Portions, burping and water!

Hi?

So here is the thing:  I am in my fourth week, since surgery I have had a really hard time getting my water, I just can't hold it.  My dr has released me to eat regular food but even at four weeks I feel like I can only eat half an egg or three small pieces of chicken breast or a small slice of cheese.  Even in those small amounts I burp like crazy afterwards.  I have had two foamy incidents and I don't want a third, but I am getting really frustrated .  Am I still eating too fast? Is there a time limit?  My dr encourages food over protein shakes which is good because I'm intolerant of artificial sweeteners, lactose intolerant although the cheese in small amounts don't bother me, gluten sensitive and IBS so  gassed stuff if at all in moderation only.  I know my road is harder then most but I am doing my best.  Sometimes I am not even hungry but feel like I need to eat to get my protein, and sometimes I feel ravounous, how do you know you are hungry? And that it's not head hunger?  I am so confused!  I don't regret anything, just didn't realize I would be spending all my waking hours burping.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks in advance!

Smiles:),

Lisa

If you just measure out what you can have and eat 5/6 times a day.  At 4 weeks that was 2 oz/1/4 cup.  For me it looked like, I had a protein coffee in the am, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1/4 cup canned chicken, much moister, a very moist egg scrambled with 1/2 oz cheese, 1/4 cup tuna with T mayo. I would eat each of these over 30 minutes.

I still at 9 months use protein shakes/quest bar to get my protein though.  

Thanks, I will try that!  My dr told me to eat 5 small meals but his sleeves are small and tight so it's more like 3 meals and maybe a snack and still can only get around 32 oz of water.  Thanks for the response!

The most important thing is to get AT LEAST 64 oz of water so you don't dehydrate.

I was still at a half of a scrambled egg at 6-8 weeks out.......

Chicken breast should be the absolute last protein you should try to get back in your diet. Even at 4 years out chicken breast is the hardest to navigate. I need to really cut/shred it up and top it with something wet. In a few weeks try wet ground chicken.

At 4 weeks I'd recommend eating any solid food very wet. Think soup like..... Eggs and moist fish for a month or so, than start adding moist wet denser proteins.

Nothing wrong with extending purred stage if you can't tolerate the shakes. I extended each phase by more than a week each.

Don't worry about calories to much..... Keep your hydration up and get as much protein in as you can.

**** I'd still keep on the hunt for protein powders or shakes you can tolerate.

Sounds like your actually doing fine..... just gotta get used to it.... it's not easy and your going through the hard part right now. It's really the ones 4 weeks out that are eating 4oz. of anything and are already at 800cals that should worry......

Under eat your sleeve capacity by eating fixed/measured amounts of food. Keep the food soft and wet. Eat slow.....if it's 4 bites at 5 minutes per. that's a perfect 20 minutes.

frisco

Frisco,

Oh my gosh, thank you for saying that, it's good to know that half an egg is normal at 4 weeks, I was seriously starting to feel like something might be wrong with me.  I will add fish to my shopping list and maybe just purée some soup with protein in it.  I had no idea about the chicken, I thought beef was the hard thing to get used to.  How do you moisten your food, broth, is gravy ok?  Thanks for the response you really eased my mind.  Can we ever eat peanut butter?  Seems like it would get stuck.........that sounds like a good time frame, I will start eating 5 minutes a bite! I guess I feel over zealous  thinking I should be farther out then I really am.  It's good to know I can take more time easing into protein.  Will eating and drinking much slower stop or slow the burping, or is it just a hazard of the sleeve?

thanks for responding Frisco, you were very helpful,

Smiles:),

Lisa

Broth is good.... try to stay away from gravy unless it is low carb and low fat. Anything that is thick normally has flour/starch and fat.

Light non creamy soups are good for moistening.

Two things that stopped my WL during losing phase were peanut butter and beef jerky..... everyone is different, but I think peanut butter is more of a maintenance food and even than very limited.... lots of calories. Lot's of people do well with beef jerky..... for me I think it was the sodium and made me retain water.

One of your most important goals should be to get at least 64oz of fluids in per day...... the most common problem people get into is dehydration.

My opinion (not telling you to go against your doctor) protein supplements were very important for me during WL..... just one a day makes all the difference.

Yes, I think slowing things down and eating wetter foods will help the burping...... sounds like your getting the food kinda stuck.

frisco

Frisco, 

Not to keep bending your ear, but could you recommend a protein supplement?  I tried to look and am not finding anything, I read something about amino  acid capsules? Are they the same?  Yep your right about getting stuck, hate the foamies.  Good point about the peanut butter and beef  jerky, my dr said not to worry about salt right now since I am eating so little, but I agree with you on the jerky, plus I have a feeling it would be hard to digest just like the chicken.......... Thank you so much for all your help....I'm going shopping tomorrow, good advice on the soup!

Smiles:),

Lisa

I know when I first started eating solid foods I was frustrated, too.  I felt like I was eating all day long and was always stuffed.  I finally realized that just because I was allowed to eat all solid food, it didn't mean that I had to eat all solid foods.  I backed off and went back to 3 of my 5 small meals being shakes or protein soup and it made all the difference in the world.  After a week or two, I was eating 3 solid meals, then 4, and now 5.  Take it as slow as your body needs to.

Jane

im three months out...and i burp after everything even drinking water.....and i had the foamies (and vomitting) right up until 2.5 months out...luckily nothing in the last two weeks, but i have kind of limited my diet now and am eating the same food most days which i dont mind.  I do eat chicken and it doesnt bother me...i get the tyson frozen chicken breast from the states they are 4 oz and chicken broth is used in the chicken so the breast are moist (and with 4 oz i give an oz or so to the dogs - or cut up half for my lunch the next day).  Find what you can eat right now and go with that...everything else will settle down with healing.  The burping drives me nuts but hey im losing inches like crazy so it catn be that bad...im sure that to will get a bit better.  Good luck ( i hadnt even realized i was burping one morning until my friends little boy in the back seat started yelling excuse me...excuse me  repeating what i said lol)