When did you progress to soft but solid food after surgery?

Moe4572

I had surgery 2 weeks ago today. I do not like protein shakes, and I despise yogurt, but that is what i have been eating, since that is what is allowed .

I was thinking that tomorrow at my 2 week appt, I would get the green light for soft/pureed foods, but a friend with the same Dr. told me she did not get that green light until 6 week mark.

I realize everyone is different, but when did you get cleared?

cmchandler74

My surgeon had just switched to a new regimen right before my surgery because he said they had found it cut down on the number of leaks/surgical fixes they end up having to go back in and do. All his patients (including me) do 4 weeks of full liquids (this was the change - it was previously 2), 2 weeks of pureed foods, 2 weeks of soft mechanical and then regular food.

ki4eld

Mine did "as tolerated" once I hit the 10 day mark. My surgery was January 19th and I could barely look at food or even drinks afterwards. Even protein shakes killed me. On January 31st, I woke up hungry, ate the stuff below and never looked back. I think the "as tolerated" was important. If they'd said to eat a specific thing at a specific time, I might have moved too quickly to stay on the doc's time schedule. As it was (really IS), I eat as tolerated even now. I'm hungry, I eat. I'm not, I don't.

AngieViolet

At 2 weeks, I was able to start puréed/soft foods. I'm cautious and still have yogurt for bfast, shake for lunch, then I have 1-2 foods a day as dinner and snack. I still keep mine very thin using fairlife skim milk. Tat2Cookies root mash, low fat ricotta bake, and fat free refried beans with light sour cream are my staples. I'm on this phase for 6 more weeks. My advice...get your protein in early because the puréed/soft foods can fill you up a LOT more. Today I had 2 saltines with a fat free crab salad (that is allowed by my doc) and I got full after just a few bites...worth it for the crunch though! Good luck at your appt!!! Oh...quick suggestion...buy 3.5 oz plastic cups with lids! You can get them on Amazon...makes portion control a breeze and easy to pack when going places!

Tawnykakers1

I go in tomorrow also. Since my surgery the smell of whey makes me nauseated. According to my preop class and the manual They handed out today would have started my puree phase. I just decided to wait til I see the surgeon tomorrow. For me the soft diet phase starts at 4 weeks and goes on until week 6. Like everything else there seems to be differences between surgeons. It may also be different by person depending on how they are healing. I've also been told to hold off on vitamins until tomorrow. I'm dragging so much. I need energy!

AngieViolet

Tawnykakers1: you are gonna feel sooo much better after starting your vits! I still struggle with energy in the evenings, but I'm a new person in the morning! If you are missing some texture options, I can't say enough about the bariatric advantage calcium chews. My caramel ones are like a soft chew caramel candy. It is a nice option. Make sure you have miralax at home once you start your calcium routine lol!

Moe4572

I got advanced to Stage 4 Foods--Soft, pureed!! Dr. said everything was good.....the pain I have while drinking is normal, but told me to take prevacid in the morning with applesauce and that should help. I am so excited to eat something not milky, or creamy....even if I get 2 bites in that will make me happy!!! I started vitamins the week after surgery except for calcium citrate does not start until Stage 5.

Tawny--how was your appt?

Tawnykakers1

Moe4572 wrote: »

I got advanced to Stage 4 Foods--Soft, pureed!! Dr. said everything was good.....the pain I have while drinking is normal, but told me to take prevacid in the morning with applesauce and that should help. I am so excited to eat something not milky, or creamy....even if I get 2 bites in that will make me happy!!! I started vitamins the week after surgery except for calcium citrate does not start until Stage 5.

Tawny--how was your appt?

I've been advanced to pureed and I can gradually add soft as I feel up to it. I was out shopping today with my daughter so I stuck to a protein shake. It was just convenient and easier. I did have two small bites of my daughters mashed potatoes. I was in heaven. I know not to make them a regular thing but I enjoyed those bites and I refuse to feel guilty. I was also told since my blood pressure is doing good without my medication that I can stop it all together. Woohoo! I was on the lower side of hypertension but I did not expect to get off of them so quickly. I also got the ok for my vits so I can't wait to see how I feel. I never took B12 its a nasal spray. Angie I'm on a perscription program for my vitamins(BariActiv) its cheaper for me. The calcium is like a tums they taste a tad better.

Moe4572

I tried an egg last night.....went down ok, then pain, then came back up.........stayed with protein shake while at work and will try something mushier tonight at dinner time..........possible egg was too much to start with?

ki4eld

@Moe4572 it can take a while. A friend had VSG in September and is just now getting into solid food. Her liquid stage was 9 weeks long. Try and see is all you can do. Give it a week or so, then try again.

Tawnykakers1

I was gonna try an egg this morning but decided to wait. Now reading what it felt like for you I'm glad I did not try one yet. I want one so bad. I think I'll wait a few days before I try.

sinderstorm

Eggs took me awhile to be able to handle. Cottage cheese, greek yogurts, tuna salad, and sauteed shrimp were all early successes for me.

Tawnykakers1

sinderstorm wrote: »

Eggs took me awhile to be able to handle. Cottage cheese, greek yogurts, tuna salad, and sauteed shrimp were all early successes for me.

Your right with the tuna! I had pureed tuna with lowfat mayo with a little seasoning. It was delish and went down well. I was gonna add a little water but it pureed well. So far no problems and I ate it over 7 hours ago. I want to buy plain yogurt to use with it next time. Certainly better than any protein shake!

Autum1031

I am in Week 4. For my plan, it's liquid for the first two weeks, 1 week of puree, 1 week of soft/mechanical, then to regular food. So I'm in the soft/mechanical phase, but I plan to continue this one more week because I've been having a really tough time. I'm not tolerating any of the protein shakes or powders (I've tried milk based, whey, whey isolate, soy and egg based with no success). I've been really miserable. I'm doing my best to keep my eye on the prize, but since I've also hit the very common week 4 stall, I'm definitely in Regret This Decision mode this week.

Having said all that, this is what is working for me this week: Greek yogurt, Colby cheese, slow cooker chicken w/broth, smooshed cooked carrots. tender green beans, ground turkey meatloaf w/ fat free gravy. Slow cooker turkey chili w/ beans was a very bad idea-- not a good idea to eat beans when one is already full of gas! Tonight I had tuna chunks with a light sauce, that was merely OK. Definitely harder to eat, gave me a little heartburn and an upset tummy.

I'm trying eggs this weekend, fingers crossed it works OK. Anything I can do to get off the protein shakes...

sinderstorm

Another meal that worked really well for me was cold premade deli soups that you just need to reheat. I'd heat those up, add a scoop of musclegen genepro protein powder (unflavored and mixes in super smooth) and eat 1/2 cup of that for a meal during my soft food phase. Broccoli and Cheese, potato, and chowders all went really well for me and I still usually have a container of some kind of premade soup in my fridge for a quick, easy meal with a ton of protein from the powder I add in.

AngieViolet

Ok...I've got something that I think is awesome! Today I got a packet of Tyson chicken (packed like the tuna packs...super easy), added bolthouse honey mustard and some light mayo and mashed it up ready well. It was yummers!! I was able to package that into 5 meals!