Crazy question regarding red meat....

Prior to surgery, I always heard that it can take your body up to 3 days to digest red meat......now having had surgery I was wondering if that's still the same with ground beef or if it's a shorter because of our intestines being rerouted.   I love Wendy's chili but think I may be going overboard so I know I need to nip it in the bud but it really does satisfy me and give me the protein I need.    Just curious!   Thank you!  Sherry

Why do people go to Wendy's for chili? I have had it before WLS and I don't think it was that great, kind of like any normal chili I have had, and I bet it comes out of a can anyway. Wouldn't a can of good chili be a better choice at home? You would not be tempted to just try a few fries. Not picking on you, but see Wendy's chili talked about all the time and wonder why.

Wendy's chili is probably commonly used as it's consdered "an acceptable fast food" and is convenient to buy.  I had not issues with Wendy chili, but I don't have it very often. Usually, trouble with red meat, are the denser cuts of meat, not ground meat. I still have issues 6 years post op with steaks.  When I rarely have steak anymore, it's cooked at home, and I still have to reach for the papaya enzyme to help me the first couple of hours after eating. DAVE

 We are all so  different. I have had steak just about from the first day I was put back on solid food. I have had steak, ground beef, meatloaf, and other things made with beef. But give me some fish and I will get sick and I love fish. I would think that you really need to eat very slow. Last night for instance I had a nice piece of beef steak. It was exactly 2.5oz on a scale, which I use all the time. I set my timer for 15 minutes and was no way done eating it. I reset the timer for another 15 minutes and still was not completely done with the steak. I chewed and chewed on each bite which were smaller than the nail on my little finger. Much smaller in most cases. I tell you this to show how I get away with eating steak. If I were to eat more than that or not take over a half an hour to eat 2.5oz I would be sick. So it is up to you if you want to go through the process as I do to eat red meat. For me it is worth it, for you maybe not. And some folks can not eat it no matter what they do.    And for me, now don’t get mad at me, it is just my preference, there is NO acceptable anything in Wendy’s. I don’t go in bars or taverns for a similar reason. But you may have more willpower than me.   

I know that I digest things *much* more quickly than I did pre-op. Red meat does seems to stick with me a little longer (which is good because I am a grazer when I get hungry). That said, I grind my own meat at home most of the time because it is hard for me to digest when it's overcooked. Pretty much any piece of red meat I have is medium-rare.

Wendy's chili is an okay choice, but I have to agree with Larry that you're better off making your own. It will have significantly fewer processed ingredients and excess sodium. I make it, portion it into containers, and freeze it so I have lunches for work. Sometimes I use bison instead of beef and that is awwwwesome.

I found it really fun post-op to re-invent some of my old fast food loves. My favorites thus far has been replacing lasagna noodles with zucchini sliced on a mandoline, and making "french fries" out of parsnips. Best wishes to you!

Honestly, I'm fine with steak and stuff now. I have to chew the hell out of an overcooked steak so it won't get stuck, but I like medium rare anyway and cook my own on the grill. The first few months, not so much.

I quit eating fast food also. I didn't want the temptation of going there and wanting something I shouldn't have. Those ads for ice cream still get me. I can't eat ice cream at all. I'm lactose intolerant and dump so badly. Over 5 years without ice cream. Boo. Anyway, I make everything myself now and know that it's not processed and salted to death.