Salad after weight loss surgery

[JackieOnLine]

so, let's talk about how eating salad has changed post WLS. One of the things I considered when deciding against gastric banding was reading that often banded people have trouble eating exactly the kind of stuff we should all, generally, be eating more of : raw veggies.

I am eating a salad even as we speak and the main thing is, once I'm done I'll be full rather than thinking -well, that was tasty, now should I order a pizza or make do with one from the freezer?

how has salad eating changed for you? whenever I say I'm having a salad a VSG friend says "what's in it" and when I name everything she tells me I need to add protein. but what I often do is eat protein for breakfast and lunch and then I think I don't actually need more. or I do add cheese and/or meat. depends.

of course, when you are early out there isn't room for a bunch of vegetables so this is more for the vets. anyway, let's talk salad!

 

[Spiky Bugger]

I have to eat around too much stuff or else my gut gurgles and creates toxic gas clouds.

I miss the parts I can't eat.

 

[JackieOnLine]

like what? and what can you eat?

raw cruciferous (OK, spell check can't help) stuff make me fart...but I sometimes eat it anyway.

 

[southernlady]

I enjoy a salad but had to carefully work up to it. I started at about 3/4 months out with just lettuce and a lot of dressing (like blue cheese). Then the next time I added some tomato, and each time, I added one more item and then waited 2/3 days before moving on. That way if something gave me a fit, I knew what it was. I don't have them often. Unless they are a carrier for lots of protein/fat.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

like what? and what can you eat?

raw cruciferous (OK, spell check can't help) stuff make me fart...but I sometimes eat it anyway.

Yeah...I avoid those. Sadly, I am more comfy without broccoli in my life. When I go to the Greek restaurant and get served a DELICIOUS-looking Greek salad...I eat the tomatoes and the feta cheese and maybe a small slice (or chunk) of cucumber, and some olives. MAYBE a small taste of thinly sliced red onion, but I avoid the bell peppers. I do take a single bite of the pepperocini. But I eat very little of that wonderful, fresh, crunchy lettuce...

When I "over-indulge" of the "forbidden fruits," my belly bloats up a couple of inches, it gurgles entertainingly and it causes stinky gas and poop.

Tonight, I think I'll cook pork chops and maybe knock off one of these yams I have sitting around. I think I'm jonesing for pickled beets...they are a good prEbiotic...but I don't have any!

Oh...and beans are high in fiber and protein, right? But I think I'd have to OD on Beano to eat much in the beans/legumes department.

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

I can eat salad.....a little bit of lettuce, a few cherry tomatoes, chunks of cucumber, boiled eggs sliced, a large handful of grated cheddar, some torn up ham and lots of ranch.....it's heaven!

 

[MyNewLife]

My only issue is that I become a salad shooter the next day

 

[Whit]

I did not even attempt it until over a year out. I am 18 months post revision and salad is hit or miss. Sometimes I can eat it sometimes not. I can eat most all veggies raw or cooked. Peppers, onions, zucchini, most legumes but sometimes the skins bother me. I can eat Spinach, Aruegala (can not spell it and spell check want to change it to Areola ha ha!) or Romain. Ice Burg and I are mortal enemies. I love tomatoes but sometimes these skins bother me too. Chicken Caesar (with the anchovy )is a favorite.

Whit

 

[Elizabeth N.]

Raw spinach is permanently off my menu. I'm sure I'll remember a couple other ones before long, but it's getting late so I'm getting slow....

 

[newanatomy]

So far, I have not met a veggie or salad ingredient I can not eat. Hope it stays that way.

 

[bearmom]

I'm with Newanatomy - I eat it all, but I didn't eat much, if any salad at all my first year or so post op. Now, I have plenty of stomach space and actually missed veggeis (I'm stunned by this). I have added as many as I can via csa share and growing more of my own as well. One of my beds is dedicated just to salad, so I'm pretty much eating a varied salad daily. One other bed is dedicated only to salsa, so I plan on having an insane amount of tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic and cilantro.

I do try to get some meat, cheese and nuts or hemp hearts in it as well for the protein, but have often gotten my protein quota, so am just consuming whatever green stuff I have in the fridge to make sure I'm full. I feel like a have a few years that I need to catch back up on veggies.

 

[brooklyngirl]

I love salad, especially with lots of stuff thrown in that would've been "bad" pre op. Sometimes I can handle it, other times it runs right through me!

 

[Velvetkiss]

I will be 4 months post op, revision from Lap Band to DS. With the band, I could eat salad but it would get stuck, so would almost any healthy type food, but junk went through that band easily. Post revision, I have finally tried salad, little bits at a time, started with iceburg and romain lettuce, then added in tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese and meat and yummy salad dressing. It is still a small amount, but I love being able to eat salad and it does not bother me at all. I am hoping it stays that way.

 

[shann]

I can't eat anything raw. No lettuce at all. If I get a salad, I'll eat cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers (if I don't eat the skin at all), dressing. When I finish my salad, it probably looks like I didn't even touch it, but I basically eat off the top. My veggies have to be well cooked.

 

[Happy DSr]

I LOVE salad and it seems to love me!

over six years out and I eat a lot of salads. I started slowly three to four months out with trial and error on various veggies. I love sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumber, sliced vidalia onions, radishes, raw carrots, cabbage, and so on. Sometimes I eat a single item, other times mixed into salads, or coleslaws. I'll also eat broccoli and cauliflower cooked or raw in salads or with dip. Love red peppers, either raw or roasted. I chop up fresh garlic to add to salads. I have had no tummy problems with any of this. I prefer iceberg lettuce over the more bitter leaf varieties, romaine or spinach, but that is the same as pre-op. I crave salts and vinegary tartness. Many times I will add feta cheese (to Greek), or grated parmesan (to Caesar or others), bacon bits, toasted almonds, chunks of ham, chopped cheddar for additional protein. Sometimes I add raisins or dried cranberries or mandarin slices. I rarely bother with croutons, preferring nuts to get the crunch.

My biggest problem is that many of my veggies go bad before I have a chance to eat them as I buy so many tasty looking things when I shop