I would be careful with salads...I personally would wait for at least a few weeks - even then, start SLOW!!! Sometimes the raw veggies can cause gas, which as I'm sure you know can be very uncomfortable for a new sleeve! I still (1 year out) struggle with salad, the lettuce is "bulky" and seems to take up a lot of space which I have reserved for protein, protein, protein! I will get a small salad with grilled chicken on it and make sure the chicken is the first thing to be eaten with a small amount of the lettuce...there is always leftover! Anyway, this is MY suggestion, I would check with your doctor/dietitian before giving it a try!

shoppinglady1972 wrote: »

I would be careful with salads...I personally would wait for at least a few weeks - even then, start SLOW!!! Sometimes the raw veggies can cause gas, which as I'm sure you know can be very uncomfortable for a new sleeve! I still (1 year out) struggle with salad, the lettuce is "bulky" and seems to take up a lot of space which I have reserved for protein, protein, protein! I will get a small salad with grilled chicken on it and make sure the chicken is the first thing to be eaten with a small amount of the lettuce...there is always leftover! Anyway, this is MY suggestion, I would check with your doctor/dietitian before giving it a try!

Agreed. This advice matches what I was told by my team. You are going to have trouble getting in enough protein and calories to begin with, and you won't have enough belly volume to accomodate raw veggies. Honestly, I am 6 months post-op, and I eat very few raw veggies at this point.

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Agreed. This advice matches what I was told by my team. You are going to have trouble getting in enough protein and calories to begin with, and you won't have enough belly volume to accomodate raw veggies. Honestly, I am 6 months post-op, and I eat very few raw veggies at this point. [/quote]

I am seven month post-op and I also eat very, very few raw veggies and fruits. I just don't have room for them.

I recently met w/the NUT for my 1 mo post and I was told no lettuce until at least 3 mos out. She said at that point to do the light lettuce w/out too much for strings to it, like iceberg. My first thought was that iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value so it would be a waste of stomach space for me to eat that.

I am almost 6 weeks out and other than green beans I've hardly tried vegetables yet because I know I'm not ready for them. I tried shredded carrots a few weeks ago and even had difficulty with that. Early on we aren't able to break down some of the fibre and skin found in fruits and vegetables. I love celery but don't think I'll be able to eat it for a few months yet. You can puree the vegetables if they are soft. Same goes for fruit. I put raspberries and Greek Yogurt in the Magic Bullet and I was fine for it.
Everyone is different as far as time needed to advance through the stages. Be kind to yourself and listen to your body. If something isn't sitting well after a taste or two, stop and try it again in a few weeks. Protein and water are the most important things that we need. At least that is what I have been taught. Hope this helps.
I had chili tonight for the first time at 6 weeks out. It went down well but I don't think I could have tolerated it much sooner.

I am about 14 weeks out and have tried a little bit of caesar salad and a little bit of steamed broccoli (not the stalks) and carrots and it went well. Again, though, just a little bit at a time.