Hi,

I was sleeved on 12/22/20. I’m just now finishing up my soft food stage and will be slowly (and nervously) heading back into regular foods next week.

Any tips? Also any thoughts on what kind of diet is best for early post-op sleeve patients (keto, paleo, normal low carb diet)

Thanks!

On 01/25/2021 at 12:09, MM1604 said:

Hi,

I was sleeved on 12/22/20. I’m just now finishing up my soft food stage and will be slowly (and nervously) heading back into regular foods next week.

Any tips? Also any thoughts on what kind of diet is best for early post-op sleeve patients (keto, paleo, normal low carb diet)

Thanks!

I had bypass but I think food reintroduction is the same. Im over 2 months post op and lighter type foods still are my go to. It’s kind of trial and error at first. But cottage cheese, berries, avocados, tomatoes, diced lettuce, lighter cheese & turkey rolls, soups, yogurts are still my go to foods. Chicken is still difficult, so I will boil it in spices/water to soften it up. I can eat a few whole wheat ritz crackers, but other overly crunchy crackers don’t sit great. Peanut butter/almond butter must be in small doses with apple slices or celery.. that’s what works for me. Good luck on the next phase!

I have found that starchy foods are hard to tolerate. My husband made creamed chicken and served it on noodles. Those noodles sat like a ROCK in my gut. Same thing with rice. I’m finding my post surgical diet pretty boring. I would really like some of the things I ate pre-op, like a big plate of spaghetti and meat sauce but I know I will pay even if I eat a small portion. I stick to ground meat, soups, deli meat and cheese, shrimp or scallops, and eggs. It’s boring but I wanted to lose weight and this is how it’s going to happen.

I kept it very simple: any meat or seafood, vegetables (no root vegetables), fruit, dairy, low fat, very low carb (naturally occurring like in vegetables & rolled oats) & very low sugar (none if I could help it) . Didn’t follow a particular diet just the recommended foods to eat & avoid from my surgeon & dietician. I prepped & cooked everything myself so I could control the ingredients & how it was cooked. I still pretty much follow this.

Don’t be surprised if you find you struggle with a lot of food to begin. Many find their taste buds change & your sense of smell may be very sensitive. You may even find something you eat one day makes you unwell the next. Your tummy is pretty sensitive to begin. This all does improve as time passes. Honestly I was lucky, I could eat most foods ... just really small portions of course. It was my beloved vegetables that caused me the most problems - they tasted terrible or just didn’t sit right. It’s a bit of trial & error to start to find what you & your tummy likes at first.

Also, I didn’t do any shakes once I got to solid food because I wanted to get all my nutrients from the food I ate (plus they were disgusting) - has worked well for me.

Take this time to establish new ways of cooking & prepping foods & try new healthier food choices. Do your research & cherry pick the best ideas that work for you, enable you to meet your protein goal, get your nutrients in & not compromise how you want to enjoy your life.

I don’t follow a particular diet nor consider that I’m on a diet. This is just how & what I eat.

Good luck.