How many days/weeks post op before you were just on solid food? (and happily okay with eating solid foods)

I was the same as QQ, although it was my dietician, not my surgeon, that gave me the go ahead for solids. And from her perspective I think it was more behavioural - as in was I chewing properly? And recognising my full signs? etc.  I think I started solids a bit earlier than I was supposed to because I was sick of eating baby food and I figured I was chewing everything to a puree anyway so what was the difference???

Hi Anna

I was on liquid for 2 weeks, 2 weeks puréed, 2 weeks soft foods and then I could introduce solids. 

Early on, I found that I was eating too quickly and didn't give myself a chance to recognize when I was full so I'd often have attacks of the "slimies". Gross! But that settled down within a few weeks and these days I'm pretty good at judging how much I can have without upsetting my tiny tum. I still have to watch how quickly I eat though to ensure I don't take that one bite too many. 

Just as a side note, stock up on Cruskits when you hit soft foods stage - the crunch is magnificent after weeks of soft stuff!

Best of luck with it all!

I didn't start solids till 8 weeks either. My surgeon is conservative but he also has extremely low rates of complications. It is strange when everyone you were sleeved with is happily eating solids but I'm 12weeks out now and absolutely eating solids. 8weeks flew by and it's such a short time compared to the rest of your life!

It took me a little bit probably a week to feel really comfortable fear wise with eating solids but since then I haven't worried at all. Physically I found it a lot better than purees, it was great to chew things again!

I'm not eating exactly the same as pre-sleeve, I mostly avoid carbs. It just doesn't fit, having to get in protein, healthy fats and some veggies in is hard enough, trying to add anything else seems like a waste nutritionally.

That said, I'm not scared of hurting my stomach and I know when I'm full now. I have eaten that little bite too much a couple of times but just enough to need to walk around a bit(5 mins or so). I haven't vomitted yet and I'm trying to avoid that hopefully.

Tonight I had Indian takeaway, previously I would've had a samosa, cheese naan and butter chicken. Now I had 1 very small lamb kebab (the stick kind), a peice of chicken tikka and some veggies.
I eat about half a cup max, depending on the food.

Remember it's a short time (even though it feels like ages) it will go really quick and soon you will be eating comfortably😊 all the best

Oh maybe he's just trying to keep on the safe side? I can't exactly remember the puree/mashed food stage time I thought it was 3-4 weeks that he said but I'll have to check the paperwork again. He definitely did say 3 weeks post-op for liquids though so I have another 2 weeks to go, I wanna be on mashed food now! haha. 

I'm still struggling to get a whole litre of water in though in one day around the sipping of other things. I'm technically only having 2.5 meals per day around all the watering of myself. How in the world will I get 2L in when I'm struggling to get in two shakes and a third liquid meal? Soo much...

Were you able to eat crackers? I sometimes like to do a little snack (which would be a whole meal for me now) of a few crackers some cubes of cheese a couple of gherkins a few slices of kabana and a couple of cherry tomatoes, would they be difficult to eat? Or is it more like well cooked steak is harder?

Hi Anna,

I did liquids for 2 weeks, purees for 2 weeks and then returned to solid foods, 1/4 cup to start with but now I'm able to eat around 3/4 cup - and am trying to make sure that's where I stay :) LOL!  At first there were some definite adjustment glitches with a few "ate too fast" or "ate too much" moments (hardly anything, lol) but I slowly got used to it all.  I reckon by about 3 months out I was eating fairly normally and just occasionally forgot to eat slower, but the portion size was still pretty small.  At 9 months out I now eat my 3/4 cup pretty much normally, although some foods can feel a bit stodgier or I can eat a little too fast still - I always was a fast eater.

I think 3 weeks on liquids and 4 weeks on purees seems like quite a long time - my dietitian said that after 1 month the staple line is completely healed, so I"m wondering why you have been given such a long time on that kind of food.  However, if that is what you surgeon and dietitian say to do, then I am not telling you not to do that of course. 

Anyway, best of luck with your continued recovery,

How many days/weeks post op before you were just on solid food? (and happily okay with eating solid foods)

I'd like to get an idea, I know there are guidelines given by doctors of when to expect to feel okay eating solid foods, but everyone is different and I'd like to see that. 

I'm nearing the end of my first week and on liquids for 2 more weeks then mush/puree (yay so exciting as there's so many more options and flavours in puree/mashed foods) but I think that's for about 4 weeks? So by week 8 I should slowly start on solid foods. 

But I want to know when everyone was really okay on solid foods, no fear, no complications/vomiting, just normal eating like it was pre-sleeve days besides the smaller portions and thorough chewing. Was it more like 6 months or 1 year?