Can I start the next diet stage earlier?

[idk4w 22]

Hi, I'm new here...

I'm wondering about the stages of diet. If I feel up to it, can I take a few bites of very mushy or pureed food if I'm still in the full liquid phase? I'm not talking about anything major, but foods from the next phase. eggs, cottage cheese, sugar free pudding... I basically just began phase 2 but it feels the same as stage 1 to me. (I'm not a full week out yet, but my dr said to begin phase 2 on 5 days out, which was yesterday... today was a big turning point for me in terms of strength and pain, and I'm TOTALLY sick of the liquids! I'd love to take in a little bit of something real.)

[Arabesque 6,671]

Always best to follow your surgeon’s plan. It’s there for a reason: to support your post surgical healing & recovery. Remember all those sutures & staples holding your tummy together - all because you can’t see them, they’re there & they take time to heal. (Think of a wound with multiple stitches on your arm or leg & how long that takes to heal & how careful you have to be to ensure you don’t stretch or strain it.)

While all plans a different, most are on liquids for two weeks or more before staring purées. And it’s not unusual for people to struggle on the next stage & find they need to go back a step for a couple of days.

Glad you’re feeling so well after your surgery.

[GradyCat 3,693]

I know you feel like moving forward, but your body is still healing on the inside, so please follow your surgeon's instructions and take the phases as they come and don't jump ahead.

[FutureSylph 377]

9 hours ago, idk4w said:

I'm TOTALLY sick of the liquids! I'd love to take in a little bit of something real.)

Let me get this straight. You're seeking permission from strangers on the internet to break your surgeon's rules, less than one week post-op? And calling approved liquids (an entirely appropriate temporary restriction) "unreal"?

<sigh> Good luck. Sounds like you're gonna need it.

[catwoman7 10,973]

follow your surgeon's plan.

[Hop_Scotch 1,627]

The post op food phases are there for a reason, no progression without your surgeon's say particularly this early post op.

[Elidh 238]

Talk to your surgeon! This is way too important an issue to consult with an Internet forum!

[Tomo 1,157]

I asked my surgeon and he said absolutely not. "Of all rules, the first few months are critical to follow the rules for safety reasons."

Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

[ShoppGirl 3,444]

This is the absolute most important time to stick to your surgeons plan. It’s for your own safety. You have come so far between the pre op hurdles and pre op diet and then surgery and the post op pain. Way to far to mess something up now. You are almost there. Just hang in there a little bit longer. You’ve got this.

Edited February 14, 2022 by ShoppGirl

[idk4w 22]

Thanks to those who responded kindly and respectfully.

I should have been more clear: I was not looking for medical advice here, but rather to know if different plans allowed different things. The bariatric community seems to be a large one and there are always differences in plans. My question was if this was one where everyone agreed or were there some of you out there who had a different approach given by your doctors before approaching my dr/nut with my question. Obviously I'd never dream of harming myself by not following medical orders. But reading these responses I see there is no point in even giving them a call, bec there seems to be a unanimous approach to this in the greater community. Thanks, all.

[RickM 1,747]

Yes, plans vary all over the map; some will be allowed steak at the same point that others may still be on liquids. Some start on soft and mushy if tolerated while others go by strict schedule. Some surgeons will advance their patients ahead of their published schedule for various reasons. Some programs will have a fair amount of individual variability while others are very cookie cutter.

Our program started with mushies and soft foods, though liquids were still a staple, particularly for Protein early on, and some could progress faster than others depending upon their tolerances. Other programs that are stricter with slower progressions may be so because of how they do their sleeves or pouches - maybe they are more delicate than other surgeons', or maybe they just haven't explored quicker progression yet, or maybe they have and ran into problems that other programs didn't - we, as patient, just don't know. So it is best to consult with your medical team - let them know that you feel that you may be able to progress quicker and they may allow you to explore that, or maybe not.