What can you eat in the 1st month and 2nd month after WLS

[Guest guest]

What are you able to eat the 1st month?

I have said over and over that the 1st 30 days after having weight loss surgery

are the very hardest to do. I think there are several things that make it so

hard. The first is we were used to chewing a lot of food at one time and then

swallowing it. Now you are on clear liquids. I got bored with them. The 1st

10 days was the worst. Then the creamy stage came along and I loved being able

to have creamy soups. Remember now you can add your protein drinks that are

creamy to this stage—you will be able to get some good quality protein. When I

got to the mushy stage this was a bit of a challenge for me. (My husband and

his great sense of humor suggested Gerber baby food.) Believe me I considered

it. I made some chicken soup and put it in the blender and it was chunky—it was

good and I was getting some protein too from it. I also made a big pot of

veggie soup and mashed it up in the bowel when I ate it. If you make a big pot

of Veggie soup everyone in the family can eat it. The last 10 days are when you

are learning to take that tiny baby bites and then swallow.

I suggest that when you get to the mushy stage that you start to practice taking

tiny, small baby bites of food. For most of your life you have been inhaling

your food, barely chewing it and almost swallowing it whole with 2 or 3 bites.

That will NO longer work for you once you finish the 1st 30 days. That was my

biggest problem when I started to eat regular food again. I still sometimes

have to set my fork down and chew and chew and chew. It is a learning lesson.

During the 1st month after WLS, your brain is still thinking in the mode of

where you used to be before WLS.

PLEASE remember that our brain really could convince us before to eat and eat

and eat. We ate for all the wrong reasons. We ate when we were bored, upset,

hurt, scared, or anxious. I am sure there was many more reason why we ate. NOW

you are going to have to learn to listen to your stomach and know that you are

full. Some signs are hiccups or runny nose—pay attention to those signs. The

brain plays tricks on us—many of us call this " head hunger. " The brain really

will try to tell you that you are starving and you should eat more. Those are

" head hunger games " and you need to learn the difference between do I NEED to

eat or do I just WANT to eat.

SO WHAT DO I EAT STARTING THE 2ND MONTH

I started with what I will call soft or easy to chew proteins.

1. Soft Boiled eggs or scrambled eggs cooked in a pan with PAM spray.

2. Chicken breast with NO skin—baked, grilled, broiled, steamed, boiled, or

roasted. Look for a cookbook that shows you 100 different ways to fix chicken.

3. Fish no skin no bones it is worth getting it this way—Grilled, roasted,

steamed, broiled, or in a pan cooked with PAM spray—dip it in a little egg for

more protein.

4. Turkey breast with NO skin—baked, grilled, broiled, steamed, boiled, or

roasted. You can also cook it in a pan with PAM spray.

These proteins can be cooked so many different ways. At first I would cook them

pretty simple and use different " rubs " on them for flavor. Fresh squeezed

Lemmon or Lime really added a lot of flavor to them. I eat very little RED

meat. I was a lover of red meat in the past, but I no longer eat much of it. I

try to keep my carbs down to about 25 or 30 carbs per day. I use WHOLE GRAIN

carbs and not whole wheat.

It takes time and effort to plan what you are going to eat. It takes a while to

adjust your lifestyle to eating like this. This is NOT A DIET, but a lifestyle

change that will last a life time. I also exercise at least 5 days a week.

I ate fresh veggies and usually steamed them or had them raw and a small amount

of fresh fruit helped too.

You are only going to be able to eat small amounts of protein—maybe 1 oz. per

meal and ¼ of a cup of veggies this second month. You will look at your plate

and think is this all I am going to get—then you eat and figure out pretty

quickly that you are full.

I still eat these same foods 2 years and 8 months later, only I now eat a little

more of each of them. I also STILL drink my Premier Protein drink for breakfast

every day. It has 30 grams of protein and it just works for me to drink it—that

is all I have for breakfast. I have some small snacks during the day too, and

they consist of nuts or veggies.

Yes, I have a something sweet now and then, but in small amounts and NOT every

day. A sliver of cake—not a big piece, or 1 cookie, not 5 or 6. It is more

about the taste, and once I have satisfied the taste, I am ok and I don't feel

deprived at ALL. As time goes on you will become more creative with what you are

cooking and will find what tastes good to you.

Take some of your old recipes and reinvent them to something that you can eat

now with you new and improved stomach.

If you have any questions just E-mail me.

Suzanne

Sleeved 10/21/2008

Lost 105 pounds.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for sharing this Suzanne....I am 9 days postop and am struggling. Dr

Aceves added 5 days to my thin liquid phase, due to the excessive scar tissue

from the band.

I am down 17lbs since surgery...I am just so tired and weak..I emailed Gaby

today and she said I could add those Premiere Protein drinks to my diet now,

since they aren't too thick, I think this will help...

Your post was exactly what I needed...THANK YOU!!!! I am not regretting this for

one moment...just tired of my thin liquid options and struggling to get my

protein in...the Unjury chicken soup and whey nectar makes me gag!!

I just keep telling myself that this is for just a short time and it will be

worth it!!

>

> What are you able to eat the 1st month?

> I have said over and over that the 1st 30 days after having weight loss

surgery are the very hardest to do. I think there are several things that make

it so hard. The first is we were used to chewing a lot of food at one time and

then swallowing it. Now you are on clear liquids. I got bored with them. The

1st 10 days was the worst. Then the creamy stage came along and I loved being

able to have creamy soups. Remember now you can add your protein drinks that are

creamy to this stage—you will be able to get some good quality protein. When I

got to the mushy stage this was a bit of a challenge for me. (My husband and

his great sense of humor suggested Gerber baby food.) Believe me I considered

it. I made some chicken soup and put it in the blender and it was chunky—it was

good and I was getting some protein too from it. I also made a big pot of

veggie soup and mashed it up in the bowel when I ate it. If you make a big pot

of Veggie soup everyone in the family can eat it. The last 10 days are when you

are learning to take that tiny baby bites and then swallow.

>

>

> I suggest that when you get to the mushy stage that you start to practice

taking tiny, small baby bites of food. For most of your life you have been

inhaling your food, barely chewing it and almost swallowing it whole with 2 or 3

bites. That will NO longer work for you once you finish the 1st 30 days. That

was my biggest problem when I started to eat regular food again. I still

sometimes have to set my fork down and chew and chew and chew. It is a learning

lesson.

> During the 1st month after WLS, your brain is still thinking in the mode of

where you used to be before WLS.

>

> PLEASE remember that our brain really could convince us before to eat and eat

and eat. We ate for all the wrong reasons. We ate when we were bored, upset,

hurt, scared, or anxious. I am sure there was many more reason why we ate. NOW

you are going to have to learn to listen to your stomach and know that you are

full. Some signs are hiccups or runny nose—pay attention to those signs. The

brain plays tricks on us—many of us call this " head hunger. " The brain really

will try to tell you that you are starving and you should eat more. Those are

" head hunger games " and you need to learn the difference between do I NEED to

eat or do I just WANT to eat.

>

> SO WHAT DO I EAT STARTING THE 2ND MONTH

>

> I started with what I will call soft or easy to chew proteins.

>

> 1. Soft Boiled eggs or scrambled eggs cooked in a pan with PAM spray.

>

> 2. Chicken breast with NO skin—baked, grilled, broiled, steamed, boiled, or

roasted. Look for a cookbook that shows you 100 different ways to fix chicken.

>

> 3. Fish no skin no bones it is worth getting it this way—Grilled, roasted,

steamed, broiled, or in a pan cooked with PAM spray—dip it in a little egg for

more protein.

>

> 4. Turkey breast with NO skin—baked, grilled, broiled, steamed, boiled, or

roasted. You can also cook it in a pan with PAM spray.

>

>

> These proteins can be cooked so many different ways. At first I would cook

them pretty simple and use different " rubs " on them for flavor. Fresh squeezed

Lemmon or Lime really added a lot of flavor to them. I eat very little RED

meat. I was a lover of red meat in the past, but I no longer eat much of it. I

try to keep my carbs down to about 25 or 30 carbs per day. I use WHOLE GRAIN

carbs and not whole wheat.

>

> It takes time and effort to plan what you are going to eat. It takes a while

to adjust your lifestyle to eating like this. This is NOT A DIET, but a

lifestyle change that will last a life time. I also exercise at least 5 days a

week.

>

> I ate fresh veggies and usually steamed them or had them raw and a small

amount of fresh fruit helped too.

>

> You are only going to be able to eat small amounts of protein—maybe 1 oz. per

meal and ¼ of a cup of veggies this second month. You will look at your plate

and think is this all I am going to get—then you eat and figure out pretty

quickly that you are full.

>

>

> I still eat these same foods 2 years and 8 months later, only I now eat a

little more of each of them. I also STILL drink my Premier Protein drink for

breakfast every day. It has 30 grams of protein and it just works for me to

drink it—that is all I have for breakfast. I have some small snacks during the

day too, and they consist of nuts or veggies.

>

> Yes, I have a something sweet now and then, but in small amounts and NOT every

day. A sliver of cake—not a big piece, or 1 cookie, not 5 or 6. It is more

about the taste, and once I have satisfied the taste, I am ok and I don't feel

deprived at ALL. As time goes on you will become more creative with what you are

cooking and will find what tastes good to you.

>

> Take some of your old recipes and reinvent them to something that you can eat

now with you new and improved stomach.

> If you have any questions just E-mail me.

>

> Suzanne

> Sleeved 10/21/2008

> Lost 105 pounds.

>