Calling all RNY'ers

I am curious..What do you eat after surgery? I keep reading up on different people and it sounds like some people never eat a big variety of food after, and pretty much stick to 3-4 things.  Is this true? I would love to hear from RNY’ers and how they eat after surgery and the amount of food at each meal just so I will know what to expect. This will also give me a ideas of the right types of food to eat. I am sending out a big thank you ahead of time to all that respond. Have a great day!

Each patient is likely to have specific likes and dislikes in food choices. Some of us go through cycles where we eat just a few choices. You can have a wider variety of foods, but some of these dishes require some recipe adaptions--something which some people don't have time for.  Amount of food initially are around 2 oz.  Many post ops (but not everyone) do eat meals that are 4-7/8oz meals after 6 months. Some foods are tolerated well most of the time, but then that specific food may cause great discomfort. No reason, it just happens sometimes.  Eat high protein foods first, followed by veggies, then starches. Chew food well.  I'd strong urge you to attend support groups to help you on your journey. You'll learn about new sources of protein, cooking methods, substitution of ingredients in recipes, etc.  You can have a small portion of food you had prior to surgery. But, at far less quantity. So your diet can be wide in selection, whereas your quantity is much lower than before surgery.  Hydration is a BIG factor post op. You have to drink plenty of water. Stop drinking around 20-30 minutes before eating, and then begin drinking again 30 minutes after eating.  Drinking while eating will tend to was foods out of pouch areas, and you'll get minimal nutritional value from your consumed food.  DAVE

At 2.5 years out, I can assure you that I eat a wide variety of food from day to day, although I do have some favorite things that I eat quite regularly. I also feel as though I also eat a "normal" portion size at each meal. "Normal" is subjective, of course, and I believe that one of the biggest problems we have specifically in the U.S. is that we ignore what a true portion size really should be! (There is absolutely NO reason a 12 oz or 16 oz steak should be on a menu at a restaurant!!) I'm sure you will get a lot of different answers to this question....some will say they adhere to a very strict meal plan limiting their food choices each day so as to stay within the boundaries of the food they ate when they were in their first year post-op (which is the time frame that we lose the most weight), and others will say they eat pizza, french fries and junk food - of course, this increases the chance that they will eventually have significant regain. Does that mean I never have pizza? NO! I can usually eat 2 pieces...and I have pizza a couple of times a month. But that is so much different than when I used to eat 5 or 6 slices and some breadsticks, too! LOL In reality, it will be different for every one. You have to know your limitations...your trigger foods. Stay away from those. And as long as you make good food choices based on their nutritional value, knowing you'll need an adequate amount of protein (first) each day as well as some complex carbs and good fats, the options are really endless!!

Why did we have wls? Well, for me personally, I had surgery for FREEDOM's sake....to escape the prison of my morbidly obese body that was killing me from the inside out, but also to escape the seemingly endless cycle of fad & yo-yo diet/eating plans that were simply horrible to follow. Eating healthily is now a joy...not a burden. And as a post-op RNYer, there are so many good sources online with recipes that are appropriate (and yummy!) that we should never feel like our surgery has pinned us to only a few boring food choices. IMO, that's not freedom.

I don't have any regrets about having my RNY. I'm livin' and lovin' life. Wishing you success and freedom in your wls journey, too!

 I don't eat a huge variety of food, but I think that's mostly because I just don't care as much 
about food or eating anymore. I stick to the whole protein first way of eating, with a typical day being a kefir/banana smoothie for breakfast, yogurt with berries for a snack, tofu and veggies for lunch, yogurt for an afternoon snack, scrambled eggs with salsa and cheese for dinner and some fruit later in the evening.

I'm vegetarian and I get at least 90 grams of protein every day, along with a variety of veggies and fruit. The only things I really abstain from are processed carbs, because I've discovered if I eat processed carbs I start to crave more and more of them.

I would echo what someone else said about feeling freedom. I no longer feel ruled by my relationship with food, and if I don't get as much pleasure from food as I used to, I also don't get the pain and unhappiness that food has caused me over the years. 

Caroline

Well I have to admit in the early stages (up to about 2 month's out) I ate a lot of the same stuff. I kept to the few things I enjoyed eating at that stage and truly some things I normally loved tasted like cardboard for awhile. Slowly though I started eating more things as my taste buds "recovered" from the surger and now at 21 month's out there is very little I can't eat. I can't eat milk and cereal together, but they are generally fine alone. I eat pretty normally, just in smaller amounts. Let's see I can eat almost a whole burrito at a meal depending on the day. Sometimes I can fini**** with no problems sometimes I get half way through and say "enough is enough" and put it down. I do limit the amounts of rice, pasta and breads I eat. I still eat them, just not often.

 At 7 years and 3 months post op, I can eat pretty much ANYTHING I want, within reason.

I choose to eat quite a limited diet because I am picky, but I can handle most anything.

My main limitations are sugar, dairy milk and combinations of high-carbs and fat.  Those foods make me sick so I do not bother.  Also, some raw veggies like carrots, broccoli ... etc can really bug my gut, so I eat them cooked or I don't bother.

I'm 20 months out and can eat small amounts of a lot of stuff.  There are some things that I avoid: something that has high fat and or sugar.  God help me if it's both. Then  I have serious problems.  Other things I avoid is deep fried, breaded.  I still weigh and measure everything.  Yes, I can very small portions of candy and sweets occasionally.  But then, it's a special treat for me, not a necessity.

Hi - I'll share - by my standards I'm still a newbie - at 15 months out.  I can eat a little of ANYTHING.  More than a bite or two of fried foods makes me sick - God blessed me in that getting sick a few times made me actually no longer want these foods - I say blessed, because I thought I would be limiting myself and feel deprived.  I do not feel deprived of anything.  I can barely stand to even smell fried foods anymore - I love it!  I hope my aversion lasts for the rest of my life!  Too much fat - like butter - in one sitting will also make me sick.  Lately too much sugar will make my heart beat wildly.  Point is - the foods that I enjoy are mostly regular type foods that are nutritious foods.  This is different for me.  In the past, I could diet and convince myself that fried foods, for example, weren't healthy and I didn't want to eat them - but I did really want to eat them - I would just abstain for a while - then cave in and eat them again.  The surgery changed that whole aspect and it's amazing!  I hope the effect doesn't wear off over time - I am still guarded at 15 months out.

Two foods that would be healthy food choices - raw cabbage and raw carrots - make me sick and I can't eat them.  I don't really miss them either.  There's other stuff that's just as good.

Pasta and rice just don't really appeal to me much anymore.  Reason being - the quantity I can eat is not huge - up to a cup in volume at times - sometimes 1/4 cup - depends on the food.  I figure rice and pasta are just vehicles for the part of the meal that I really like - the sauce, etc...  So, I just skip the filler and get to the good stuff.

Some foods - like crackers and chips are still my downfall - they're high calorie - I want to eat them - and they slide down easy.  I have to be careful about these foods. 

I eat a large variety of meats and vegetables.  I do tend to get in a rut though - just for lack of creativity and time.

At 15 months out I pretty much eat what I like. In the first six months I didn't venture to far outside food I knew sat well. I tend to go through phases where I like something and will eat it for a while, but I eat what I want within reason and steer clear of foods that I know don't agree with me. Everyone is different and your tastes will change.

When I was researching WLS, I too thought that most RNYers ate a very limited diet. That was a real turn-off for me---I did NOT want to spend the rest of my life eating a very limited diet.

Now, several years later, I know that post-op diet varies immensely from person to person. Some RNYers can eat anything they choose. Others ARE limited to a very small selection---it's very much a 'Your Mileage May Vary' sort of thing.

But what I read as a pre-op definitely influenced my decision about the RNY. I opted for the DS because it's VERY RARE that DSers have ANY food in tolerances---and *I* like pretty much everything. (*grin*)