NSVs, and eating issues

I'm 14 weeks post op this week.  I've jumped over the first 50 lb hurdle and am staring Wonderland in the face.  I went from a XXL scrub to an XL scrub and all of my exercise clothes are way too loose.  I got my first two complements on looking good this week (yea!)  But I've had problems since surgery with nausea and a difficult time eating.  I never made it really off pureed stage and am still eating a lot of soups.  However, I'm hoping that since the emergency surgery to have my gall bladder removed 2 weeks ago, things will get better.  After a week bout (just after the surgery) with the flu and a weekend of being iced in, I'm headed to the grocery store.

I have eaten chicken salad and tuna salad and salmon OK.  I tried chicken meatballs and they were too heavy... Nothing tastes good if I really think about it....  But I think I need to branch out.  If anyone has ideas/recipes for their favorite proteins coming off pureed I's appreciate the advice. And I seem to be afraid of vegetables.  I did eat a few small bites of salad the other day but it did not sit well.  Am I going to be on chicken noodle soup (sans noodles) forever? 

Are you on a PPI? Your nausea sounds a lot like the symptoms that I have with reflux. I don't have the classic heartburn, just the nausea and trouble eating really dense proteins like chicken. 

Yep.  I'm on Dexilant, a very powerful PPI.  They think the nausea was related to my gallbladder and truthfully is has gotten better since surgery, but I haven eaten much but chicken broth since then.....

I'm on Dexilant too. It's wonderful to finally be using something that seems to work! I hope that the gallbladder was all it was. Take care of yourself!

Congrats on 50 pounds lost already!!!  Rockin' that sleeve fo sho!!!!

I was nervous to bring veggies back into my diet earlier out too.  They just seemed too bulky and I was afraid they would hurt my sleeve.  I brought them back in slowly around 3 months out.  You are there so just be cautious.  Even at 3 months, something like meatballs can still sit heavy in your sleeved tummy.  Good thing is, you wont want to eat much of them.  I was still drinking 1 protein shake a day to get my protein in. 

I think it's Jolly Green Giant who has those veggie steamers that you can find in the frozen food section at the market.  I was pleasantly surprises on their stats since a lot of them are in a buttery type sauce.  Not sure if any of that is artificially flavored but you won't be able to eat much of it.  It would be a great introduction to eating some veggies.  The sauce will make it more tolerable to digest.  Plus, these veggies are nice & soft so that's another plus!  Even kno when I am trying to keep the carbs low, I usually pick more at the broccoli & cauliflower & leave the carrots.  For a "cooked 3/4 cup" serving it's 45 cals, 10 carbs, & .5 fat grams.  I now eat more like 1/2 cup of those veggies.  You will probably be more like 1/4 cups.  You will get a few carbs from the veggies but all veggies have a little carbs and are obviously the good carbs for us.  Best of luck so far on your WL journey!!!

Thank for the suggestion.  I'll try those.  My doc wanted me on veggies weeks ago but with all the gallbladder issues I've been hesitant to try them.  Now, with no gall bladder I'm hoping for success.  I never thought I'd crave veggies but I'm starting to!

Hello,

Awesome on the 50! Good for you:)...I am one month out and eating regular food...I had stayed away from beef...but I found that ground beef goes down really easy....I add a little bit of taco seasoning when I brown it up (don't over cook) then sprinkle with a few pieces of 2% cheddar...tastes great!

Thanks for the support....  I'll try the ground beef (I havent have beef in months and months!)...

Try mild tasting veggies (cauliflower is a good one) that have been very well cooked so they're mushy.  And some kind of sauce or gravy to help them go down.  I'm eight months out and still find raw carrots don't sit well, but I can eat most veggies, particularly if they're cooked to a decent degree of softness.

Maybe try lentils?  The red ones cook quickly (5 - 10 minutes) and are amenable to pretty much any kind of spicing up, from heavy Indian spices to a bit of chicken broth and sage.  They go soft and mushy, and can almost act as a sauce or gravy on  meats and veg.  They do contain carbs, but low gylcemic index, and they have a good amount of protein.

Because I had my surgery in Mexico, and there is no post-op support from my surgeon, I've read dozens of diet guidelines from bariatric surgeons around the country.  One of them included a warning in their post-op eating instructions to be highly conscious in transitioning from mushy food to solid foods so as to not to develop maladaptive eating patterns.  I guess the point is to be sure to venture out and start eating regular foods.  Especially with all you've gone through, I'm sure you're reluctant to eat something that will cause you nausea and possibly vomiting.

I eat lots of chicken, and I cook it with broth and soups, so as to keep it moist.  I also love salmon and other kinds of fish.  Fish is easy to eat.  The first kind I tried was tilapia, and it is pretty soft, so it goes down easily.  Like others have said, if you eat vegetables, make sure they're pretty soft, well cooked zuchinni, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, etc.  Salad is tough to start with because it's raw foods.  You might to wait some for that.

50 lbs is impressive.  Congrats!