I think one of the worst things in life for me is the not knowing. Not knowing if what I am doing is right or wrong. So I am reaching out to others to see what your thoughts are about where I am so far. I am 10 days post op and live on skim milk and cream of wheat cereal. I haven't gone to the bathroom in a couple of days but have some gas, so maybe its just a process. Do you feel like I am on the right food and if not what can I do to be there? I have no pain or problems other than going potty for a few days.

For sure follow your plan provided.by your survival team! To me it sounds like you aren’t getting near enough protein. Can you tolerate protein shakes?

Constipation is a common issue for WLS patients. Stool softeners and/or miralax may help, but for any of those meds it’s important to stay well hydrated. How much water are you getting in each day? Walking helps too, as much as you can tolerate at this point.

I was gonna say the exact thing that Kristieshannon said!

Protien, water, walking & stool softeners.

You may need a laxative or enema (If you feel like it's right there but is too hard to come out) to get things started.

If your medical team did not provide you with a post surgical eating plan ask for one ASAP. At ten days out, most are still on a liquid only diet. For most it’s two weeks liquids (full liquids like shakes, broths, soups), 2 weeks purée (think sloppy no lumps - blend & strain thicker soups or meats with lots of gravy or stock, cottage cheese, yoghurts, etc.), 4 weeks out soft foods (moist, slow cooked, fall apart foods). Then finally 6 weeks out begin adding more solid foods.

This staged return to eating is to facilitate the healing of your digestive system (you have lots of internal stitches/staples) & not put strain or undue stress on it. You need to be careful about what you eat.

Each surgeon does have his own eating plan. While they are very similar, it is important to follow your surgeon’s plan.

They should provide you with a diet. I have one that’s very specific and includes protein shakes, broths, etc.

Where did you get your surgery done? Can you contact them? Because you really shouldn’t be eating cream of wheat at this stage.

22 minutes ago, skyewolfe said:

Where did you get your surgery done? Can you contact them? Because you really shouldn’t be eating cream of wheat at this stage.

I am one week out and Cream of wheat is also on my post-op diet. I've had no issues with it thus far.

I'm on that stage as well (i.e. eating cream of wheat thinned). I know it's considered more like a liquid, and was wondering how much I should eat of it. Have you finished a packet of instant Cream of wheat with no issues?

I was allowed rolled oats from the purée stage which is more coarse than cream of wheat of course. It took me three days to eat a single serve. I did make it pretty milky to up the protein but it still was a little dense which slowed me down. But that was me. Certainly the more liquidy it is the faster it will go through your tummy & you’ll be able to eat more. Plus being this soon out after surgery you really won’t feel any sense of fullness. If you eat/drink your cream of wheat slowly you’d be able to eat more too.

You won’t get a lot of protein from cream of wheat alone. What is your protein goal? Broths & protein shakes provide much more protein & get you closer to your daily goal.

Constipation will become a regular occurrence while you’re losing. Add some Benefibre to your diet & take a gentle stool softener if the constipation exceeds three days. (Don’t let it progress too many days - it becomes very uncomfortable & can be more painful when it breaks.)