Becoming afraid of food (6 weeks post-op)

I was on a liquid diet for the first three weeks post-op, and a pureed diet for the next three.  For that, I was allowed to have any food I could puree, and I didn't have any issues.  For the last four days, I've been allowed regular food and I'm having a hard time finding things to eat that are high in protein and don't hurt my stomach.

Beef, chicken, and canned tuna cause pain.  I'm not a fan of fish, so I haven't tried anything other than tuna.  I've tried a quesadilla (whole wheat tortilla, light cheese) - threw that up.  I had half of a scrambled egg and it was okay - a little pain but not like with the meat/fish.  I can eat sliced cheese with hummus, cottage cheese, and yogurt with no problems, but I'm soooo tired of living on soft foods!  It's been six weeks! I didn't think I was pushing things, but maybe I am?

Any suggestions?

I would recommend talking to your surgeon.  Some people need to advance their diets more slowly than others, and you might be one of those people.  

Are you chewing your food really, really well?  Taking small bites?  Eating super slowly?  

Gwen, I could probably do all those things more than I am now.  The one time I've been out to eat, I ate super slowly and took tiny bites because I wasn't sure how the food would affect me and I didn't want to feel like crap instead of enjoying my time with my friends.  Amazingly, I didn't have any real problems that night.  Guess that should have clued me in!  I will definitely aim for slower eating with more chewing.

I plan on calling my nutritionist tomorrow to see if he has any specific food recommendations.  Just figured I'd check in with this board since I'm once again hating life after a very small spaghetti dinner. :-/

It is a challenge to figure out how our new bodies work, eh?  I hope someone else might have a good idea!

Hmmm.  Are you weighing your proteins to make sure you're not overestimating the quantity?  Do you like shrimp or crab at all?  They're both high in protein.  Crab mixed with a little mayo can go down smoothly.

It takes some people's stomachs longer to adjust.  Like Gwen suggested, eat very small bites and space them out.  It should take 20-30 minutes to finish a meal.  I know.  Sounds like a long time, and it is, but you're dealing with a newly sliced stomach and it's still in the healing stage.

My NUT told me that my teeny meals should take as long to eat as the large meals of the people I'm eating with.  Of course, I eat with REALLY FAST EATERS, so that doesn't work as a guide for me.  But it might work for other people!

Canned chicken mixed with mayo was one of the first solids I ate. If your proteins are very moist they usually go down better. I would ask your surgeon just to be safe. I'm 8 weeks out and can eat small amounts of just about any food (though I haven't had sugar and have had very few carbs). So at 6 weeks out I'm surprised you are throwing up, but everyone is different. You might just need to go more slowly.

I have started my solid food stage just recently and have been learning to eat again. Moist solid food works best for me, add sauces, light mayo, etc.   What I thought were small bites actually weren't I had to go smaller and even then chew  very very well. Keep trying.  Soft foods might be easier but you need to start at some point. 

My first egg took over an hour and I still didn't fini****! I am 5 weeks out and I eat slowly. I even drink slowly. If it is something like yogurt, I can eat a bit every minute. If I am eating chicken. That 2 ounces sometimes takes 1 1/2 hours to finish.

I downloaded an app: Eat Slower. It makes a sound every 3 minutes to let me know when to take a bite. Sometimes I have to move slower than that 3 minutes. It is OK. Take your sweet time eating. I made the mistake of taking bites too quickly and stomach pain reminded me not to be so foolish with my new sleeve. From what I heard, it takes 3 months before it is healed. Be gentle with it.

I can TOTALLY relate.  I am 8 weeks post op today and feel the same way.  About four-five weeks out I was throwing up multiple times a day and it was ROUGH.  I found that I was advancing my diet too quickly, and needed to take a step back.  I was also eating way too fast.  I would go back to the foods you know you can eat, for me it is yogurt, cheese, protein shakes for a few days until you haven't thrown up days in a row.  When you introduce new foods, do a 1/2 an ounce at one time, and eat VERY slowly.  I have been pretty much sticking to these foods for the last three weeks, and it has been much better.

I met with my NUT yesterday and explained my issues.  Some people just need more time, I am definitely one of those people.  She did encourage me to branch out.  At six weeks, technically we can eat "anything" but I am still very cautious.  Last night I had about 1/2 ounce of willow tree chicken salad, with some cut up cucumbers and spinach in 1/4 of a small Josephs wrap (these are great and very low carb).  I have trouble just eating meat.  She also suggest combining meats or meat salads with avocado, tomato, cucumber, cauliflower (steamed), and don't be afraid to still need a protein shake a day to meet your protein goals, I still do.

Just what worked for me, hopefully this helps!