In my pre- and post-op counseling, the nurse said I need to be on the Atkins diet forevermore. But I'm having problems eating chicken breast, steak, pork, and some vegetables (cabbage, the thick parts of the lettuce, the thick woody parts of the broccoli stem, etc.) They do not agree with me at all. Even salads are hard to digest sometimes. I have a problem with bread too, but I guess that's for the best.

Anyway, my problem is that my inability to digest these things weakens my resolve to make good choices, and instead go for things that I know will go down easy. For example, brought a Lean Cuisine for lunch and had trouble digesting it, so I dumped it and got a bag of chips out of the vending machine. Had no trouble getting that down!

I try to stick to fish and ground beef, but when that gets old it's much easier to turn to Pasta, etc.

Any thoughts?

If you are sure you are chewing well and taking small bites, you are too tight. Call your surgeon and have a little saline removed. What you describe is the classic sign!

Me, my surgeon and my nutritionist are NOT supporters of Atkins, but yes you do need to make sure you get enough protein. I too have trouble with meat as well. I can get down most anything, but 90% of the time, if I get stuck, meat is the culprit. I have found that dry meat is the worst. I buy organic, fat free gravy at the health food store and keep it on hand. It helps. Don't forget, cottage cheese, beans and some nuts are also sources of protein. I also buy high protein milk now. Just for insurance. Cook your meat slowly and at low temperature. (Like a pot roast, pulled pork or oven brisket) It seems to break it down a bit more and makes it easier to chew and digest. I also choose soft fish like tilapia instead of firm dry fish like swordfish. I like my veggies crisp for the nutrients, but if you cant eat them crisp, cook them a bit longer and save the pot liqour or "broth" to make soups and gravies with to moisten your food. Just some suggestions.....

Most of the things you mentioned you are having trouble with I was warned about prior to surgery. I focused on getting chicken so tender than it melted in my mouth. I use in a slow cooker or after boiling I'll put in cream of chicken Soup for a broth and cook all day 5 hours to get totally tender. I haven't been able to eat chicken out yet without PBING so its a at home food. Roasts no matter how hard I try don't like me either. I eat a ton of chicken and found I love snow crab legs so DH buys a 2 lb bag which is enough for 4 servings for me. They are expensive but Sams wharehouse has them for a decent price and its something to liven up my diet. Canned chiken and tuna work in salads for me I use the lite or low fat mayo. I also eat a lot of Beans, pinto and navy.......baked spaghetti with whole grain noodles

a few things that might add to your diet.....what shocks me the most is watermelon, my band doesn't like atermelon I don't get it at all

Congrats on getting a significant amount of restriction. :-) Don't lose resolve... this is exactly the way you're supposed to work the band. I agree with RestlessMonkey... now all you need is a slight unfill and those foods you mention will go down a easier and satisfy you for longer. Remember to chew, chew, chew of course, practically pureeing the food in your mouth. Eat slowly and you should start being satisfied on only a few ounces of food per meal.

I got my 2nd fill 5 days ago. Tried to eat garlic bread last night and realized it had trouble going down. Fantastic! I don't mind bread being permanently removed from my menu, as I still have plenty of other starches to choose from.

Potato chips and Pasta aren't bad, just don't rely on them too much. Same for pasta, as these will just keep the weight on. Everything in moderation. :-)

My doctor and nutritionists are totally against Atkins also. Too much fat and not realistic to live that way forever. Vegetables are hard for some people. Pasta is not easy for me, so I dont eat it. Everyone is different, but if you are getting disgusted, stick to low fat, locarb and high Protein. Try this site for high protein foods with variety :

www.highproteinfoods.net

good luck.

In my pre- and post-op counseling, the nurse said I need to be on the Atkins diet forevermore. But I'm having problems eating chicken breast, steak, pork, and some vegetables (cabbage, the thick parts of the lettuce, the thick woody parts of the broccoli stem, etc.) They do not agree with me at all. Even salads are hard to digest sometimes. I have a problem with bread too, but I guess that's for the best.

Anyway, my problem is that my inability to digest these things weakens my resolve to make good choices, and instead go for things that I know will go down easy. For example, brought a Lean Cuisine for lunch and had trouble digesting it, so I dumped it and got a bag of chips out of the vending machine. Had no trouble getting that down!

I try to stick to fish and ground beef, but when that gets old it's much easier to turn to pasta, etc.

Any thoughts?

After my 2nd fill, everything changed for me and suddenly I am having to re-discover what I can and can't eat...

certain super healthy foods that go down easy:

Lentils

Quinoa (new wonder food for me, super high Protein and whole grain at once)

cottage cheese

anything cooked in a slow cooker

chocolate (unfortunately!)

steamed carrots

pickled anything

Foods that don't go down easy:

any form of cabbage (darn!) even braised

tuna salad (unless its slathered in low-fat mayo)

raw tomatoes (this one is very sad for me!)

My doctor and nutritionists are totally against Atkins also. Too much fat and not realistic to live that way forever. Vegetables are hard for some people. Pasta is not easy for me, so I dont eat it. Everyone is different, but if you are getting disgusted, stick to low fat, locarb and high Protein. Try this site for high protein foods with variety :

www.highproteinfoods.net

good luck.

Thanks lipstix... awesome post and awesome site. I'm going to try quinoa. I've heard to many things about slow cookers to ignore so I'm gonna start looking for one. And the protein site is great. thanks! :-D

In my pre- and post-op counseling, the nurse said I need to be on the Atkins diet forevermore. But I'm having problems eating chicken breast, steak, pork, and some vegetables (cabbage, the thick parts of the lettuce, the thick woody parts of the broccoli stem, etc.) They do not agree with me at all. Even salads are hard to digest sometimes. I have a problem with bread too, but I guess that's for the best.

Anyway, my problem is that my inability to digest these things weakens my resolve to make good choices, and instead go for things that I know will go down easy. For example, brought a Lean Cuisine for lunch and had trouble digesting it, so I dumped it and got a bag of chips out of the vending machine. Had no trouble getting that down!

I try to stick to fish and ground beef, but when that gets old it's much easier to turn to Pasta, etc.

Any thoughts?

I am the queen of not being able to eat food with a band. Or... I was the queen. ;o) Thing is, if you can eat bad food then you can eat good food. If you can eat potato chips you can eat dried zucchini, dried green Beans, dried (name your veggie) chips.

If you can eat ice cream you can drink a Protein shake. If you can eat pudding you can eat home made refried beans.

Veggies... get a microwave steamer bag and steam the heck out of them. Put various types of flavored oils on them such as sesame oil if you like a Chinese flavor. Garlic olive oil if you like Italian. Just a bit, not a lot. No cheese but flavored quality oils. Good fats are not a horror, it takes good fats to lose weight. Bad fats are trans fats and such.

I disagree with your nurse, I maintain while limiting WHITE carbs to 20gms daily. Veggie carbs are unlimited. We did not get fat from eating beans and broccoli, we got fat from flour and sugar. If it has flour or sugar, don't eat it. THAT got you fat. Taking them out of your diet will get you thin.

The stem of broccoli is not what you want to eat anyway, you want to eat the flowery portion. That is where the Vitamins and Fiber are.

It will always be easier to change to pasta and such but that is what got us fat to begin with. Cutting out those foods and finding better choices will keep us thin.

I have found whole grain chips and low fat low carb salsa. I have not had my first fill yet and feel like I could still eat every thing in front of me but I found rye bread toated goes down real good and tuna and canned meats work wonders. I found 12 grain bread dosnt work for me. I also found micro-waved steamed veggies are a god send. I was on liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to the band and 1 week after (supposed to be 2). Hearty soups are a blessing. I like Healthy Choice. I found going to the grocery store is fun because I now read all the labels and find interesting different ways to make my meals. I often find some of the stuff I used to eat are not that bad. Lunch meat like very lean ham chopped up and add pickles and onion chopped fine and fat free miracle whip is great on any thing and can even fill wholes in your walls lol

Good luck and find the adventure fun!