I am almost two years post-surgery. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I am able to tolerate most foods. The foods I do have a problem with are sweets, but not all sweets. I can eat a little bit of chocolate and be fine, but if I eat a bite of a donut, I get a bad stomach ache. I can eat some starches like plain bread (although not too much at once), but starches like potatoes make me feel like I swallowed a brick and make my stomach uncomfortable. The only time I threw up was when I ate something that I added too much salt too, and that was early on. I can tolerate meat, dairy, veggies and fruit just fine. You really can't know what to expect post surgery. Your tastes will change not just from before surgery, but even after. Things that were ok the first couple of months, you might not like later on. It will be a lot of hit and miss as far as what will agree with you and what won't, and everyone is different as far as what they can tolerate.

I am almost 4 years out from surgery (November) and just like garber6th, I can tolerate most everything. That can be both good and bad. Bad because I tolerate alot of things that aren't good for me very well. Good in that I don't have to look like the "picky eater" when dining out or with friends. And just like garber6th, I have problems with sweets. Generally mine is the qty not the specific item itself. Too much sweet and I am physically ill. I get stomach cramps, sweat, and get a headache and have to lay down until it passes. I learned fairly quickly what triggered this and know my limits on sweets.
My tastes changed also and some things I loved before surgery don't even taste good after surgery like iced tea and most all the Crystal light flavors. I loved them all before but now can only drink a couple flavors. I have never had issues eating meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables. I can tolerate most grains and starches too, however too much and I feel bloated and overly full and almost like I can literally feel all my energy being drained out of me.

Thaeda wrote: »

I am 18 months out and I can eat everything. Rice is something I do not eat a lot of because it makes me feel overfull and uncomfortable- the only time I have rice is when I have sushi and I try to choose "low rice content" items like salmon or yellowtail rolls that just have a smidgen of rice in them.

I will eat a California roll (about 3-4 pc) every once in a while, too...yum. I generally avoid starchy foods, but when I've had them they sit fine. I can eat crappy foods if I want, too, although I surely don't recommend making a habit of it.

I can tolerate anything, really, although some foods either can't be eaten together, or I can't eat much of them. Sadly, eggs are one of the foods that will make me nauseated after more than a few bites. I also struggle with veggies at the same time as meat--so I've worked out eating my meal in courses where I have my salad or veg part first, and then the meat 10-15 min later (which is opposite plan protocol) because meat sits better on top than the veggies do. I make sure I get my protein in, though.

The only things I've found that I can't tolerate are yeasted bread (quick breads are fine) and anything carbonated. I don't throw up though. Bread makes my stomach feel really heavy and uncomfortable and I feel slightly nauseated. More than a couple sips of anything carbonated and I feel very uncomfortable and nauseated. Nothing else has given me any trouble. My surgeon has an extremely slow and cautious progression of post-op eating for his patients so I wasn't doing a lot of experimenting early on. I think that helped me stay comfortable and safe.

Only 6 months out but... I can tolerate most things. Protein shakes are still hard but it's mostly the thickness. If I get one at the market that is made fresh with soy protein instead of whey protein I am ok. For the longest time I couldn't eat eggs. I can now eat most of a soft boiled egg. I still have lots of problems with cooked meat. Raw fish is easiest to eat - I can eat 4ish oz of that. I can eat about 2 oz of cooked fish. I can eat about 1-1.5 oz of dark meat chicken. I can't really eat any beef or pork or lunch meat. I can tolerate small amounts of rice, bread, etc. no problem. Like the above poster, no carbonation. I once opened a diet rootbeer and left it in the fridge for 3 days until it was mostly flat. One sip still made me throw up.

At 4 years out the only thing that still bothers me is plain black coffee. Pre surgery I always drank it that way. Post surgery it has to have even just a touch of cream in it or it makes my stomach ache. I know, don't drink it right? I am addicted to coffee. I willingly and for the most part easily gave up everything else I was addicted to (ie Ice Cream), I'm keeping the coffee since it won't make me fat or keep me from losing weight. Other than that, a little sweet is OK, but over doing it with any kind of candy or dessert makes me nauseous. Like others on here, that one bite too many makes me very flemmy and most times I will lose that "too much". I can easily avoid that by paying attention to my full cue. For me that's the sensation of needing to burp. When I feel that I know I'm done, yes even if I do actually burp. It also means I have to eat slowly, because if I eat too fast I'm past the cue before I register it. And then I'm throwing up the too much.

gardendoc wrote: »

Giving up coffee pre surgery was "painful". I couldn't wait to french press my first cup after. My go-to bean is Death Wish coffee. I haven't seen any detrimental effects yet.

I didn't give up coffee pre-surgery, but my surgeon said I had to wait six months post surgery to drink coffee again. Trust me, 6 months to the day, I had coffee. It was a rough breakup but I was so happy when we got back together :-) I also haven't seen any detrimental effects, thank goodness!

Like others, sweets are a hit/miss thing for me. Pre-surgery I loved ice cream. Post-surgery, it doesn't seem to sit very well so I stay at few spoonful's at most. I don't do much bread because it feels like a brick in my stomach, even when I toast it first. I can do a little bit of decaf coffee, but too much causes stomach irritation.

rpyle111 wrote: »

pawoodhull wrote: »

gardendoc wrote: »

Giving up coffee pre surgery was "painful". I couldn't wait to french press my first cup after. My go-to bean is Death Wish coffee. I haven't seen any detrimental effects yet.

Curious. Can you or do you drink it black or do you have to "doctor" it?

I'm not gardendoc, but I can (and prefer to) still drink it black. I have almost always been a black coffee drinker, and the main thing I have noticed is that these days, a majority of my protein powder is mixed into coffee, I have been developing a taste for the milky/sweet coffee that I never had before. I will have to be careful not to add Starbucks et al into my routine.

Rob

Occasionally I have a soy latte from Starbucks. Without any syrup, or with sugar free syrup, it's about 130 calories and 7 grams of protein. Not too bad if I treat it as a snack, but yeah, it probably wouldn't be a good daily habit to get into!

I'm almost 8 months out. I have to be careful around pasta, if only have a small amount and chew well I'm good but too quick and it all comes up! I can't have bagels or thick bread because they sit like a rock in my chest. Sometimes spaghetti or red sauce gives me heartburn but other than those exceptions I can eat almost anything. Try to stay on the straight and narrow though, not a lot of pasta breads or sweets. Mostly meats, salads fruit etc.

2 years out (this month) and I have very little difficulty with food. I avoid most rice and pasta dishes as they fill me very quickly with little nutritional value (though I do like an occasional serving).

• Carbination causes an uncomfortable bloated feeling. Limits my beer choices (no light beers) - no soda at all.
• Heavy breads and bagles go down like rocks
• Unflavored water makes me nauseous unless it's a premium bottled brand (Smart Water). I need to put a bit of lemon or lime into just about everything else

kc82 wrote: »

I am 2 years and 3 months post-op. I still have a hard time digesting milk. If I drink more than 1/2 a cup, I feel sick and nauseated. Same thing goes for ice cream. I now drink Fair Life milk as its the only one I can digest with no issues. Plus it has a TON of protein in 1 cup.

Bread of any kind is a no-no and sits like a rock. Not a good feeling, so I try to avoid it. (I now make and eat Cloud Bread). You can find the recipe on Pinterest! Some recipes are different. I use cottage cheese in mine and add a packet of splenda to the mix. Super easy.

I can pretty much tolerate everything else... and like others have said... that's either a good thing or a bad thing. I still love starchy foods like rice, but I avoid them at all cost because they are TOO filling and do not allow me to get my protein in.

I'm ALL about the Fair Life skim milk!!! It lasts so long. Which is good bc I'm the only milk drinker in my house and 1 container lasts me a month!

I'm 18 months out and just like capecodgirl50, I can eat just about anything except ice cream, salad, milk, bread, pasta or rice. I also tend to stay away from pork, i have a hard time digesting that. Unfortunately i do not have a problem with slider foods (like chips) so i am working on eliminating them completely.

I'm also 5 months out, but I still struggle with steak and pork other than sausage/bacon. I also get a bad stomach ache with tougher/stringier veggies and fruits (Asparagus, kale, squash unless it is pureed, orange membranes, etc). I haven't tried much bread/rolls yet, I still rarely have room after getting my protein in.

I don't think any food per se bothers me it is usually if it is dry (esp chicken breast or white pork) or I eat too fast. I get a pain in my chest and I start drooling. My nose starts running and sometimes I throw up slimey stuff. So eat slow. Small bites. Make sure your food is moist.