HI Lea,
First let me say at 4 weeks post op I was just beginning to eat anything solid. No way I could've eaten 3 oz of boiled anything. NO wonder you've thrown it up. I am sorry , sweetie, for that rough start. It just sounds a bit ambitious. Now I know doctors have various ways of approaching food intake, but to compare, my nutritionist thought i should be working up to 1 1/2 shakes a day by this point (by 6 weeks actually), so that would be about 40 grams a that stage. You do want to prioritize protein, so you've got that down , but not likely you could eat 3 oz., and NOT be sick. Sometimes even now I can't eat 3 oz in one sitting. Rather, I may have 1-2 oz and a couple hours later, have another oz. of two.

You are also doing well not drinking before the meal, and chewing your food well....so give yourself credit for that success.

Best advice, be patient, work towards that goal of 60-80 grams of protein a day, but understand it won't likely happen quickly .
cindy

I agree with Flmom, I did not eat anything "solid" (EVERYTHING was pureed--even my oatmeal and cottage cheese) for 6 weeks and then I was told NOTHING CRUNCHY until I was 2 months out and I never had any problems with digestion. I know different drs. say different things but obviously their recommendation for you may not be working....try doing all smooth/pureed items for a while and see if that helps. I also only eat about 2 oz at a time and then I feel so full that I know I can't eat any more or I would vomit. Keep up the good work on the chewing and not drinking part (those are the hardest two things for me to do).

To get your digestive system moving, try adding a mild probiotic. It helped me.

Thanks so much I will give it a try. Hearing that really helps me, I read that some people were eating chili by this point so it made me think it was just me!! I can't have chili, or anything too solid. Shakes and pureed protein will be my meals from now on till I can handle more solid food. Thanks!

I went to GNC today. They have drinks called Isopure in all kinds of fruity flavors and they have 40 gms of protein. GNC makes their fruity protein drink and it has 60 gms. I bought a bunch to test out and see what I like and I'm going to drink 1 a day or try to. That way at least I can get in the protein if I can't eat anything. They are kind of expensive but maybe it will be worth it. I'll keep you posted after the taste test! ;)

I am 3 weeks post op and I was having a hard time with the shakes too! I was told about the Isopure at my group preop appointment and that has been a life saver for me. I can pour 1/2 of one of the big bottles on ice and drink it just fine.

I also am moving toward the pureed foods and have found egg drop soup to be a good way to get in some protein as well as taking one boiled egg and a little light mayo and making a fine egg salad. One egg has 7 gm of protein.

I agree with the others that you were pushing the solid foods too much too soon. Chicken is especially a hard one to digest and most people can't even begin to try it until a good 8-10 weeks out. I was eating chili at four weeks out, but I pureed it smooth like baby food.

I also had a very hard time with the protein shakes after surgery. They tasted too sweety and made me gag when I tried to drink them. I switched to "Pure Protein" bars at 2 weeks out because of that problem. These bars are 20g of protein, 1g sugar, and are found at walmart. I liked them because they feel like you are eating real food, but they break down into nothing and just meltaway in your mouth. I would not have ever made my protein guidelines without those bars. For the first two weeks I had to get just 35g of protein per day, then for six months I had to get 50g per day, then upped to 80g per day at six months out.

I also couldn't eat egg salad for a really long time, months. The boiled egg made me really sick because that white part doesn't break down very easy. Scrambled eggs with a little cheese on top were one of my favs.

Hang in there sweety! Wish you the best!

The stall around this time is pretty typical... it's like your body goes into a little shock... what wait where is all that food I'm used to I better hold on to what I have... so the scale slows early on. It'll kick back in.

Here's a few of my fav soft/pureed foods:

http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html

I was a big time dipper, heck still am.... nothing meat goes in without a yogurt based dip (tons of recipes in the blog just type Fage in the search box) it helps things head in the right direction ;) and adds some protein too.

Hope it gives you a few ideas,
~Michelle

My doc said that anything over 30 grams of protein you take in at one sitting (within a 2 hour timeline) you body will excrete/waste. So I always try to get in 25 grams at breakfast , 25 grams at lunch, 25 grams at dinner and then some skim milk (at least twice a day) and a protein bar for a snack. The milk is great for me because it's liquid protein (8 gr per 8 oz), I don't have to stop drinking to get in some more protein.

Eggface....I think I might love you and it is only my second day here. I love the blogspot website. EVERYTHING on there is stuff I love and as I get closer to a more solid stage...I have been wondering what the heck I am gonna eat. FOUND IT!

Wow. . . I didn't know about how protein is just wasted by the body if I consume more than 30 gms over 2 hrs!!! Wow. . . hmm. .. ok there goes my plan!! The past couple days I have been forcing myself to drink a 50 gm protein (zero carb isopure) shake in the morning just to get a head start. Maybe I'm still not getting my protein even that way. Thanks for the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!