we just gotta stay on plan. (I still do the chewables, I HATE big pills lol)

I eat all kind of meats and I didn’t have any issues with any kind of meat. I am having beef jerkies for snacks and I tried steak once.
On the other hand I cannot eat legumes they give me almost instant pain, I cannot eat pasta and eggs although I eat them from time to time I feel so full even after 4-5 hours of having them (1or 2 maximum)
So everyone is completely different !

CyndieRI I don’t like seafood or turkey either!! I have never liked it and probably never will!! My go to foods are lean roast (very Tender) and chicken breast!!

I was sleeved on 11/6 and have been able to tolerate all meat. So far I have tried chicken, pork chop, steak, ribs, turkey, ham and baked fish. In small portions of course. As a matter of fact I haven't found anything that doesn't agree with me yet. That actually scares me a little bit though.

Edited December 22, 20187 yr by Zane and Aiden's mamaw

I eat steak every week - a bit cut off the end of my partner's. It's great for iron, great for protein, great for taste - what's not to love? As with anything, it's only a problem if you have too much!

I am almost 5 weeks post opp and I have been told be my sugeon and nutritionist no starchy carbs at all for at least 3 months preferably never.I just had smokey bones baby back ribs last night and it was tender(4oz).I at scrambled and fried eggs,meat balls,turkey in gravy,deli turkey,egg salad,baked fish,garlic shrip,scalaps.I think when i try steak it will be a 6 oz rib eye and get 2 meals from it.

On ‎12‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 3:14 PM, FancyChristine15 said:

I kind of agree with the gentleman at your meeting. Now, I will say, I don't know how he's able to tolerate all that meat so early, but I agree with him about depriving himself. I also allow myself to have certain things that other people who have had this surgery wouldn't dare have. I eat chocolate daily. It's something that I really enjoy. Now, I don't overindulge in it, but I do have a bit every day, and I make sure to track it.

I've dieted for a large portion of my life, and what's always happened before is that I'm really strict, then I'll allow myself to have a little something on special occasions, then I get completely derailed and can't get back on track. Well, this time is different. I don't count anything as getting off track really. This is a lifestyle change; it's not a diet. I choose to primarily eat healthy, but every now and then, I eat things that aren't necessarily good for me. This is how I plan to keep this going for the long term.

I love this!!!

And look at you!!!! You are doing freaking amazing!!!!

My feeling is that steak could possibly go down but how do you test that? I’m so paranoid about food getting stuck that I’m going to be afraid to try everything. I can’t imagine eating something like steak so soon because I would just be so afraid of having it sit in my pouch aching

Apparently it didn’t take care of his stomach either

On 12/20/2018 at 3:08 PM, Wanda247 said:

I can't eat steak or pork, tried it and it did not agree with me.

i can barely tolerate chicken.. and now it seems ham too.. It is such a struggle that i dont think it is worth it

I don't know how far out each of you are, but we all heal and tolerate foods at different levels after surgery. Some food aversions might remain forever, most do not. At 14 months I can only tolerate bites of very small very tender beef, and forget chicken breast. I eat thighs, pork steak, turkey/turkey burgers, fish, shrimp. Lettuce is still dicey, only a little bit, not often and unless bread is chewy italian or toasted not happening - it balls up. I do not eat pasta - a waste of space.

I think we are sooo quick to judge people's choices and then we don't learn from each other, beware of becoming a different type of food cop.....all you freshmen.... And seriously we ALL have mental issues with food and everyone has to figure out what works and what works specifically. In the beginning we can all only eat a very limited amount of food, so eating anything at this point results in weight loss - so it feels like winning. It is not a game, but there are some rules and penalties and you are the authors, directors, your own coach. Therapy is always good.

11 hours ago, Sosewsue61 said:

I don't know how far out each of you are, but we all heal and tolerate foods at different levels after surgery. Some food aversions might remain forever, most do not. At 14 months I can only tolerate bites of very small very tender beef, and forget chicken breast. I eat thighs, pork steak, turkey/turkey burgers, fish, shrimp. Lettuce is still dicey, only a little bit, not often and unless bread is chewy italian or toasted not happening - it balls up. I do not eat Pasta - a waste of space.

I think we are sooo quick to judge people's choices and then we don't learn from each other, beware of becoming a different type of food cop.....all you freshmen.... And seriously we ALL have mental issues with food and everyone has to figure out what works and what works specifically. In the beginning we can all only eat a very limited amount of food, so eating anything at this point results in weight loss - so it feels like winning. It is not a game, but there are some rules and penalties and you are the authors, directors, your own coach. Therapy is always good.

I'm a bariatric baby, but I love this comment. No one becomes morbidly obese and qualifies for weight loss surgery unless they have a problem with food except for the rare person with a medical issue that can only be solved with severe calorie restriction (I have PCOS and depression but I know that is responsible for only part of my weight gain, not all or even most of it). It bugs me to see how quickly people forget their pre-surgery life and become judgemental. There are people on this thread questioning this man's mental health because he ate a small amount of protein. He didn't eat an entire cake or a gallon of ice cream.

True, true words. I went from food excesses to food repugnance, right now NOTHING sounds good, few things taste good, tried some still-GOOD-for - you foods recently, 2 teaspoons and I pushed it away. Part might be the fact that my TPN does fulfill my caloric needs, but I also promised I would try to eat by mouth once a day, and it is so hard. Maybe some shake, and I am tired so tired of them, maybe a little soup liquid or broth, don't suggest cottage cheese, or similar, anything with texture, up she comes, even if I try pureeing down vegetarian vegetable soup to an absolute liquid, Precious Pouch refuses, and after she is empty I continue dry heaving. Done it so much I have pinpoint hemmorages on my upper chest. You might think them age spots or freckles, nope, petechiae. So Carafate for my ulcers, Zofran for my nausea, miss one dose or don't get it on time, even what water I have recently drank comes back up, but dang it I am going to get better And then I will be amazing too!

If the gentleman can tolerate steak - no matter where he is in his post-op progress - good for him! That's HIS choice, and we shouldn't judge him on what he feels is right for him. I have no food restrictions, but I decided early on to wait until the three month mark to have steak again. Whether it's right or wrong, that's what I have decided to do, and it's really not up to anyone else (aside from my bariatric doc) to judge me on it. Everyone is unique in their journey, so one size really doesn't fit all.

What’s the big deal with steak?! I can and do eat steak, pork, brats, chicken, sausage, etc. I have since purée phase.