JanetteH

My list of pureed foods says in large letters "Absolutely No Baby Food" - don't know what the problem with it is. I have a mini food processor which makes things a lot easier - worth the $25 investment? (I used it all the time before for chopping garlic, ginger etc). A few things that don't need processing or are easy to mash with a fork - tuna, cottage cheese, egg salad, ricotta, cooked soft white fish (e.g. catfish or tilapia), apple sauce and banana.
Janette

Hi Nick,
I suggest buying "Eating well after weight loss surgery" - tasty recipes and tells you exactly how much to eat at each stage and for every procedure.
Esskay, I will definitely try your recipe! Here's a couple I like:
Easy Turkey Skillet
Non-stick cooking spray
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons Tomato paste
1 teaspoon each basil, oregano, red pepper and garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 medium zucchini, sliced & halved
1. Brown turkey and onion in non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Cook until turkey is cooked through and onion is soft (about 10 minutes)
2. Add tomato paste and seasoning. Simmer another 10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and simmer another 5 minutes.
4. Add zucchini and cook 5 minutes more. Serve hot.
Serves 4 (about 1 cup per serving)
Calories 181; Carbs 13g; Fiber 4g ; Protein 21g ; Fat 6g
chicken Breasts with cheese and Spinach
2 ounces goat cheese or reduced fat cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves
Salt and black pepper
1 bunch baby spinach (3 ounces), washed, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1. Combine cheese and garlic in small cup. Trim excess fat from chicken; season with salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife, cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each breast to form a deep pocket. Stuff each pocket with an equal amount of cheese mixture and spinach. Press edges of chicken together to seal.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken, 4 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium; add broth to pan. Cover and simmer, about 6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately, discarding any remaining broth.
Makes 4 full-size servings
Per serving:
209 calories
31 g Protein
1 g carbohydrate
(WLS patients should only eat ¼ - ½ a breast – about 3oz)
Baked Ricotta with Marinara
8 oz of ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper to taste
½ cup marinara sauce
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, beaten egg, seasonings together and place in a oven proof dish. Pour marinara on top and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake it in the oven @ 450 for about 20-25 minutes (best) or nuke it till hot and bubbly.

Hi Nick,
I suggest buying "Eating well after weight loss surgery" - tasty recipes and tells you exactly how much to eat at each stage and for every procedure.
Esskay, I will definitely try your recipe! Here's a couple I like:
Easy Turkey Skillet
Non-stick cooking spray
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons Tomato paste
1 teaspoon each basil, oregano, red pepper and garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 medium zucchini, sliced & halved
1. Brown turkey and onion in non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Cook until turkey is cooked through and onion is soft (about 10 minutes)
2. Add tomato paste and seasoning. Simmer another 10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and simmer another 5 minutes.
4. Add zucchini and cook 5 minutes more. Serve hot.
Serves 4 (about 1 cup per serving)
Calories 181; Carbs 13g; Fiber 4g ; Protein 21g ; Fat 6g
chicken Breasts with cheese and Spinach
2 ounces goat cheese or reduced fat cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves
Salt and black pepper
1 bunch baby spinach (3 ounces), washed, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1. Combine cheese and garlic in small cup. Trim excess fat from chicken; season with salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife, cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each breast to form a deep pocket. Stuff each pocket with an equal amount of cheese mixture and spinach. Press edges of chicken together to seal.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken, 4 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium; add broth to pan. Cover and simmer, about 6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately, discarding any remaining broth.
Makes 4 full-size servings
Per serving:
209 calories
31 g Protein
1 g carbohydrate
(WLS patients should only eat ¼ - ½ a breast – about 3oz)
Baked Ricotta with Marinara
8 oz of ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper to taste
½ cup marinara sauce
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, beaten egg, seasonings together and place in a oven proof dish. Pour marinara on top and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake it in the oven @ 450 for about 20-25 minutes (best) or nuke it till hot and bubbly.

I'm just at around 3 months now and I've lost 54 lbs - all post-op. Be aware that those numbers vary from person to person and please don't set your goals too high - that's just asking for a disappointment. Some people have lost more than me and I also stalled for 10 days although I was still eating correctly - but I'm so happy - I've lost an average of 4 lbs a week since surgery and I never did that before in my life! Good luck.

They tell me they're 'praying for me' or 'don't lose any more weight' or 'are you okay?' or 'you look haggard - are you sick?' or the outright 'do you have cancer?'.
Hi Terry
Congratulations on the new you - that's fantastic! I can imagine how annoying those comments are but I have to tell you about when I was on the other side of things.
An older male friend of mine visited after a year and didn't tell me he'd had surgery - he'd lost over 100lbs and compared to his usual plump round cheeks, he looked almost gaunt - then he told me why. What a relief to find he'd had WLS - the other explanation that jumped to mind was that he had cancer. Recently another work acquaintance had the surgery and when I went to a meeting I literally didn't recognize him across the room. It wasn't until he walked up to me and said hello that I realized who it was!
Now in both cases I kept my mouth shut - always a good policy - until it was appropriate to say "you look great - you've lost a lot of weight". So I'm prepared for the comments - just put a positive spin on it and think that these people care about you.

Congratulations Jodie! I was allowed scrambled egg, tuna, chicken, soft fish, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and refried Beans for Protein, plus mashed potato or sweet potato ( no fat), mashed butternut squash, The only other vegetables had to be canned - peas or carrots pureed. fruit was applesauce, mashed banana, mashed canned fruit. Believe me scrambled egg and thin mashed potatoes never tasted so good! Good luck.

Congratulations Jodie! I was allowed scrambled egg, tuna, chicken, soft fish, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and refried Beans for Protein, plus mashed potato or sweet potato ( no fat), mashed butternut squash, The only other vegetables had to be canned - peas or carrots pureed. fruit was applesauce, mashed banana, mashed canned fruit. Believe me scrambled egg and thin mashed potatoes never tasted so good! Good luck.

Congratulations Jodie! I was allowed scrambled egg, tuna, chicken, soft fish, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and refried Beans for Protein, plus mashed potato or sweet potato ( no fat), mashed butternut squash, The only other vegetables had to be canned - peas or carrots pureed. fruit was applesauce, mashed banana, mashed canned fruit. Believe me scrambled egg and thin mashed potatoes never tasted so good! Good luck.

Hi ladykatie - I felt the same way for the first few weeks - don't worry, it gets better. I had to pace myself - they had me up and walking the day after surgery in the hospital and set a goal of 15-20 minutes every day when I went home. I started out just "strolling" but got up to "leisurely walking" in about 10 days. After 2 weeks, I increased my walking by 2 minutes a day until I was up to 40 minutes and now I feel much stronger. Take my dog for a walk in the park almost every day - I'd say I'm moving t a "moderate" pace now. Also swimming, cutting the grass, doing housework again (yuch!) At first your calorie intake is so low that you don't have much energy - hang in there.

Hi everyone - I'm so excited - the scale actually moved this week - I've been "stuck" for a while. 13 weeks out and 54 pounds down - I'll take that!
FYI - I love this group - all so positive and encouraging - just read another thread where everyone is complaining about people who want to eat KFC, smoke, drink vodka (on the liquid phase) etc. Very funny but not very supportive. Keep up the good work!
Claire, enjoy your last few days in Hawaii!

Hi,
Janette, I will trying adding banana to the shakes. With the extra consistency and taste that might help the taste and the texture. Adding the Protein mix to food is an idea but I ony have chocolate and they come in such large tins. We have tried making it into an ice cream wth low everything custard and fat free fromage frais and that works fairly well too. Thanks so much for the suggestions.
Dellieflower, what a wonderful weight loss, congratulations! I am slowing down a bit now, like Kim. However I have not weighed for over a week so who knows what the effect will be of holiday eating. I will weigh in a day or two at Longs and let you all know! Yes we are still in Hawaii and loving every moment of it. It is just so beautiful.
Eating is a challenge, some meals seem to be fine, very small amounts but the range of foods is excellent. Other meals, not so much! However I have not been sick, or had problems with things getting stuck so that is great. Just some mealtimes nothing really works and despite hardly having anything my intestines sound like a drain for hours afterwards, I swear there is a little alien busy working inside me! Most days one meal is like that, and occasionally all three. I am really lucky with my range of foods and lack of sickness though but it is difficult to enjoy eating. I have not had much sashimi because it seems very filling but as Janette says it does tend to go down better than cooked fish. Only 4 more days here which is a shame. I could stay here forever but we all need to return to the real world I suppose!
Take care all of you
Claire

My nutritionist recommended "Eating Well after Weight loss Surgery" by Patt Levine & Michele Bontempo-Saray. I really like it - recipes are tasty and show exactly what you should eat for each procedure (RNY, Sleeve etc) and for each week post-op.

My nutritionist recommended "Eating Well after Weight loss Surgery" by Patt Levine & Michele Bontempo-Saray. I really like it - recipes are tasty and show exactly what you should eat for each procedure (RNY, Sleeve etc) and for each week post-op.

Congratulations ReaRhaes! Hopefully you've now had the surgery - wishing you an uneventful recovery. You definitely want someone to pick you up from the hospital - no driving while on pain medication! Also you'll need to be careful with your incisions. Hope you can find a good friend or family member to drive.
I'm now 8 weeks out and doing well. Spent Easter with my son and daughter-in-law in Baltimore. First time going out to eat - we went out 3 times. Went to their favorite sushi restaurant - not allowed rice yet so I ordered sashimi - ordered 3 slices of salmon and 3 white tuna - yummy! Also now know I can eat a little KFC grilled chicken; or a small piece of a burger (meat only). Not allowed raw veggies yet but have had apple slices. Can't wait to have a salad - who thought I'd miss my fruit and veggies so much!

Hi Heidi! I had my surgery Feb 24th and can sympathize with you. So I've taken my doc's advice not to weigh myself more than once a week. Ups and downs can be discouraging. My scale and his office scale are pounds apart - so I'm waiting to see what I weigh there in another 2 weeks. I'm only tracking what their very accurate scale says. Our bodies use up huge numbers of calories at first when we're healing plus I wasn't able to drink much so I expect I "gained" Water weight when I got my liquids up to 8 cups/day. Hang in there - we've added a new tool to our repertoire and we'll succeed in the long run.

Thank you both for sharing... This makes me feel a bit better. Man, this is all so much to figure out and gage and come to terms with. Here's to a great, healthy new life and sticking together through this!!