Jaw surgery....soft/liquid diet for 6 weeks!

Reduk74 · Post by **Reduk74** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:02 am

Any thoughts on keeping up habit during a six week soft/liquid diet?

I have just started NoS and want to keep up my newly formed habits. I am mostly concerned about sweets such as shakes and pudding during this time. Not the first week after. That I am going to count as sick days. I won't want much after the general anesthetic anyway.

My original plan was to stick with three meals a day and have a slim fast shake or similar if hungry (haha IF) between meals as I won't be able to eat much at one setting.(i will be in pain) But I really hate the thought of all that faux food! Not to mention they are sweet.

Any suggestions on what to drink between "meals" during this time? I am thinking I will want more than just plain milk.

If you want details on the surgery read on...if you are squeamish stop here! Lol

They will be slicing my jaw apart, moving it about and screwing it back
together. Can you say OUCH! I am trying to avoid the pain and discomfort that has plagued my grandmother these last few years. There are times she can barely speak because of problems she has with her jaws. She is only in her 60's. Otherwise I wouldn't even consider such an invasive procedure. I figure if I have a few weeks of suffering now it will save me years of it in the future.

NoSRocks · Post by **NoSRocks** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:25 am

Hi! Just wanted to pop in and say all the very best for your forthcoming surgery and here's to a swift recovery. I also applaud you for even thinking of an eating plan right now (trying not to use the 'd' word) ...
personally, I'd say stick with the milk rather than the replacements if you can. I won't name the product I used, but I survived for a few weeks on meal replacements (trying to be "smart" and thinking I'd lose weight quicker than on No S ; just backfired on me and I gained once I stopped using them.)

Thinking of you, Reduk - ALL THE VERY BEST!!!

Sienna · Post by **Sienna** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:29 am

How about smoothies instead of shakes? Lots of fruits and even some vegetables can be made into delicious liquid meals without a lot of sugar. I mean, they would still be sweet in the sense that a bowl of fruit is sweet, but it probably wouldn't seem as S-ey as a shake. This months FoodNetwork magazine had a great little booklet insert with tons of great sounding smoothie recipes.

In order to help keep the 3-meal per day habit, I suggest going out of your way to make your 3 "meal" drinks (whatever they end up being) feel like a meal. Set the table. Eat with a spoon. Maybe even out of a bowl (even if its a smoothie/shake and not actually soup).

If you find you are having trouble actually eating a meals worth of food, and are worried that your total food consumption might be too high because you are needing to do more frequent mini-meals, you could consider counting calories to help keep you on track. Not forever, just until you can resume normal eating. If counting calories even for a short time will drive you nuts, ignore the previous paragraph - I know different people are affected by counting differently, and you know yourself way better than I do

ETA: Also you can freeze regular yogurt as an alternative to ice cream or frozen yogurt in many smoothie recipe.

Graham · Post by **Graham** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 7:31 am

Reduk74, best wishes for your surgery and recovery. I would think No S compliance is not as important as being kind to yourself, making sure you get every nutrient you need for tissue repair. Reinhard himself advises not worrying about No S when you are unwell, you do what you need to recover.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:32 am

Best wishes for the surgery and recovery time.

Aside from soft/liquid foods, did the surgeon's office give you any idea of what and how to eat? If not, it's possible that they will prior to your discharge. I'd think about calling to see what they recommend prior to surgery so you can plan ahead.

A friend recently had some surgery that required a soft diet during the post operative period. She was surprised at some of the foods that were not recommended and did find some to be problematic.

It's possible that you may need to adapt NoS for the recovery period. Instead of Slim Fast, I'd recommend something like Ensure, Boost, or Carnation Instant Breakfast.

I think smoothies are a great idea, as are pureed soups. You might be interested in Mark Bittman's cream soup recipe.

You could have something like tomato juice or V8 between meals, if you like them.

You might be surprised to find that you're not very hungry during the recovery period. Surgery, anesthesia and analgesia have a way of diminishing the appetite. It may be more of a struggle to eat enough than keeping hunger at bay.

NoelFigart · Post by **NoelFigart** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 10:18 am

"Sick" is an S. Take the steps you need to in healing from surgery.

If you're worried about habit, sure, do your best to try to have your soft/liquid foods a regular mealtimes. But getting well here is the important thing. It's not like you're likely to gain weight on what you have to eat.

Starla · Post by **Starla** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 1:23 pm

Graham wrote:Reduk74, best wishes for your surgery and recovery. I would think No S compliance is not as important as being kind to yourself, making sure you get every nutrient you need for tissue repair. Reinhard himself advises not worrying about No S when you are unwell, you do what you need to recover.

I totally agree with this. It's hard to anticipate how you will need to eat during this period, but your recovery is most important, and if you are required to eat frequent, small meals, so be it. Just do what you need to do and don't add the stress of worrying whether or not it is No S compliant. No S will still be here when you've recovered, and think how incredible those meals will taste!

I hope your surgery and recovery is smooth and as painless as possible.

Andie · Post by **Andie** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:39 pm

I had the exact same surgery you are having about 8 years ago. I don't think you should worry too much, and just focus on feeling better and are eating more food before you re-commit to No s. On a liquid diet you will most likely lose weight as it is very difficult to maintain adequate calories. I was drinking meal replacement shakes and as much high calorie smothies as I could stomach (like with peanut butter) and I still lost about 15lbs during the six week period. I don't think you're going to be able to eat with a spoon, because even though your jaw won't be wired, your muscles are so sore you can only open your mouth about a half an inch max for the first few weeks. If I had to do it over again I would try to drink more real foods, like smoothies and blended soups with "real" ingredients. I got so sick of commercial "shakes" that to this day I can't look at carnation instant breakfast without gagging. Green smothies made with fruit and greens would be a really nutritious choice, and very high in nutrients you need to heal. When you're allowed to eat soft foods, I highly reccomend scrambled eggs with cheese added and mashed potatoes with cheese. Noodles will still be hard for a while because it will be difficult to move little pieces around your mouth for quite a while. (The day of my six week check up I tried to eat cho mein noodles as my first soft food and cried

, it was impossible!)
I agree that you should just be kind to yourself, the recovery period will be a very short time in the span of your life. Good luck with your surgery. By the way, I was really happy with my results, it was worth it.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 7:28 pm

Graham wrote:Reduk74, best wishes for your surgery and recovery. I would think No S compliance is not as important as being kind to yourself, making sure you get every nutrient you need for tissue repair. Reinhard himself advises not worrying about No S when you are unwell, you do what you need to recover.

I totally agree with Graham.
Best wishes for your surgery and a speedy recovery.

NoSRocks · Post by **NoSRocks** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 10:03 pm

DUH!! Sorry I'm a "div", Reduk! I kinda mis-read your message and thought you were asking what to have between meals: milk or replacements!

Well duh, Roxy, how is one supposed to eat "proper/solid" food after jaw surgery?

So I'll rephrase this: since its important to get all your nutrients in, I'd definitely go with some form of replacement (I think wosnes gave some great examples).

Reduk74 · Post by **Reduk74** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:18 am

Thanks to everyone for your input. After reading all your suggestions I am going to go with what feels natural at the time and not worry about "diet". I am really more concerned about coming back to NoS after I am recovered.

I don't know why I never thought of smoothies. Guess I have just never been a smoothie drinker. I love the idea of freezing plain yoghurt as opposed to the sugar-laden frozen variety. I'm thinking I need a good blender and a few hundred smoothie and soup recipes! So if you have some faves post em for me please.....about the only thing I won't eat are bell peppers of any color...how can something soooo pretty taste sooooo vile? Lol. I do however LOVE other varieties of peppers.

Any tips on making them easily? Anyone have a blender they really love? (looking for under $50)

Cheers, Heather

Sienna · Post by **Sienna** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:36 am

I got my current blender for $5 on Black Friday, but it probably only retails in the $15-$25 range (WalMart). It's a Hamilton Beach brand. One nice feature is that it has "solid" and "liquid" lines on the front for making smoothies. Basically if you put in solids (anything frozen) to the solid line and then liquids (anything liquid or soft fruits or non-frozen yogurt) to the liquid line, the consistency comes out pretty good - so you can do a ton of experimenting. I doubt its super high quality built to last 100 years, but I bought it in 2008, use it fairly regularly, don't have trouble with un-blended ice chunks, and it's still going strong.

I don't really have a lot of smoothie recipes (I generally just experiment...), but I know this months FoodNetwork Magazine had a little smoothie recipe book inserted (I was thumbing through a friends copy earlier this week - they had some delicious looking combinations! which of course I can't remember now

) But searching the FoodNetwork website for smoothie gives 167 results, so if you are looking for inspiration it's a good place to start:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/deleg ... hType=site

If you are trying to get proteins in, you can try adding protein powders or tofu.

Good luck with your surgery - here's to a speedy recovery!

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:47 pm

I've never had to go six weeks on soft foods/liquids, but I've been very satisfied for about the same amount of time as from eating solid foods when I pureed cooked veggies and grains and added either cottage cheese or plain protein powders plus olive oil or other monosaturated or omega-3 fats. Surprisingly filling and long-lasting. I varied the herbs and flavorings. I'm a freak for Indian food, so sometimes I would add a few tablespoons of packaged sauces for variety. Other times Italian, Greek, or Mexican.

Just ideas for not depending on sweet meal replacements. I think you could get a blender at a thrift store, and I think you can get them new for under $50. Here is one for about that much on overstock.com. It's got a good rating, too.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Cu ... rcmndsrc=5

But don't sweat it and good luck on its solving your pain problems.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:08 am

Here are the smoothie recipes from the Food Network Magazine.

Here are some of my favorites:

These are some of my favorites:
Mocha Java Smoothie
Pomegranate Smoothie For this one I use yogurt instead of tofu and often add one or two handfuls of spinach or other greens to it.
Banana Oat Smoothie

Iâ€™ve also made an avocado smoothie that was very tasty. Instead of ice, I used a frozen banana. I used Greek yogurt and added some vanilla instead of vanilla yogurt.