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[reblynd]

Hey guys!! well my date is creeping up and I have so much to do. Just looking for ideas on what was the first thing you ate post op(when you could move to "mushie") Did anyone eat baby food? The idea sounded gross at first but I looked at the choices today and some don't seem half bad. Oh and suggestions on protein shakes??? Thanks a bunch guys!!!!

[503-250]

I ate a lot of soup, and pudding...and carnation breakfast drinks.

[reblynd]

broths or full blown soup?...thanks 503!!

[503-250]

full blown no chunks fat free soups.

Campbell's Tomato soup, cream of tomato (blended smooth)...whatever fat free cans they had on the shelf.

[Tricia K.]

I tried a few of the baby foods and...ICK! I've heard that the desserts are pretty good, but in the early stages, I stayed far, far away from sugar.

503 mentioned some good soups. Tomato soup tasted fabulous when I was able to move to full liquids. Of course, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, refried beans and sugar-free Jello pudding were awesome when I moved to the mushies stage.

Of course, we can talk in more detail when we finally see one another!! SOON, I hope. I miss ya. :hug: :love:

[Firefly]

Ok, so, I'm not banded but, I do know something about baby food.

When I babysat my brother, who is 10 years younger than I am, I had to feed the twerp (obviously) and would often sneak bites of his baby food just to see what it tasted like. Stay away from the mixed meals. Things like lasagna and roast beef... gross. The fruits were so good. Peaches, pears and bananas were my favorites... I mean, his, favorites.

:yo:

[PhotoNut]

My first bite of mushies, after three weeks of liquids, was low fat cottage cheese. Oh.. my... god. I had never before, and will never again, put a bite of food in my mouth that tasted so good! LOL! I'm sure the neighbors heard me moaning and thought.. damnit, she's getting lucky again! hehe

As for other food suggestions and protein shakes..

When you are on liquids and starving (which you will be at some point) toss a can of Campbell's bean with bacon soup in a blender and turn it to a smooth and creamy texture, then heat with water. You'll think you've gone to heaven after eating so many cold, sweet things (protein shakes, puddings, etc) and it's very rib-stickin!

In my early days, I used Optimun Nutrition protein suppliments from Bodybuiding.com. They were tolerable IF I got creative. Here's one of my favorite recipies:
1 Cup skim milk
1 scoop protein powder (Strawberry)
1/2 banana
1 packet or 1 tsp Splenda
-blend until all lumps are gone-
Stir in 1 can Slim Fast Vanilla, and then let sit in the fridge until cold.
Drink this in stages throughout the day. Its a lot! Here's the stats:
Milk - 90 calories, 9g protein
Protein - 120 calories, 23g protein
Banana - 50 calories
Splenda - nuttin'
Slim Fast shake - 180 calories, 10g protein
Total: 440 calories, 42g protein

I am now using Apex meal replacements when I need to be on liquids (after a fill). These drinks are awesome! The Cafe Mocha tastes so good that I can mix with water. One serving (2 scoops) is 220 calories and has 20 grams of protein with a good balance of carbs, which is vital to protein absorbtion.

Anyway, other mushies to try are:
Fat free, sugar free pudding with protein power mixed in - tastes great!
Cottage cheese
Canned peaches
Canned tuna w/ a tablespoon of fat free dressing mixed in for moisture
Gorton's Grilled Fish Fillets (garlic butter or lemon pepper) MmmmmMM!
Peas and carrots, green beans, any soft cooked veggies that aren't fiberous.

Hope that helps!
Oh.. and in your planning, dont forget chewable vitamins! I used Flinstones for kids when I started out, but now use Centrum.

[HeatherGurl]

I lived off of mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes. Those were my favorites!!!

[reblynd]

can't thank you guys enough for the info!! I want to be fully stocked w/ the "right" foods before I go to the hospital. 3 weeks to go I can't beleive it!

[wavydaby]

Campbell's soups at hand are very creamy and good. I like the cream of chicken with a little runny salsa, not chunky at the early stage. Also the Campbell gold label soups in the paper kind of box package are cream and not chunky. I like the black bean and the butternut squash soup. I did add a bit of SHARP cheddar to it, the more sharp, the more flavor and the less you use.

[Tricia K.]

Also the Campbell gold label soups in the paper kind of box package are cream and not chunky. I like the black bean and the butternut squash soup. I did add a bit of SHARP cheddar to it, the more sharp, the more flavor and the less you use.OOOh, I want to try those soups! Thanks for the reminder. :)

[Stitchy]

Baby food? YUK!!! Find your blender!

Mushy foods that could be eaten if you had no teeth. Yogurt, cottage cheese, applesauce, sugar-free puddings and other foods with a similar texture are great choices. Soft fruits that can be mashed or blended such as bananas, melon or strawberries are good. Poached, soft boiled or lightly scrambled eggs - add milk or cottage cheese to the eggs before cooking so they stay soft. My first *golf ball* was scrambled eggs. Tiny soft pasta such as “pastatini” with plenty of sauce are other options.

You can take almost any soup and put it in a food processor or blender and thin it out with chicken broth. This can provide some protein as well. I've never been a fan of Campbell soups, so I blended Progresso soups, and Trader Joe's has wonderful boxed soup - especially their tomato with roasted red pepper.

Good luck.

[diane5467]

Hey guys!! well my date is creeping up and I have so much to do. Just looking for ideas on what was the first thing you ate post op(when you could move to "mushie") Did anyone eat baby food? The idea sounded gross at first but I looked at the choices today and some don't seem half bad. Oh and suggestions on protein shakes??? Thanks a bunch guys!!!!

One of my favorite mushies is I made a big pan of lasagna for my family and just ate the riccotta middle with sauce. I mix eggs, grated cheese and seasonings into the ricotta to make the lasagna filling, so it has tons of protein and what a treat.

[Barb]

From personal experience ---don't do Cream of Wheat....it expands and can create a golf ball...ugh it hurts...I had to drink hot water and then hot tea to dissolve it (no cold water--makes it harder) I switched to Gerber Rice Cereal with Bananas....pretty yummy! And not scary golf balls!!!
I also stocked up on sugar free ice pops and sugar free jello...and Isopure!
If I never see Jell-O again, I will die a happy person...LOL. But I'll tell you this, it was a real struggle just to eat or drink anything in the beginning...i was just plain old not hungry at all!
Best wishes to you!!

[503-250]

Popsicle brand sugar free ice pops are delicious...I personally love the tropical flavors...15 excellent calories.

[JulieS]

It seems everyone is different in what they can tolerate. I love Cream of Wheat, the maple brown sugar flavor. I make it pretty runny though. Tomato soup and yogurt shakes are also great. For the clear liquids, I mixed some Swanson chicken broth with a tiny bit of Better than Bullion (sp?) to give it a bit more taste.

[Goannabanda]

Soups: Pureed soups (home made) - vegetable & pasta, pumpkin, chicken and sweet corn, lamb harisa. Added generous dollops of sour cream or greek yoghurt as appropriate (to all but chicken soup) for extra protein and calcium. I don't really like canned soups / foods (too salty, sugary or fatty). However, we found some great organic soups from a New Zealand company at one of our larger supermarkets (www.pittango.co.nz (http://www.pittango.co.nz/)) that tasted great and weren't salty to taste at all. They had some really interesting flavours. Even the New Orleans seafood gumbo still tasted fine after being vitamised.

Smoothies - frozen berries, mango and / banana; greek yoghurt, low fat milk and low fat ice cream. Added Benefibre (soluble dieatary fibre) or museli to keep up overall fibre intake.

Custard - runny. I usually make our own, but ended up buying Paul's Premium Custard (OMG it's good, especially warmed! Too bad it's not low fat...) and Paul's Trim Mocha custard (great cold).

This week (week 4) I get to move onto mushies for 3 weeks. I am so excited! I've tried omlette with cheese and cooked tomato; steamed fish; mashed potato so far without incident. I'll be having plenty of mashed veggies in various ways - mashed with yoghurt, sour cream and / or grated cheese added. Added to salmon or tuna plus an egg to cook as patties / Bubble and Squeak etc. I'm also going to fire up the crock pot again for tuna mornay, veggie lasagne, chunky soups, soft casseroles etc. I'm going to try fish steamed / foil baked with lemon, onion, herbs and / or tomato. Jelly, soft cheeses, tinned fruits (apricots, plums, pears mashed with a fork), porridge, etc, etc, etc.

--------EDIT------------

For mushies I am loving my own version of Bubble & Squeak - fork mashed / smashed cooked veggies, eggs, bit of cream or milk, grated cheese, salt, pepper & dried or fresh dill leaf. Lightly fry the veggies until they start to go crispy with a little spray oil. Beat eggs, cream, salt, pepper, dill together, and add to the pan with the grated cheese. Stir until the eggs are cooked to your liking and the cheese has melted. Serve with tomato sauce (optional). mmmm!

Also, crushed corn flakes make an excellent coating for veggie / fish patties!

[mrs_christy]

Ugh gonna that makes me mentally hungry hehehe. I've been miserably NOT hungry. I'm thinking I am a freak or something. Good thing is, I've lost 11 lbs lol. I guess I wont complain and take advantage of the liquid stage since the lbs wont always shed so fast. I've been eating tomato soup, cream of broccoli (with no chunks), alot of popsicles and lots and lots of water.

[Stitchy]

Christy - you're not weird. I wasn't hungry until around the end of week 4. I was soooo ready for solid food!