Post Op prep

Thanks everyone! This is so much more helpful than the booklet I was given by the dietician!
One unfortunate thing for me is an extreme allergy to seafood. It's something I used to enjoy but have been allergic to all seafood for about 12 years now (throat swells with some, others I get hives)
So sadly no salmon for me! But I do like chicken and like corned beef which is boiled meat so I suppose I could convince my mum to make me some while I'm recovering so I can take it home with me (I'll be with my parents for the first two weeks post surgery)
Not looking forward to the first few weeks post surgery but am looking forward to the life change after it! I am having this surgery to fix my liver as much as I am to help with the ever frustrating weight loss journey. It wasn't something I'd ever considered before my liver specialist told me that if we don't get my weight down dramatically in the next 12-18months I was at risk of needing a transplant. So it's been a whirlwind journey to this point over the past 4 months!! :-( looking forward to this part of my life being over and starting my new healthy life!

Thanks everyone! This is so much more helpful than the booklet I was given by the dietician!
One unfortunate thing for me is an extreme allergy to seafood. It's something I used to enjoy but have been allergic to all seafood for about 12 years now (throat swells with some, others I get hives)
So sadly no salmon for me! But I do like chicken and like corned beef which is boiled meat so I suppose I could convince my mum to make me some while I'm recovering so I can take it home with me (I'll be with my parents for the first two weeks post surgery)
Not looking forward to the first few weeks post surgery but am looking forward to the life change after it! I am having this surgery to fix my liver as much as I am to help with the ever frustrating weight loss journey. It wasn't something I'd ever considered before my liver specialist told me that if we don't get my weight down dramatically in the next 12-18months I was at risk of needing a transplant. So it's been a whirlwind journey to this point over the past 4 months!! :-( looking forward to this part of my life being over and starting my new healthy life!

I tried a couple of the baby food options post-op.  To be honest I probably lost a couple down the back of the fridge and I might find more of them the next time I empty it out.  They're OK in a crunch (keep some handy when there's a risk you will be out and miss a meal), but they have almost no protein in them.  One of the biggest concerns is that your protein, vitamin and mineral intakes are adequate.  You can handle dropping some vitamins and most minerals for a little while, but protein and some vitamins are basically essential during the healing process, let alone to help your body maintain its status quo.

During the liquids phase you will have to focus on protein shakes.  You can mix in fruits
or (depending on taste) some juiced vegetables with protein powders (WPI or maybe Collagen Hydrolysate).  Most people would be fine with WPI using milk and a small banana as the base, plus add something nice like frozen blueberries or strawberries, or maybe some peanut butter).

During the purees phase you can finish off whatever WPI you bought, and start to transition across to pureed meats.  Boil up half a chicken breast in some stock until it's cooked through, and blend it with some vegetables and liquids into a nice extra meaty soup.  Similar things can be done with other meats.  Boiled beef is an old English tradition.  While boiling your meat can be bland, you're pureeing it anyway, which is the epitome of bland, but it's necessary.  Add stock and/or spices for taste.

Later in the purees phase you'll probably get tired of it.  Since the quantities are so small, you'll probably cheat and enjoy some salmon fillets.  Don't get the fillets from Aldi (they're not boned!).  Grill, bake or BBQ them, and mash them up real well both with your fork and in your mouth.  Smoked Salmon is awesome too, and doesn't require further cooking.  This one should definitely be bought from Aldi (It's the same product at about half the price of Colesworths).  You can start by pureeing the smoked salmon with a small avacado (obviously without the skin and seed) in a little water.  Later on you'll probably cheat and just eat the smoked salmon slowly and chew it absolutely thoroughly.  Remember to ripen a few avacados by keeping them next to some bananas or some banana peel.  You'll probably still keep bananas around for WPI shakes.

I agree with all you said Wonda. Today I had porridge for breakfast, one of those little sachets and I managed to eat 3/4 of it but that was pushing it.
Definitely make up a big batch of something you know you can blitz then divide it up into little half cup portions. Even freezing them in snack bags will work as you just tip it into a microwave dish to heat.

Sares, one thing to remember is that the baby food will be pretty bland as it is designed for an infants undeveloped palate. If you are considering doing that, you might want to buy just one now, in a flavour that sounds the nicest to you, and taste it.

Lots of people seem to prepare meals in advance and freeze in little batches for the purée stage (3 meals will probably make in excess of 15 or 20 serves as you will only eating small amounts to start) and others rely on ready made things like tinned baked beans and, yes, those Woolworths soups. I would suggest that a spoonful or two of those soups would purée quite nicely with a little mashed potato or sweet potato though and wouldn't necessarily need to be eaten as a soup. Other ready made things would probably blend well in that manner too, like those canned meat and vege meals eg; Irish stew (Harvest is the brand I just looked up but there are also ready made curried chicken, pasta meals, etc.) Also, mashed avocado, ricotta cheese and cottage cheese make good bases for adding other things to, like smoked or tinned salmon. Just some ideas, there are many more I'm sure.

Sorry to rave on, lol.

Sares I am only a bit over a week out and just in the puree stage. I find it hard to front up to any food so I wouldn't want to be eating baby food of any kind. All I do is have my usual type of food concentrating on protein and blitz it up so it is smooth, even then it isn't even half a cup. Before the op I made up heaps of little containers of mashed potato, spaghetti sauce, soup etc all ready to either just heat up or blitz and heat.

Hi all,
I stumbled across this page as I'm trying to prepare for my surgery on October 6th. This group is so helpful!!

I'm trying to be well prepared for my post op stages, and was wondering with the purée stage if anyone had the organic baby food? My friend is a nutritionist and suggested that the organic baby food would have the sort of nutrients I need, and would not require me to purée as it's made for teaching babies to eat when they have no teeth to chew (I live on my own so cooking such a small amount would frustrate me and I don't want to live on soup alone!!)

Has anyone tried this or is it a silly idea? If you have tried it, do you recommend any brands?

Thanks!!