Once On a General Diet

[Lorey_a 12]

Hi All,

When did you get passed Soft Foods and into a general diet? What types of things do you eat now tht you are passed the healing stage and living a normal life? Any issues when you made this final transition or do you still have issues months, years later?

Thanks

[ShoppGirl 265]

41 minutes ago, Lorey_a said:

Hi All,

When did you get passed Soft Foods and into a general diet? What types of things do you eat now tht you are passed the healing stage and living a normal life? Any issues when you made this final transition or do you still have issues months, years later?

Thanks

I would like to know the answers to these questions as well. I have appt tomorrow and hoping he clears me for normal diet.

[Jaelzion 627]

I was eating regular food by the start of week 5. My recovery was a little weird. I couldn't eat at all for two weeks (I lived on clear Protein Drinks during that time). Then I got better in week three and went from clears to full liquids to purees to soft food to regular food pretty quickly. I don't have any major issues at this point. Ground beef doesn't sit well on my tummy to this day, so I just don't eat it. But I can basically eat whatever I want, including occasional treats like a piece of cake or pie. Some things I don't like as much as I did before surgery (barbecue is the best example) and some things I like more now. But at Thanksgiving last year, I had fun tasting all my favorites and then I got right back on plan the day after. So I don't feel restricted or deprived. When I really want something and it's worth it to me, I go ahead and have it, but not huge portions and not often.

[Arabesque 1,706]

I just slowly introduced solid foods & kept things pretty plain & simple. I also prepped & cooked almost everything myself so I’d have control over the ingredients & how it was cooked.

Your tummy can be a bit like a two year old to begin & can throw tantrums: you can eat something one day & then the next your tummy says no way. Together, with the temporary taste bud changes it can be a challenge to find foods you can eat & enjoy. But don’t give up. It does improve. If you can’t eat something one week, try it again in a week or two. Think if it as retraining your tummy & tastebuds much like you do when introducing foods to a baby. It’s a good time to introduce food you may not have eaten before, new ways of cooking foods & to reduce any cravings you may have for sugar, salt, etc.

Have to admit I ate predominately protein: chicken (breast & thigh), beef (mince & steak), pork (tenderloin & sausages from the butcher not mass produced), fish, yoghurt, eggs, cheese, rolled oats in that first month after soft foods. I slowly added vegetables & fruit. I loved my vegetables pre surgery but my tummy was very fussy about them that first month of solid food. Some posters will tell you they couldn’t eat chicken or they couldn’t eat steak at first. I was fortunate I could eat both. Some people do struggle at first to find foods they can tolerate, others don’t. It’s very much an individual thing.

My goal was to rely solely on the food I ate to meet all my nutrient needs - no supplements or shakes - once I reached solid food which I did & still do. I did take a general multi Vitamin (no other vitamins) but gave it up just after I started maintenance. My blood work has been great.

Now I only struggle with oily fish, rich or fatty foods, potatoes & Pasta so I avoid them. I don’t eat bread or rice, my choice, but I expect I’d struggle with them too & they’d sit like a lump in my tummy. Sometimes heavily grilled food (charred) can be too dry & don’t sit well.

Good luck.

Edited April 19 by Arabesque

[Lorey_a 12]

Great to hear this.... I am slowly trying to let go of the anxiety and realize I will still be a happy person and live a normal life, a better life. Fear of the unknown I suppose.

Thanks so much for the feedback

[BigSue 730]

I'm 9 months out from gastric bypass. I eat fairly simple meals because I can only eat small portions -- mainly meat and vegetables. I usually eat about 2 ounces of Protein (chicken/turkey/pork/eggs/fish -- I almost never eat beef because I've heard that a lot of bariatric patients have issues with it) in a meal with a side of vegetables (usually lightly sprayed with olive or avocado oil, tossed with seasonings, and roasted in the air fryer).

I eat a lot of salads with chicken and light dressing. I also eat a lot of cauliflower rice, which is funny because I have always hated cauliflower, but cauliflower rice is genius and I find it to be a good substitution for real rice. In case you don't know, most bariatric patients don't eat rice because it expands in the stomach and can be uncomfortable (not to mention empty calories and carbs). I don't miss rice AT ALL because I can eat cauliflower rice any time I want. There are some frozen cauliflower rice products available with different flavors and mix-ins (but you have to be careful to look at the ingredients and nutrition for those). I combine cauliflower rice with different meats, sauces, and veggies for variety. Examples:

• Taco chicken + black Beans + salsa + cauliflower rice
• Carnitas + pico de gallo + cauliflower rice
• Lemon garlic chicken + air-fried asparagus + vegetable medley cauliflower rice
• Asian chicken + "fried rice style" cauliflower rice + green beans

I love going on Pinterest to find bariatric-friendly recipes. There are some Keto recipes that work, but I'm careful with those because some of them are too rich -- full of heavy cream, cream cheese, cheese, coconut oil, etc. Recipes labeled as "Weight Watchers" are often a good bet; they sometimes have rice or Pasta, which aren't bariatric-friendly but easy enough to omit or substitute. I've found some good and healthy Soup, chili, and casserole recipes. And I still enjoy ricotta bake (topped with turkey meat sauce -- it's like a noodle-less lasagna). These are all great to freeze in individual portions for quick meals (same goes for cooked meat). Thanks to tiny serving sizes, you can get tons of portions out of one meal. I have a freezer full of bariatric portions of various foods.

When I first got to the solid food stage, I struggled to meet my protein goals, so I had to supplement with Protein Shakes and powders, but now I get most of my protein from meat/eggs/fish/yogurt. I still eat a daily Protein Bar and/or protein Mug Cake just because I enjoy it (I'm obsessed with Built Bars because they taste like candy bars so I can have a treat without going off my plan), but most of the food I eat is just basic, good, healthy stuff.