Ideal transition meals

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Jue said:

I had fish in parsley or cheese sauce with soft vegetables tuna mayo in a jacket potato cottage cheese similar to everyone else also have a look on pintrest there's loads of recipes and protien drink on the site just type in Biatric food stages

And anything you eat now that you didn't or couldn't in, for example, month 4?

[rjan 163]

As regards raw veggies, my particular surgeon didn't include information about them anywhere on their food plan. The plan had me back on "normal foods" at 6-8 weeks, with long term restrictions on certain things like coffee, soda. So I wasn't sure when I was supposed to add them back. I was really craving raw veggies starting at 3-4 weeks out because I have always enjoyed them. I ended up trying salad type veggies at ~2 months post-op, and then added things like carrots, cucumbers over the next month with no problems. My post on this topic from the time is linked below.

If you're just about to leave the soft food stage, it's probably too soon for raw veggies. But I think this may well be a good time to try some real meat and see how it sits with you - just cook it well, cut it up small, and start with a really small portion. Cooked veggies are also a good thing to add this stage. This was when I started to feel like I was really able to eat like a human being again.

[Jue 73]

I now eat salads vegetables I don't drink alcohol or fizzy drinks anymore cant stand the smell of alcohol don't eat much rice or Pasta but can eat bread at a minimal I didn't have anything till I was 13 weeks out but feeling good that's the main thing

[Arabesque 6,493]

No to raw vegetables but yes to cooked ones. I was happy to start eating them again but my old favourites (asparagus, sugar snap peas, broccolini) didn’t taste good for a while. I used to eat two green Beans or a dessertspoons of shredded cabbage or a small cauliflower floret. I also put a lot of vegetables in Soups & casserole type dishes (carrots, onions, celery, Tomato, mushrooms, capsicum, etc.) & after a couple of weeks omelettes. I could tolerate them better when cooked in with other things. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I still kept my Proteins tender & moist so they weren’t too so they wouldn’t stick in my throat. I was able to eat most meats though some people struggle with chicken breast (try thigh) or steak for a little while. It was probably three months when I started putting pulses & lentils into soups & such but through my choice. I ate three meals & by week 8 a snack which was usually a high Protein yoghurt/yoghurt drink. I remember some of my early lunches were a slice of smoked salmon, smeared with a little cream cheese wrapped around cucumber wedges (2in piece cut into quarters) or half a pork sausage (from a butcher not mass produced, highly processed) or some poached/steamed flaky white fish. Breakfast was rolled oats or scrambled eggs (took 3 days to eat 2 eggs). dinner was usually meat & vegetables. The meat might be steak, lamb cutlet, chicken thigh, a meat ball, bolognese with zucchini noodles & meat & vegetable soups. Serves were all pretty small like a golf ball size meat ball.

I’d dice my food as well so it would be small bites & used a teaspoon to eat for a few months until I graduated to a buffet fork (splade). And I’d use a small dish like a tapas bowl or ramekin or a side plate to serve the meal.

[Guest]

Thanks. I tried a bite of whole white fish from a friend's taco yesterday and it sat fine with me but was too nervous to take more than a bite. I'll try more soon.

[Guest]

Chewing your food - very important to chew everything very well. What happens if you forget one time and chew incompletely? It gets stuck? You feel sick?

[ShoppGirl 3,394]

I was told for veggies and meat to oversteam them to start and slowly steam less and less till normal. Raw veggies are not until after you can handle that. And for meat to add some type of sauce or gravy to start but slowly add less and less until you can eat it regular because of course the Condiments add calories.

[oldandtired 238]

I tried at first to "do right" and was nauseated by EVERYTHING. Mashed potatoes was the only thing I could keep down. Never could go back to the shakes.... Don't stress too much--stressing is about as bad on you as the procedure, in my opinion.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, oldandtired said:

I tried at first to "do right" and was nauseated by EVERYTHING. Mashed potatoes was the only thing I could keep down. Never could go back to the shakes.... Don't stress too much--stressing is about as bad on you as the procedure, in my opinion.

Agreed. Especially about the shakes. And the relaxing. Only one thing has done me in so far: cheese sauce/bechamel which was ☠️

[Spinoza 1,194]

I find it absolutely fascinating reading these responses. As I do reading everyone's experiences here.

For transition foods - for my main meal I ate whatever I cooked for my family, just as I did for the puree phase. That was - really soft meat based stews, hearty Soups (OMG endless variations on soup), chicken/bacon/mayo salad or tuna mayo salad, omelettes, etc. Instead of me cooking and eating what they liked, they ate what I needed - and we all survived! They had potatoes or Pasta or rice with theirs often, whereas I gave that part a miss. Loved thin oatmeal with stewed fruit and still have that for supper most nights.

Interesting to read your comment about chewing - at 3.5 months post-op I am getting bad at this and I always pay a price with stomach discomfort and rumbling. I really do need to slow my eating right down again.

[Guest]

@Spinoza (love the name, big fan of the writing) - I had some trouble recently and went back to my surgeon who said I need to quit eating any foods that cannot be chewed to nothing - an example is blueberry skins which I didn't tolerate. However since this advice I'm eating pieces of fish, chickpea curry and many other things. For some people, chewing is a good idea. For me it seems essential to the point that if some things aren't chewed to nothing they simply come straight back up. Which is weird because I can swallow a whole pill. But maybe it's the quantity too.