7 Bites_Jen

Baked egg dishes are great - and you can do them in muffin tins for smaller portions sizes. You can also add any veggies and cheese you want. Juevos Rancheros are awesome - I take about 1/4 c of black Beans (canned - I rinse and drain them to get off a lot of the goop and salt) heat them up in a pan with about a tablespoon of chopped onion, a tablespoon of chopped bell pepper, and a tsp of chopped garlic (you can add some jalepeno too, if you like it!) then I crack an egg on top, turn the heat onto low, pop a lid on and cook it for about 10 minutes or so until the egg is cooked through. You can put some cheese on top too. For a quick Breakfast, you can make homemade bars (we're working on a recipe for one that's high Protein, low carb and actually tastes good ...) or yogurt is always good too.

This is something I was JUST talking about with someone today. They didn't understand why I was still having issues. People that haven't been there have no idea about the addiction and the hold it has on us.

Congratulations on your decision! Please keep us posted on how you're doing - this forum is wonderful!

I have to agree with that ^^ Amy's has some wonderful frozen meals and they're all-natural and organic.

I've been known to tell people that for ME it was, "Working smarter, not harder" for my weight loss, LOL.

I just asked this question on our Facebook page. If you like, you can follow the post and see what others have to say about it! https://www.facebook.com/7Bites

Pre-boil some shrimp or eggs and have those on hand to grab quickly, almonds, greek yogurt, cheese sticks, natural Peanut Butter ... If you're talking about meals, make up big batches of things like Soups and chillis and stuff like that and pre-portion it out in 1/2 cup freezer containers (Ziploc has some - I got them at Wal Mart and Target), have grilled or boiled Protein on hand ... Are you eating raw veggies and salad yet? If so, toss some protein on top of about 1/2-1 cup of lettuce greens and away you go.

Very true! But then, there are different diets with every surgery as well - I'm a sleever so mine was a bit different than yours would be

If you're on Clear liquids, check with your doctor about how to prepare the soup. Clear liquids usually mean that you would prepare the soup with Water rather than milk. I would call on that and ask. Also, what is "phase 3" on your eating plan? Generally, the time after WLS is staged out 1 being clear liquids, 2 being full liquids, 3 being pureed foods and/or soft foods, etc.

Honestly? Not a fan of any of them because of the carb and sodium counts.

There are some flavored broths on the market that are pretty good. Also, add some fresh herbs like rosemary or basil to your broth and steep it like you would tea then strain off the solids. I LOVE Taos green tea with speremint as well - one of my favorites. If you get hungry, drink water or drink some more broth - it can be more filling than you think

I've had people tell me it was the easy way out, then I tell them everything that I and every other WLS patient have to go through prior to and after surgery. That usually puts it into perspective to them. A lot of people don't understand that we STILL have to watch what we eat and exercise, just like everyone else does. And it's a lot easier for some of us to regain weight than it is for a lot of them. They are generally uneducated about WLS and have absolutely NO CLUE what all it entails.

You had me at pop tarts ... I seriously need to figure out a pop-tart substitute ... LOL!

Some surgeons don't and instead do a low-cal diet with fasting prior to surgery. For the ones that DO require liquids, however, it's done primarily to shrink the liver and pancreas before surgery to reach the stomach easier.

I use Stevia for most things, but I also use honey, coconut sugar, and molasses. I do use Splenda if there's nothing else (it's better than aspartame). I've used raw sugar as well and done okay with it.

I am ROTFLOL at that!!! Girl, you crack me up

7 Bites is a cooking show that I do with my mom on YouTube. It's geared specifically to those of us in the WLS community. We try to focus on high Protein, low carb, sugar free foods in small portions. "7 Bites" stands for what my psych told me before the surgery - that we (for a time) should be used to seven bites of food - 4 protein, 2 veggie and 1 starch. It changes as time goes on, but the premise and philosophy remains the same - protein first, veggies second, 1-2 bites of starch if you're still hungry.

We launched our second season today and are so excited!! Thank you guys for being such a huge part of this - we appreciate the love and support we've gotten from this forum! Hope that you enjoy our season premier and that what we do is helpful to you! Remember you can always contact us with any questions, comments, or suggestions either here on the Bariatric Pal forum or you can email us at SevenBitesShow@gmail.com Thank you guys! Hope you enjoy this weeks episode! Please let us know what you think

Thanks for the info on the ginger!!! I will have to try that!

My mom is REALLY into the fact that my dad hunts, LOL...

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! <3 <3 <3 <3

Thank you so much!! That means a lot - I am so glad it's helpful!

Shared on both my personal page and the 7 Bites FB page. God bless you and your family - God has a plan in all of this!! <3

Although I am a sleever rather than a bander, I love this article and there are some great tips that any of us can learn and benefit from, regardless of our WLS of choice! Thanks for the post! Great information!

LOVE LOVE LOVE! Thank you for this article - this is exactly what I've needed to read here lately!