I didn't have any trouble with vegetables. In the soft food stage, I sometimes drank V-8 juice for vegetables. Then I began to mash & puree them, which was sometimes gross. I peeled the skin off broccoli and steamed it til it was soft, then mashed it and doused it in balsamic vinegar. Same with spinach, though I also peppered it liberally. Do you like many vegetables? Cauliflower is another good one to mash, and even potatoes, though I used potato flakes cooked in Magic Milk (search the group for recipe). The post-op soft diet can be challenging. I even ate baby pablum and sometimes baby food from jars but man, is that some nasty stuff. Carrots can also be made soft and mashed, and you can add some butter and sweetener without much trouble. You're eating so little, you can certainly splurge a little on something like butter, and really, fat is better for you than carbs, and veggies contain a considerable amount of carbs.
I'm a pretty creative cook so I was able to design recipes based on my tastes. It really is trial and error, though. I found the FDA's nutritional values website indispensable. It gave me ideas and broke down nutritional content. I do think it's important to peel the skin off any vegetable you choose, because it there are pesticides, they stay in the skin.
Eventually in the soft food stage, I lived on quiche. It's pretty easy to make and very much feels like a meal when you're dying for one. You can make it with or without a crust, and use a blender to break down any veggies or meat you might want to add. And I also used Magic Milk in quiche. You can make something au gratin as well, whether potato or other vegetable, or just plain with your own herbs and seasonings.
I used potatoes pretty early because they are easy to mash and can easily be adorned with other pureed foods. I even made a Thanksgiving dinner with pureed turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and instant gravy, all in small amounts but boy, after all the restrictions, it was fabulous to eat like that.
I had to attend a family Thanksgiving a few months after surgery. After I was dished up, I went about cutting my turkey into fine pieces, mashing up my veggies on my plate and pouring gravy over it all. I ate very slowly and no one noticed what a small amount I actually consumed. Curiously enough, a cousin at the table had had RYGB but she'd told everyone. I had told no one. She complained and felt sick and drew attention to herself during the whole meal, which was great, because that lessened the attention on me. I'd already lost 60 pounds by that date, and people were just flabbergasted by how skinny I was, compared to when they'd last seen me. I just told them my doctor had given me a diet, which was true. I didn't tell them anything more, because it was none of their business, but I have the kind of family who tries to make everything their business. I was prepared for this and said very little and stuck to my story. I also put the attention on them by suggesting they should see their doctors about losing weight. That turned their attention to themselves, which was great.
I had my surgery in 2008 and I've maintained my weight loss, for the most part, though I have gained some back. That's on me. I've given in to my compulsive eating in some areas, but I am always aware when it happens, and am able to curb my urges much sooner than in the bad old days of obesity.
Life after surgery is a strange journey, but it's a real blessing and a second chance to change your habits and health.
