Food and Nutrition

On Tuesday I get to transition from Clear liquids to pureed/mushy foods. I've stocked up on high-Protein yogurts, cottage cheese, ricotta, and egg beaters, but I'm looking for some tasty recipes to get through the transition. Please share your favorites for Breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas! Thanks! ETA: Especially packable lunch ideas as I return to work on Monday.

I begin Stage 4, weeks 7 to 8 postop, next week; surgery was June 27. According to my nutrition class information, that begins the "regular diet, which includes fresh fruits and raw vegetables." What I'm really, really craving is a hamburger dill pickle or an olive, but I'm afraid those would be super difficult to digest. Has anyone had trouble with either/or? I'm a vegetarian, so all of these cheese screams for a little something on the side!!! Also, I noticed in someone else's post, their food plan didn't allow fresh fruits or vegetables until three months. How many of you started earlier than that? Any suggestions / advice would be greatly appreciated! I'…

So Bummed. Went to Rita's tonight to Celebrate my birthday a day early. I figured being 6 weeks out it would be the best thing for me. So we went think I would would have the sugar free ice in a kids cup. My Husband even brought candle's to sing happy birthday, I took one bite of the tasting and spit it out. Too Sweet. So then I would try the sugar free custard took 2 bites and had to give it to my daughter. So no singing for me.. I'm so sad... This is our faviort summer thing and now I can't even have a lick. I guess it just suck's even worse because it's my birthday. If it was any other day I may not have gotton so upset. Does anyone have any ideas on what …

Okay, let me tell you, I love coffee. I don't think it is the taste so much but what it represents. It is a social thing for me and just part of my routine. All through the six month preop diet they told me to stop drinking caffine and coffee. I could stop drinking pop, but coffee? Come on. I was honest with my NUT and she just told me to keep trying. One day I was reading a post how a person said the caffine withdraw after surgery wasn't good. A light when on and I switched to decaff. I didn't want to deal with both (caffine withdrawl and just post op misery). I still got the taste and my routine of drinking coffee. I would drink about 5 cups daily (10 cups acco…

Hi Everyone, I hope that your weight loss is going well. I know that summer time can be an easier time for weight loss. It is a lot easier to get outside and exercise more. I know that it is hard to do, but if each day you will try to do something it makes it a lot easier. If you have a exercise buddy to work out with you that is really helpful too. When I get up and start walking on the treadmill each morning, I sometimes think oh my gosh I don't want to do this again today. About 1/2 way through my 3 mile walk, I am loving it, I feel my energy level coming around, and I feel a whole lot better. I am the person who never liked to exercise, but as I started…

For those seeking fruit juice not loaded with sugar, this is nice. No sucrose, fructose, etc etc. It is made with Splenda and a full container, 64 Oz., of Apple Juice has 210 calories if my memory is correct. Found in my local grocery store. http://oldorchardjuice.com/store/store.htm

I can have strained cream Soups right now and I decided a local restaurant's chicken tortilla Soup (without the tortilla strips) would be really yummy. It's a cream-based soup so it's thick & rich, but it's a little spicy. I was worried about the spiciness on my new sleeve so I combined the cup my husband bought me with a can of cream of chicken soup and a can of milk (now I've got the soup coming out my ears, luckily the husband is good at batting cleanup!). Anyway, it tasted pretty good and the flavor was still there - but I REALLY wanted to eat it 'fully leaded' with all the spice. Theoretically would spicy food be bad for my sleeve this early, or is it just a …

I was sleeved on June 1, 2011 by Dr. George Fielding at NYU Medical Center in New York City. I am down a total of 62 pounds including pre-surgery weight loss. Initially I had a lot of problems eating. Now I am much better but I can't eat citrus, or fresh tomatoes, or most acidic fruits and veggies. I started getting mouth sores. I have had 3 after NEVER having a mouth sore before. Dentist prescribed topical paste to treat them. Could this be the sign of a vitamin C deficiency? Has anyone else gotten mouth sores post surgery?

Today so far I have had B... coffee decaf...w/ milk...16oz and1/4 banana and tbs Peanut Butter Not sure bout the rest of the day yet???

Can someone give me some real world examples of how much food your new sleeved stomach can hold. I hear the ounces a lot but I am a visual person. Like can you eat a whole dunkin donuts donut? A whole Mcdonalds size cheeseburger? Not that you would eat these foods just examples that we all know.

Has anyone found a cookbook with recipes for those who have had bariatric surgery? My wife went to the bookstore looking for one and the clerk just laughed at her saying a cookbook for people who can't eat would be an oxymoron. Wifey was more than a little ticked off.

So I found a substitution for icecream, rainbown sherbert it is a refreshing treat in the summer and a good heathly option that still gives you the mouthfeel of icecream. It is going to help keep me on track! It really tastes good!

I have been eating sunflower seeds I think they are high in protein but also high in salt. I figure they can't be much worse than the can chicken or tuna. What do you guys think?

I'm on week 3 and can have soft foods, soft fruits without the peel, cooked veggie, some meats, cheeses etc... I have been having 1/2 of a banana the last few days because I just really am not a fan of eggs... I've tried it and I just don't like them. But then I googled the nutrition information for bananas and was shocked at how many carbs it had... I had no idea! ugh. So what do you eat for breakfast that is low in carbs?

I'm just wondering how to determine what a serving is. Is it a cluster or just one little leg? The box just says serving size 3 oz. but doesn't indicate what that is. And of course I don't have a kitchen scale yet. I plan on getting one tonight. Thanks y'all

Ok, I admit that even though I try to do the best I can with carbs I still probably eat too many carbs. My downfall is I haven't found alternative to my fav foods to make them lower carb. Things like spaghetti, for example. I make it as healthy as I can (I ground veggies into tiny specs so my oldest won't realize they are in there lol) but the one part I haven't been able to get around is the Pasta. I have tried the whole grain stuff and none of us like the aldente-ness (??) of it. I boiled those noodles for like an hour and they never got tender, which is the way we prefer it. To me they don't seem done if they aren't tender. So is there a low carb/no carb alternative th…

Today I was a little nervous going out to eat with my co workers, I am 3 weeks out since surgury, doing really well. We went to Luby's which is like a cafeteria style. I had mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, and beans. I had maybe a about 2 tablespoons of each and did fine. I get nervous eating now, especially not being at home, but so far so good. I'm loving this site, thanks for sharing your ideas!

I noticed this weekend while out to eat with my family that the waitstaff at a resturant can't seem to understand when you say no? No, I don't want something to drink, no I don't want more food, NO I don't want dessert!!! LOL The lady kept asking me, Are you sure? YES I am sure! I already gave you my answer why don't you believe me!?!?! LOL

I actually felt real hunger tonight. I have been on full liquids since the July 26th. My appointment to be released to mushies is not until the 11th. I have not experienced nausea or vomiting. Well tonight I was hungry and was tired of the 40z of tomato soup that I am allowed.. I put 1/2 cup of beef broth into the blender along with 2 tablespoons of refried beans. Blended it well and sipped 1/4 cup. It made my sleeve so happy. However I think I just went against doctor's orders. I would hate to think I have learned to cheat the sleeve so early. I feel soo guilty. Khy

I really liked canned corn and canned green peas... so I sometimes make a "salad" of the following ingredients: canned corn cottage cheese ground beef, pan seared with seasonings mix and serve the corn can be substituted with canned green peas, also I sometimes combine both peas and corn together. the beef can also be substituted with canned tuna fish straight from the can, or turkey, etc... What do you guys think? Looking at the nutritional facts of the ingredients, it seems to be high in Protein, and not all that bad in carbs. 3 weeks out - 30lbs down

I went out for one last day of freedom before I have to go back to teaching. I celebrated my summer weight loss (32 lbs) with a spa manicure/pedicure and then to lunch with my friend. We picked Red Lobster. I've been eating alot of shrimp at home so I felt that was a good choice. Of course the killer garlic biscuits came out (I'm five weeks postop) and smelled so good. I thought of how terrible it would make me feel. I took one morsel off and tried it, while good, I thought it wasn't worth the risk and sat it off to the side. That would be taken home for my family to enjoy. I ordered the "Quick Catch Lunch- Garlic Shrimp Scampi and Wood Grilled Chicken". I ate th…

Hi everyone - Yesterday was the beginning of week 2 after having the VSG with Dr. Kelly. This is what I ate today: - V8 Fruit Explosion - Individual can - Some Water - 1/2 cup tomato Soup - 1/2/ cup brocolli soup (strained) - Not quite a half cup of greek yogurt - Jello - Not quite 1/2 cup oatmeal with milk like soup - Some Isopure - which I loath Am I doing ok here? I am not getting enough Protein - I know that but the protein I have although soy based and can be made with water, tastes not the greatest unless I put part of a frozen banana in it. Can you give me your thoughts on my diet today? Good or not, is welcome. Thanks SO much :-)

My "Patient Education" book from my surgeon states the following once you reach Week 8 after surgery: "You will need about 1200 to 1400 calories daily. Do not fall below 1200 calories a day. Limit intake of breads, grains and cereals to 2 or 3 portions a day." It has the typical guidelines for Protein, Water and exercise, but should I really be eating all these carbs and therefore calories? Do any of you have similar direction from your doctor at 2 months out? I've been getting in close to 1100 calories a day this past week and frankly I feel like I'm eating like a pig. I feel like I'm cheating and wondering if it has contributed to my stall. Or is 1100 calories …

Yesterday, I was hungry...I'd eat (not full, undereat and be comfortable) but be hungry again in 2 hrs. ALL DAY. Ended up just over 900 cals. Today, meh. Scrounging to get in just under 600. WTH?? So yesterday I lifted weights...but not until mid-day and was hungry before that. The only thing I can think of is that I drank a Protein shake first, treadmill, Water...ate egg later. Today I reversed that and ate egg first, treadmill, water, Protein Shake later. The difference was astounding in how I felt. Both my treadmill workouts were equally punishing. Anyway... This is sort of random ramblings, but I remember someone (Rootman?) saying that if he start…

Since my surgery I have developed a Bionic sense of smell. There are many foods I can no longer eat because the smell makes me feel ill. This includes the expensive Protein shots that I bought before my surgery. I tasted before surgery and they were eh….now the smell alone is enough to send me gagging. Tomorrow I start on my “Blended food stage”. My nutritionist had recommended making up blended meat salads ahead of time and freezing them in ice cube trays. I made low fat Tuna, Turkey and chicken salads. I put some in bowls today to let them thaw overnight. The smell was overpowering. I am afraid that I wont be able to stomach them when the time comes. If the f…

I was told I could start my mushy phase today. For breakfast I had an egg over-medium and I cut it up really good. No problems. I could only eat about half of it though. I kept the rest and ate it about an hour and a half later. Success! For lunch I had a 1/4 cup of Chicken Salad that was VERY well blended but I could only eat about a 1/4 of that. 1) I am scared to death of moving on to this stage. and 2) I got full really fast. I felt that one burp that I now know is my limit so I stopped. I have the rest to snack on for the rest of the day. I just want to say how excited I am that this went as well as it did. I am SO excited.

I am currently 6 weeks out and am craving a slurpee. I have 3 little girls and we get slurpee's after their T-Ball games. When did you have a slurpee again? Thanks! Kelly

I'm still in the beginning stages of this journey, but I've met with my surgeon at a round table info meeting, and I've been reading through these forums when i can...and I've decided it's definitely what i want to do. I just have a few specific questions re: food post op- 1. What (if any) alcohol consumption is allowed? Will i ever be able to go wine tasting again? Or have a martini on a night out? 2. Are carbonated bevs allowed? I'm a fan of diet soda, but i coukd live without it if need be...just curious. 3. Are there any other "never again" foods/drinks post op? Thanks for your help

Bariatric Pantry keeps sending me ads for protein bars. Nowhere in the ad can I find the breakdown of gms of protein, carbs, sugars and etc. Why don't they provide these? How would I know if it is something I could eat (when that time comes) if I don't have that information... Maybe the answer is...they don't provide it because if they did most wouldn't order it? Khy

Hi~ I live in Korea so I seriously do not have access to good, healthy food. I also hate cooking and the big markets are too far away. Anyway, I am thinking about ordering the entrees and protein bars from bariatricchoice.com. Has anyone tried their food? I would really appreciate some feedback. Thanks in advance.^_____^

Hi everyone.... I just need some ideas for Clear protien - and in Canada Im finding it impossible to find anything so far... argh.... Does anyone hae suggestions?? Im thinking I might need to order on line but it might take a while.... I cant find Isopur or Smart Water so Im thinking of going to some health stores today, but thought it might be good to have a list of ideas! Thanks for your help in advance!!

I'm having a hard time eating bread. I tried eating a tuna sandwich on wheat bread but it didn't sit right. Any suggestions?

Well since I can't get ahold of my NUT what do you all think about cheese soup on a full liquid?? I'm starving and the only thing I can even stand to eat is pudding but pretty sick of it. Tomorrow will be a week since I've had surgery. And would love something different.

I just started mushies this week and am not sure if I am doing it right. I have been measuring 2oz. besides creamy soups, I've mushed up some chicken with a little gravy, and had a scrambled egg on two different occassions with a few strands of cheese mixed in. Every time I eat I feel stuffed. Tonight i had the scrambled egg and i feel like it is all the way up my throat. Could I be eating to fast? By the time you chew a scrambled egg up there is almost nothing to it. Soup seems to do okay, but the other stuff not so much. Cathi

I have read where several of you have and use the magic bullet for making protein shakes, omlettes and etc. I was reading the reviews of this thing to try to decide if I needed one. For those of you who own one, what has been your experience? Good points? Bad points? Khy

I am on day 3 of the 10 day preop liquid diet and I am ready to drive myself to taco bell! Any tips!? I can have slim fast or carnation instant Breakfast mixed with milk, I can have broth, and crystal light, and Water. The thought of drinking a slimfast makes my stomach turn right now!

I was able to eat about 2oz of refried beans with a tiny bit of cheese and sour cream. Brought a tear to my eye I tell you! So it took me almost an hour to eat it, and I KNOW that's not what most of y'all have been told to allow for meals. But this was my first time eating it and I didn't want to rush it and get sick. I needed to know how I would tolerate it...and I did just fine Tomorrow I will reduce meal time. I'm so excited! Who would of ever thought 2 oz of food would make me this happy, but after the road I've been down with this sleeve it makes me wanna jump for joy!

I figure I will do it- just wondering if it is already out there! If not, I will post them when I do them. I am so wanting to try so many of them but I am also pretty obsessive about logging...

I am finally (thank the good Lord) able to try eggs. My plan says I can have poached, scrambled, or soft boiled. I have been stressing all day over how to cook the sucker. So my question to you all is: How was your egg cooked the first time you ate it? And did you tolerate it? I've never in my life had a poached egg and to be honest it doesn't sound appealing. I'm thinking I want to do a boiled egg and then puree it...make a sort of egg salad minus all the mayo and pickles. Thanks everyone!!!

I'm four days out and I feel great considering 85 percent of my stomach had been removed....anyway I'm not hungry but I began feeling dizzy. My nut allows creamed Soups, yogurt and the like after 3 days post op. So anyway I have been sucking down my soups, low fat/sugar ice cream and yougurt with Protein powder and milk mixed in (although I did not strain chunks as they were so tiny I didn't think they would hurt but maybe I should stop this) So I started drinking down broth and it really made me feel better today. I went to the market with my husband and as we were walking around the store looking at labels of what I could or couldn't have I started to look at the sug…

Due to lack of choices in Korea, this has become my staple Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Is this a good choice? Please tell me what you think. 1 and 1/2 tbsp of shredded chicken breast 1 tbsp of pizza cheese 1 and 1/2 tbsp of spaghetti sauce (no meat) I am almost 6 weeks out. My meal plan consists of all types of rice and Korean side dishes so this wasn't exactly on the list. Thank you in advance.^_____________^

I track my intake on my phone everyday. Do you all track the calories and carbs in your vitamins? My calcium citrate creamy bites or the chewy bites add quite alot of calories and carbs each day! My stats for protein, calories, and carbs look great without the calcium and vitamins. The carbs and calories go up when I include them. By up I mean I hit over 60+ carbs and over 700 calories. I'm 5 weeks out and have lost around 25 lbs. Thanks for your help! PAT

This video was made with bypass patients in mind but I think it is really good info for ANY WLS, and even b4 WLS. It discusses the prevention of muscle loss in WLS patients. I found it to be very informative, hopefully someone else will too! <iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SZ8Z4TAew-A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> More really informative videos found here: http://www.youtube.c...u/3/6SHQ20ssAgg

Today is my husband's birthday and we decided to go eat at a seafood restaurant in our town. I told the waitress that I recently had weight loss surgery and I can only eat a tiny bit. She suggested ordering off the kids menu and that she would ask the chef to boil 4 shrimp for me. I was stoked that she was so accomodating. Well the shrimp came and I found them to be a bit to chewy. BTW this was the first time to eat meat Protein so doing it in a restaurant was nerve wracking! Anyway, I decided I would try some of my husbands baked flounder. I was able to eat about an ounce and a few bites of baked potato (swiped off my daughters plate ). I was so happy everything went do…

I just found this in my files and don't remember where I got it so I can't give credit - probably Dr. Ben Kim's website. Anyway, for those of you learning to cook and experiment - this might be mighty handy! Enjoy! Which Spices/Herbs to Use How many of us have spice racks with jars of spices we bought years ago and never used – whose sole purpose is to collect the dust in your kitchen? ☺ Now is the time to dust them off (or replace them) and start adding flavor to your dishes-The correct spice or herb (whether it is fresh or dried) for any food is the one that tastes right for you-When you're at a loss about what to add to a dish, try something from t…

I am one week post op. My post op info states I shouldn't drink no more than 2 oz in a 15 min period but I can drink up to 4 oz in that time. It's hard for me to sip and sip all day. I fill up my cup with 8oz of liquid at a time and try to get that down and even then Im not getting 8 cups a day in. I noticed that now my water and juice have to be very cold or my soup has to be hot in order for me to drink it which means I have to keep putting ice in my drinks and rewarming my soup. How was everyone experiences with getting the liquids in and am I drinking too quickly?

Hi my fellow sleevers! I thought this was very important to share since it broke my 6 day stall. I understand that people have different diets according to the doctor who sleeved you, but I think your body also plays a great part in this stall. So you need to listen to it. My doctor's daily diet for me was the following: scrambled egg white (I use eggbeaters) with any veggies fruit in mid morning chicken or fish for lunch with a little portion of veggies or lentil/ beans/ chickpeas Soup yogurt at mid-afternoon 4 oz of Protein shake for dinner another fruit 2 hours before bed I did this to the T and it wasn't working. I had lost 9.8 pounds my first week and onl…

I've been getting an itch to bake so I've been looking at ways to make low carb treats. I came across information on Almond Flour where they've said it's a good low carb/high Protein alternative to flour. Has anyone tried using almond flour or do you have a better alternative? I'm also thinking of doing these low carb items as a dry run for the Thanksgiving/Christmas season. See what works and what needs to be tweaked. Also, what's the difference in all the carbs listed on nutrition labels? I've seen labels that say X carbs on the label but over to the side it says something like 4 net carbs or 4 digestible carbs. A carb is a carb isn't it? I've been pretty black &…

So for lunch today, I decided to have some bean & ham Soup made by Healthy Choice and pureed it. I also thought that I would up the Protein content by adding some unflavored Protein powder to it. I did this yesterday and it was fine. Unfortunately, the brand I added today made it awfully sweet - too sweet really. I had several packets of samples, that's why I used different brands (I had finished off the one brand yesterday). I hate to waste food. How can I make the now too sweet soup not so sweet? Any suggestions? I'm on full liquids/pureed foods until Tuesday.

I'm just curious when can I start eating salads I'm only 8days post op. My body needs something I can't shower without feeling like I'm going to faint. one more week of liquids then ill begin my soft foods. But uhh help lol