Tomo

Well so much for my dolloping Boursin on my steak. My batch had started to go green even though it had another week to go. Sigh. Went to a different deli & another grocery store that’s supposed to stock it & no luck. Will have to make my own again.

Protein Belgium waffle
I used to make these often in the first year after WLS when I was concerned about reaching protein goals. I lost my trusted recipe so I’m back to experimenting again. This one was a little too thick and dry but overall not bad because the flavor was nice.
I tried it with strawberry jam and agave caramel sauce. I prefer the caramel sauce.
The tracking is for two full-size waffles without jam or sauce (I only ate half of one waffle so 136 cals, 19 g protein & 10 g carbs)

The diy Boursin love continues....
fresh out of the oven: Spinach-Boursin Quiche!

100% pre made puff pastry @GreenTealael. No time (or desire) to make my own. 😁
Oh, yes shredded parmesan @Spinoza. I love caramelised onions so I might give your version a go too.

I think the Boursin is why the zucchini tart went so quickly because generally zucchini isn’t that popular. But the pistachios & drizzled honey probably helped too. 😉 I’m thinking about trying a little dollop of the Boursin on steak the next time I have it. I tried a little Boursin on a cracker but I didn’t like it as much as when with other savoury ingredients. Glad your family enjoyed it too @ms.sss.

Meals and Snacks yesterday (minus a small handful of corn nuts)
avocado toast with cucumber and coffee
canned (tinned) peaches and Peanut Butter
Sautéed peppers and onions with garlic basil polenta and sugar free pancake Syrup
blueberries and strawberries with cranberry almond granola and coconut milk Greek yogurt
Mini vegan chick’n slider with sugar free BBQ Sauce and tomatoes.

omg these "Boursin"-carmelized-onion-tarts were a hit! (thanks for the idea @Arabesque), they are totally going on the pot-luck contribution rotation for future gatherings...
I made them into individual tarts, because I love hors d'oeurves-type presentations...plus i don't have to cut into anything to serve!
is funny because they ate a few before i took a pic of the pan, and then a couple more before i got them on a plate. they were that delicious!
I candied some bacon as well to put on top of them, but there were only 2 left by the time the bacon was done. Imma gonna make some candied-bacon-chocolate chip Cookies later instead.
i also didn't get a chance to put some of the seasoned arugula on top for garnish...i'll just eat it as a salad later.
yum!

First one is day 2 post op heart surgery dinner. Are about half.
The second and third are the after picture and nutrition info from dinner today (post op day 4 and a full day home). Used about 1/2 a serving of sauce to a full serving of dumplings. As you can see, I ate a half serving.
Im gonna have an ensure max Protein Shake with my medicine and go to bed.

I’m so glad and grateful to be home. Even while in the hospital I noticed how much I was able to walk and hold a conversation while even just walking 300 feet (little over 90 meters). My surgeon even said I looked much better than before surgery and my 15yr old told me that she was happy to see me back and that it was sad watching me slowly decline (she had never shared that with me! 😭). Recovery is expected to last 4-6 weeks for bone healing but cardiac rehab lasts 8-12 weeks and starts week 2-4 post op.

I could eat this entire thing if I’m really hungry. Congratulations! I think you might have a rare level of restriction. 😂

Ok this is gorgeous! What did you use for the tart crust? Homemade? Pre made?

Congratulations on your loss. Whoo hoo! Might be worth checking your calorie intake & what your body actually needs to maintain your current weight & activity level. What portion size are you actually eating? I eat pretty much what is considered an appropriate serving size in maintenance e.g. 3-4ozs Protein & a cup of vegetables. Took me to about 18 +/- months to be able to physically be able to eat that. I had been snacking a lot in between to try to stop my continued weight loss until I got to that portion size. I actually still do have to snack just not as frequently. Might be worth a conversation with your dietician to see if there’s something you’re missing & what you could add to your every day eating to help.
Also, a growling tummy is more often than not your digestive system doing what it’s supposed to - digest food. Mine is noisiest during & after I eat for up to a couple of hours. Remember you can’t be really be hungry as you’ve just/recently eaten. Your cup of tea is a great idea when this happens.
PS - I snacked on combinations of cheese, multigrain crackers & hummus, Protein Bar, fruit, peanut paste, nuts, yogurt, chia pudding, etc. about 5x a day. Yes I felt I was eating all day long. Now I snack 3 x a day on basically the same things & also occasionally beef Jerky & baked fava beans/chick peas.

Hunger returns for a lot of us. Your question reminds me of these videos.

Instead of snacking as you’re driving, try stopping & having a proper meal - salad, Soup, grilled/steamed fish, etc. At three moths you'll have a few more options. Even picking up some yoghurt or pack some Protein Shakes & have them in a park. It may take you a bit longer to get where you’re going but it should reduce your desire to mindlessly snack in the car. Remember that’s just head hunger - eating out of boredom as you sit in the car.
Travel safely.

cheese sticks, beef Jerky, Protein Bars should all work..

Some of them may have been their private thoughts that they are sharing with you now. That they were truly worried, especially if you're a good guy[emoji3590] and worth worrying about. I have been concerned about others who have put on a lot of weight but because I had a history of obesity myself, I know better how to phrase weight comments.

The ones making fun of others is unacceptable behavior, period. I label them jerks, and would avoid toxic people.

You've done great, congrats.

I hated that grainy taste too & they were so sweet. Shudder! I diluted my morning shake (doubled the water) which helped somewhat. Then I had Soup for the rest of the day. Bone broths are very good, but consommés & cream Soups are good options too. Make your own smoothie using yoghurt, milk, a little Protein powder & a powdered flavour. Protein Water is also a good option.
It can be a challenge to hit that goal at first but as long as you’re making an effort, are close & getting closer you’re okay. It does get easier.

I have been following the rule the way @ms.sss has, I have always drank up till the meal but afterwards, I've been hardcore about not drinking till at the very least 30 minutes, but usually go much longer, until I feel my stomach has emptied. The times I have drank after 30 minutes, I feel hungry much sooner so I wait as long as possible. It applies to Snacks and meals, any time you have anything other than a liquid, including Soup.

I have been following the rule the way @ms.sss has, I have always drank up till the meal but afterwards, I've been hardcore about not drinking till at the very least 30 minutes, but usually go much longer, until I feel my stomach has emptied. The times I have drank after 30 minutes, I feel hungry much sooner so I wait as long as possible. It applies to Snacks and meals, any time you have anything other than a liquid, including Soup.

Some of them may have been their private thoughts that they are sharing with you now. That they were truly worried, especially if you're a good guy[emoji3590] and worth worrying about. I have been concerned about others who have put on a lot of weight but because I had a history of obesity myself, I know better how to phrase weight comments.

The ones making fun of others is unacceptable behavior, period. I label them jerks, and would avoid toxic people.

You've done great, congrats.

At 5 weeks post op I was just having 3 teeny tiny meals and lots of fluids. When you say you *want* a snack in between meals do you mean that you fancy something in particular (head hunger) or that you can't distract yourself from proper hunger with fluids or random activities, or that even if you do that you still feel proper hunger? 5 weeks would be super early for proper hunger to return!
In any case, and to answer your original question - I stuck rigidly to the 30m before *and* after rule for about 18 months. I found after that that I could drink right up to the point of eating so I relaxed that part. However I still wait for more than an hour after eating before I drink fluids. It seems to prolong my satiety.
Best of luck - I hope you can find your way through.

since the beginning, i found that however amount of liquids i drank before eating solids didn't seem to matter. i could drink as much as i want right up to the first bite, with no issues.
what i DID have to adhere to was waiting 30 mins (sometimes 45) AFTER my last solid bite before i drank anything again. if i didn't, i would feel overly full and maybe barf.

I'm like @Shanna NYC, I stick to waiting 30 minutes after a snack, and always 30 minutes or more after a meal. And like @catwoman7, I drink Water first thing in the morning, usually getting in at least 16 ounces before having breakfast or coffee.
I'm almost 6 months post-op, and the timing of my water intake has become a habit and I'm able to get in at least 80 ounces a day. One difference that I can see between us is that my program told me that I can have a drink/water at any point before I eat.

the no drinking rule applies to Snacks, too, unfortunately.
P.S. one thing I started doing early out which seemed to help (and I still do it, nine years later) is drink 16 oz of Water as soon as I get out of bed in the morning - before eating Breakfast, even before drinking my morning coffee. That way I'm 1/4 of the way there (i.e., to my water goal) before eating breakfast and getting dressed!

Some of them may have been their private thoughts that they are sharing with you now. That they were truly worried, especially if you're a good guy[emoji3590] and worth worrying about. I have been concerned about others who have put on a lot of weight but because I had a history of obesity myself, I know better how to phrase weight comments.

The ones making fun of others is unacceptable behavior, period. I label them jerks, and would avoid toxic people.

You've done great, congrats.