Food and Nutrition

Looking for recommendations on different products that you have used since WLS such as your favorite blenders/mixers, food processors, etc. or any other type product that you just feel you can't live without!

So here is 1/3 of the chicken philly sandwich (minus the bread i told them to keep)I got for dinner last night. I ate about 4 bites at the restaurant ate the tips of one broccoli and about a 1/2 cup of french onion soup/ no cheese for dinner. So when I got home I split the chicken breast again and put the other piece in the freezer and brought one the to work. This is pretty typical for my meals now at 3 months. "> For Breakfast: 1 Premier Protein shake Snack: Greek Yogurt Lunch: as pictured above Snack: Protein Shot or bar Dinner: will be some type of meat about one ounce with a salad.

I am planning to have the sleeve in April. I am probably over-thinking all that could happen when you permanently cut off half your stomach. I am a little concerned about what happens when you get older or old. I think that normally (without any surgeries) the stomach shrinks naturally as you get older. For example, my mother is 85 and she can only eat tiny meals and she is full quickly. So, if you have half the stomach when you get old and it shrinks on top of that, wouldn't it cause problems soehow? May be you eat even less and be very unhealthy because you can't put anything in. In general, it could just make you that much weaker and fragile. Sorry, I am a…

Ok, might seem like a stupid question, I am from the UK and we dont really drink stuff like that. Usually we drink diluting juices like robinsons or kiora. Can i just drink these or is there a special reason for drinking the powder type? I have seen tang. Is it the same kind of thing? Thanks a lot

I have been eating greek yogurt since May 2010. My NUT recommended it and I switched. Well, my girls still like my "old" yogurt which was Yoplait Light (the ones in the white and light blue containers, pretty sure they are top sellers for Yoplait because they sure do sink a lot of ad money into this particular yogurt...it's the one with all the "flavors" like pineapple upside-down cake, and boston creme pie, and lemon cream pie, key lime pie, etc.) So anyway, tonight my girls wanted yogurt and fresh strawberries for dessert. I split the container of vanilla into 2 small bowls, added fruit and then I licked the spoon from the yogurt container. ICK. Totally nasty…

I joined a gym Jan 30th. I received 2 sessions with a trainer. 1st session was a work out session, the 2nd session was with a different trainer and he proceeded to talk to me about my diet, even after I had told him several times that I had VSG. I am 4 weeks out now and need some advice. Currently I eat the following: B- Protien shake - 30 g protien L - 2oz ham and 1 mozarella stick D - Something like 2 oz of chicken, or some refried Beans with cheese. I am supposed to start adding some soft veggies this week. He wants me to do this: Breakfast - protien shake Snack - hardboiled egg lunch - 1/2 chicken breast with spinach Snack - 1/2 cup cottage cheese d…

Hi, everyone and happy Friday! Like many on here I imagine, I have an unhealthy love affair with food. I'm working on getting control and getting healthier before I decide to have surgery, but I wonder how my feelings will change towards food post-sleeve. Since the amount one can eat is so reduced, has it been your experience that you feel deprived? For example, if you have a piece of delicious pizza, but can only eat a few bites, do you sit there craving the rest of it and wishing you could eat it or do you feel full and satisfied? I know my eating will change forever after the sleeve and I'm wondering how feelings of satiety and satisfaction come into play. I…

Breakfast - 1.5 sausage patties, 1/2 plain crepe, 1/4 cup oj lunch - 4 oz chicken, 1 oz steamed veg medley, 2 oz shredded imitation cheddar dinner - unknown! Snack - maybe a granny smith apple, maybe a Protein shake, maybe a chocolate chip cookie, maybe nothing, who knows yet! vits - Flintstone's gummies Water - probably not enough, but will try!

Hi. I know about the liquids, mushies, etc, but I'm talking about a year, two years down the road. I thought I read somewhere that you cannot have red meat. Is that true? Obviously I'm in the initial stages and haven't met with a nutritionalist or anything yet, as I'm sure he/she would go over this stuff with me. Just thought I'd ask though. Thanks!

Today makes 6 days post op, and I'm having a bad day. I was never a binge eater, or an overeater, for that matter. More of a Pasta, bread, cheese eater and no excercise type. I'm still on the full liquid diet, so my choices are still pretty limited. However, I have been craving everything under the sun today! I want Chinese food, or pizza. My son had pizza last night and all I could do was look at it. I don't even like sausuage on my pizza, but God it looked so good. I'm hoping this is because I've been on liquids for 2 weeks now and I'm dying to taste real food, and not because I'm having some kind of bassackward reaction, where I'm going to start craving food af…

Hi, everyone! My name's Ann. I'm from Seattle, Washington and am brand-new here. I'd always thought I'd go the route of the band and never even considered the vertical sleeve until I read about people's poor experiences with the band and their decision to have a revision. So, now I'm leaning toward the sleeve. Anyway, I struggle big-time with bingeing and am wondering how being sleeved will help this. I am working with a therapist on overcoming my bingeing behavior and she's recommended not getting surgery until I can go at least 6 months without a binge. This seems next to impossible right now, but I am working at changing my behavior as I really want to be succe…

Hi all! I was sleeved 12-13-2010 and as of today I have lost 74lbs. I have been loving my sleeve! I love never truly feeling hungry. My down fall is....old habits. I have always had a killer sweet tooth. (Diabetes on both sides) actually up until about 2 wks ago I was elated because I didn't even want sweets at all. But, all of a sudden it has come on strong!!! i find myself having a nibble here, a bite there of a cookie or cake. i never endulge and sometimes as soon as it's in my mouth i go spit it out. but regardless....it is driving me nuts. i hate this feeling of not being in control.... well besides that issue things are going pretty good. I am drinking the Unjury p…

I have been having lots of trouble with the protein shakes and have not gotten near the amount of protein in that I should have. Today I tried putting unflavored whey powder into my yogurt and it tastes fine. Just thought I would pass this on in case anyone else can benefit. Don't know why I didn't think of it before.

I know after the sleeve we are not suppose to drink carbonated beverages because of gas, but I was wondering what about diet rootbeer from A & W that comes from a soda fountain - diet rootbeer doesn't have any carbonation to it, do you think us sleevers could possibly have that ??? Any responses would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I was a foodaholic, ballooned up to 375# and was miserable. Had my VSG on 12/6/10 and today at 5+ weeks I am 56 lbs down. I found that I still think about food and image how good things taste, being in my soft foods stage I am beginning to start to eat some of my old favorites - eggs, tasty Soups etc. I find the first bite exquisite and then after that I get really turned off rapidly and can barely finish most meals. By the time I am near the end of the portion I have to force myself to eat - this is like after 2 ozs of something. I feel really turned off and disgusted with food now. And NOTHING even sounds good after I've eaten a few ozs of anything. Anyone else f…

I've recently started putting splenda back in my decaf tea again and went from never being hungry to feeling like I've started to get more hungry and have cravings. I don't know if it's in my head or the splenda. Im also pre period and font know if thats affecting me. Please share with me' what you know on this topic.

What are the recommendations for salad and fruits? I know that they told us to stay from citrus fruits. We have some strawberries and I started to eat one and stepped back.

Hi guys! I have been taking Miralax here and there to stay normal. I have been mixing it in to my smoothies but I am off the smoothie train for a while. SO I was just curious to know what yall drink it with. Thanks in advance guys!

I have been a huge promoter of Premier Protein shakes and I just want to post this as a *temporary* retraction of my promotion. Premier has changed their formula, upping the cholesterol to 25mg from 15 and decreasing potassium from 650 to 500 mg. Now that in it's self did not bother me, however the taste is horrible on the chocolate shake. I have been in contact with them and they are sending me a new cast free of charge and I will let you know if it was a fluke. The customer service rep was very responsive and concerned and assured me that my comments would be forwarded to higher ups, but he did admit he as gotten other complaints, not taste so much as thickness. …

I had a rough night last night. I had maybe 3 oz of protein pudding and was stuffed. I paid for it royally. I can't believe how 3 oz could make me so full and sick.

I'm only on day 8. First time in resturant since surgery and their online menu has just few soup choices....couldn't eat anything with chunks. Any advice would be helpful.

I recently tried some elbow macaroni, with a little meat sauce, this was my first pasta since surgery, nearly 7 months ago. No sooner had I swallowed then I got the uncomfortable feeling that acts as a *warning!* *warning!* *danger ahead!* feeling. Thank goodness I had the strength to stop eating it. Also, it wasn't tasty.

Hello all, So I have heard a lot of conflicting things about alcohol after surgery. I am almost two years out now and doing great, but I've alwasy had the lingering question about drinking... I am not a drinker at all. I never drink in my day to day live. I am on vacation right now though in europe and am supposed to go to Brussels in a few days. Naturally I want to try the beer there (I have never had beer) BUT it's carbonated so is it a no no? I used to drink soda all the time and was told after surgery we cant deal with the bubbles so I gave it up and haven't touched it since. Please let me know if I should just stay away or if it would be ok... Random, but wh…

I greatly apoligize if I'm not supposed to post this here.. but I didn't know where else. Could someone tell me? Anyway, I have 3 flavors fo the Bariatric Advantage shakes. Choc, Strawberry, Banana. They were $50 per bag. If anyone wants them, send me an email. I'd like for someone else to try them, I hate for them to go to waste. fullhands_fullheart@yahoo.com

Good Afternoon everyone!! I have not been sleeved yet, I am scheduled for Feb 24th. I reaching out to those post op sleevers with this question, particularly people who took Phentermine as an attempt to loose the weight before you went the Sleeve Route. If so, you would know how it made you feel towards food.... basically that it is gross. So what I am asking is, How does food taste to you post surgery? I really hated how Phentermine made me feel all around, the side effects were horribe. And even people who didnt take Phentermine before just let me know how you feel about food as well. Does it taste the same? Do you like it? Do you still have your favorite treats? Has yo…

I have been trying to push the fluids. It is harder for me now that I am eating more solid foods. I have been getting in plenty of fluids but it is not straight water. I add things like hot tea (no sugar), crystal light, life water, etc. Does this count as my water intake? Does the 64 oz. goal I am trying to reach daily mean only plain water? I am not as good of a water drinker as I should be. Also, right now, I have reached a stall on my weight loss. I know that is part of this journey, but was wondering if my drinking habits are helping me stall. Can anyone shed light on this?

Winter Winter go away!!!!! Before VSG I always got even more hungry during the winter months. Guess I was a bear in my past life. Feel the hunger and want to eat like a bear getting ready to hibernate. Thankful for the VSG surgery. Still having the cold weather only hunger. Regular days I could care less about food. Crave fluids only. Anyone else have this quirky hunger drive?

Hello, I was wondering what is the total of carbs one should have per day and how much protein we should have during the day as well? Can someone be so kind and help me out with this. Thank you.

How much CARBs should we be eating when we are on the 5th week after surgery?

I'm going to be traveling to visit a friend in Montreal in two weeks. I'm going to have crazy long days at the airport on both ends of the trip, so I'd love some tips on what to pack and prepare so that I can get my Protein in without giving in to the temptation of airport food kiosks! (It is a cruel joke that California pizza Kitchen and Vosges Chocolates are located in the same terminal I fly out of!) What are your best and most effective travel tips?

To those of you who posted replies ...thank you for sharing. My main probelm is going to be food issues. The Bariatric company that is connected to my doctor's office is of little or no help with a sleeve diet. On one hand they say I can have toast but my doctor says no bread. Is consistancy the issue? I can't have soft desserts like cake but an Oreo hard cookie is ok? They say I can have cream of wheat but I can't have oatmeal? I can have nuts as long as I chew them very well. O.K. but why is oatmeal bad and nuts ok?? No one can answer these questions for me. My paperwork says that I can crackers and lunchmeat..So crackers and chips are alright to eat? I am going to st…

So I have been in the stall from hell. I started birth contol pill about 3 weeks ago I put on 4 pound without changing my diet one bit. So I stopped taking the pill at week 2 as I was just bloating and got headaches the whole time. So I have been off the pill for 8 days now and my weight has not budged. I read to up my calories to trick my body so I started keeping track on myfatscecret.com and found if I was lucky I was getting about 500 calories a day. I started looking for healty ways so add some more calories, so far that has been adding a protein shake in my day and adding an afternoon snack of cheese and lunch meat. I have to admit It is a lot of work …

I am just past 5 months since surgery. Our friend got his tax money and wanted to take us to dinner so we went to Bob's Burger and Brew (kind of like a red robin but 10 times better). They had no kids menu so I ordered a regular meal. Fish Dinner Three generous portions of ocean fresh cod, hand-dipped in our special batter, deep fried in pure all vegetable oil, and served on a bed of leaf lettuce, tartar sauce and lemon wedges. Soup or salad. Baked potato, Fries, or Jo-Jo's. Garlic Bread on the side. Needless to say I knew I would be bringing home most of the dinner. Everyone else ordered fancy burgers and soda pop-I got Water When dinner came …

I am 3 days post op and my mom bought me two bags of Crystal Light Hard Candy. I am on clears for 10 days. Is it ok to have these sugar free candies too?

Is there any good tasting vitamins out there. I hate the taste of the vitamins that I have and I just don't know if Im going to get used to them before surgery..What is the possibility of taking a non chewable vitamin after surgery. Is it hard to swallow pills and get your nutrition that way..I am soo struggling with this..Does the gummies tast better than the waffers.. I just don't want to start gagging on the taste fresh out of surgery..

Ok so i'm ticking along, losing weight and feeling great. . everytime i have gone to the doctor for follow up she has drawn blood and has found vitamin D deficency and has prescribed Vitamin D 50,000units x 13 weeks. . well I have had this x 2 and now the last time she took blood and she has said that I have the most severest Vitamin D deficency she has ever seen and doesn't understand why. . . my PTH (parathyroid hormone) now is elevated as well, however, my calcium levels are perfect as is everything else except for the liver enzymes which are elevated but she attributes that to the surgery. . . so here i am taking Vitamin D in large doses Prescription once a week alon…

So Im wondering how everyone else is doing carb-wise. I am COMPLETELY avoiding them, somewhat reluctantly but I have always been more of a protein person so its not a huge problem. I do get carbs from the carrots etc. in my soups as well as the occasional few oz of juice so its not like Im totally carb free. But I would love to have someting to place my tuna/chicken salad on - like a Saltine or some toasted bread -- without feeling guilty. I am part Filipino and rice is SUCH a huge staple, and I am pretty much just making the "good" dishes and eating them w/o rice. And I love love sushi, but I have avoided any and all rice, as well as bread, pasta, etc. So is the the occ…

Did anyone try mashed potatoes during week one?

I got some chocolate premeir protein drinks at costco. They taste good but after looking at the protein there are two different kinds added to it. Cassein and whey. I know whey is what we want but is it a big deal if it has two different kinds? The shakes are 160 calorie, 1 sugar, 3 fat and 30 protein. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Anyone got any suggestions for me on veggies that are sleeve-friendly? Here's the sitch; post-sleeve, I have a really hard time with all of the "good for me" veggies that I used to enjoy (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, raw carrots). All of these tend to be very fibrous and plug me up quickly. Other veggie choices are either just basically blobs of carbs (I'm looking at you, potatoes) or squash -- which makes me yak. So post-sleeve, I really haven't eaten much veggies at all. How can I increase my veggie intake to remain healthy? What veggies/way of preparing them are you guys finding work with your sleeves? Any thoughts?

So, yesterday we made some very delicious pulled pork in the crock pot. Just 2.5 pounds of pork tenderloins that was on sale, 8 oz. of BBQ sauce, chopped onions and garlic and 6 hours on low. It was so good, and even though pork tenderloin is probably one of the leanest cuts of meat, it was super moist and juicy and it actually "pulled" itself when I tried to get it out of the pot. Now, my non-sleeved, non-obese husband needs a bit of carbs on the side and I thought I'd get the Trader Joe's Corn Bread mix out. Hubby was nice enough to volunteer doing it and 40 minutes later the house was filled with the beautiful smells of BBQ pork and corn bread. The corn bread was cut…

I've spent HOURS reading & reading forums, now I have some questions. I am not too concerned about pre-post op diets, they are what they are while you recover, but I am curious about 24 months and years later. (Everything I ask is cause I've read it somewhere here and it may not apply to everyone..so no offense meant, I'm just throwing it out there). Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated, truly! Why do (some Sleeve) people eat so slowly, chew so slow? That was a turn off for the Band, so how is the Sleeve different in that way? I understand that if you eat too fast, just like before you will be overfull and feel sick, but why else, is there something d…

Ok so 4 weeks out and 18lb down (still in the 3 week stall ), I am soooo tired of liquids. I'm ok with scrambled egg, and Soups even some with a few small noodles in, but I've tried to vary this and keep being sick. I'm tired of the couple of things I can eat, and need more inspiration, but I'm also worried that at this rate I will NEVER get on solids without hurting myself. I've slowed my eating down, I'm only going for small ammounts of soft stuff, what else can I do? I actually doubted my sleeve for the first time yesterday. Thanks in advance. Cx

Dr. Rutledge (the mgb guy) has research that it's far better to get vitamins from food tthan from tablets, and i wondered if it would be ok to eat a strawberry or watever between meals, maybe my tastes might change to veggies tho... i asked this question on another board and it started a fight, so please be gentle lol

Looking for hair loss experiences... Still thinking about getting the Sleeve and i'm trying to learn as much as I can... No need to sugar coat it. Please tell me your experiences. Loss, how much & how long and regrowth... Thanks

I've tried many, many different brand and found some that agree with me, and some that don't. I once was told that if the total carbs in a Protein bar aren't more than double the protein listed, then it's safe. It's not great for you, but better than some of the other bars. I have found that if you're lucky enough to live in the Kroger grocery store areas, that they have been having a weekly sale on Protein Bars, in thier health type food area of the store. They pick a few brands or styles and sell them 10 for $10. That's not too bad at all. Of course check the total carb to protein ratio to see if any worth buying that week. They normally change ads on Tues or We…

I'm not getting enough protein in ho can I get it? I'm at 40 -50. What can I have that's lowcarb but high Protien

I am on pureed food and I have been dying for a salad or some other vegetables (broccoli or carrots esp.). So not like me. I don't want carbs, I don't want sugar, I just want a salad. Who is this person talking? So my real question is - once I am past pureed foods and then soft foods - can I have a salad or is that something I need to work up to?

This really is pretty good tasting, IMO. It also gets you a lot of protein for not a whole lot of drinking or calories. 12oz of 1% milk (8.2g protein, 102 calories, calories from fat 21, 2.4g fat, 12.2g carbohydrates) 3 scoops of GNC Pro Performance AMP Wheybolic Extreme 60 Chocolate flavor (60g protein, 280 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1g fat, 7g carbohydrates). Mix together, chill, and drink over 3 sessions. You get 68.2g of protein for only 382 calories, and best of all, it tastes GREAT. Also, the GNC powder that I listed has amino acids which should aid in recovering from surgery. http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3509954

There is no denying that drinking water is good for you. I have always thought the 64 oz. a day seemed a little ridiculous. Here is an article that explains where that rule may have come from and takes a real commonsense approach to water consumption. http://www.scientifi...s-water-per-day