90’schild

^^^^^ this ^^^^^

You need to have a serious talk with yourself. This is not a diet, it is your new reality. You will eat like this for the remainder of your life. I ate none of my trigger foods for almost 8 months, with no alcohol for over 8 months. Just stage 4 eating. Then as the success was happening I realized food was not my friend, health was and food was not my joy in life. When I want something now it is after the 4 oz of Protein. Every day it is the same, Protein Drink Breakfast, cottage cheese for lunch, then some meat for dinner. If I want a bite of cornbread or a bite of Pasta, savor it. But that is it. I wanted to lose the weight I've worked hard to lose weight and getting smaller clothes is far more exciting than food. I now have my one drink on Saturday and enjoy it. No more mindless drinking. You must become the power, and not let the food be your power.

Do NOT cheat. You went to severe measures to lose weight -- you got your body cut open! I was tempted when I was still in the liquid to soft food stage. Once you're on a solid diet - you can eat A LOT more and it is SO much easier.
I was a sugar and carb addict before surgery and now I do NOT even want them. There are so many healthy options that taste amazing and your stomach/pouch is so small - you will get full eating them.
You can google around and see if you can find recipes that are low-carb, low-sugar and low-fat that mimic your favorite foods.. Try those instead!
It is mind over matter. Do NOT let this surgery be a waste. Many people can not afford to have it and/or their insurance won't pay for it... they'd love to be in your shoes.
Will power. Will power. Will power.
Good luck! You got this! I believe in you!
Like I said, I was where you are (brutal, nagging cravings) -- a few weeks ago but have totally changed my mindset.

I ordered caulifliwer puazza crusts from outer aisle. A bit pricey' but much healthier and higher in Protein.

I also make vegetarian Tomato sauce with veggie crumbles.... my adult daughter is vegetarian and it's a staple when she's visiting. I serve it with spaghetti squash and since it's very low calorie I'm generous with the parmesan cheese. I had this in phase 3 and had no problems with it.

Don't worry too much about the "go see a therapist" comments.... whenever you mention a craving some people think you're about to dive off a cliff... let's face it, most if us had some level of disordered eating and I guess that's what works for some people.

Good luck!

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I can't stand the shakes because I'm really not a big fan of sweets. I just moved on to the soft solids stage of my diet and the hard part for me is separating liquids from meals. I reccomend GENEPRO Protein powder because a tiny scoop is 30g of protein. You can put it in just about anything and it's amazing! And when you advance your diet there is a Keto version of pretty much everything you crave. Hang in there!

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I can eat the yogurt, cheese, applesauce, & mashed potatoes. I haven’t really ventured out with trying different foods yet. I made a mango sorbet yesterday with just chopped frozen mangos & a little splash of almond milk. I ate the entire thing, probably like 6oz. I’m getting tired of yogurt so I have to think of other things to make. I’m also vegetarian so I definitely have to think of foods to eat.

Literally lol

You can make zucchini "pasta". Thinly sliced with mandolin makes it easy. Make your own Tomato sauce unless you can find some sugar-free.< br>
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You can sub tofu for any meat mentioned? (Except the chicken crust, I don't think that'll work.) I also found this almond flour Pasta recipe that looks really good, but only if you can tolerate xanthan gum. It does req. eggs, but all pasta has eggs in it so maybe you could tolerate it in something? Or sub with cheese instead? There's also egg substitues out there that might work for you. You can even use this recipe to make gnocchi and ravioli (I'm jazzed to try it myself!) BTW when you buy almond flour, check the ingredients because some add rice flour and other carby things. Make sure its JUST almonds. I use it to "bread" stuff too.
I also found a recipe for lowfat cottage cheese alfredo sauce made with regular milk- looks amazing, adding it to my list.
https://40aprons.com/cottage-cheese-alfredo/
https://www.thelittlepine.com/almond-flour-pasta/

Smh. I don’t have an addiction. I’m Italian, that’s all I ever ate so it’s a small change. 😂😂

Omg thank you! I just recently got a food processor that I’ve been wanting to get since last year lol I’m vegetarian (should’ve put that in my main post 🤷🏻‍♀️) so I wanted to try making my own burgers from veggies/beans before I had the surgery, but I love your ideas! I used to make zucchini pasta all the time, cannot believe I forgot about that. I made riced cauliflower with broccoli and cheddar cheese before and my nutritionist said I should stay away from it because it’s too my fiber??? Isn’t fiber what makes you go to the bathroom? That’s what i need (not to be too much tmi) lol. For some reason I can’t really handle eggs, but any other food goes down fine.

Carba Nada is a reduced carbohydrate and high Protein Pasta. I really like it as an occasional treat. They sell it on this site, Amazon, Walmart, etc. I've tried a few veggie based pastas that are good too.

Good luck with that. After surgery you may not be able to digest that. I can't have xanthan gum it messes with my stomach and... well, it's TMI, but it gives me gas and diarrhea. Before surgery I had no issue. Now I avoid it like the plague! They're post op so they may want to approach it with caution...

That ricotta bake that someone, somewhere posted, is very good and satisfied my Italian craving. Portion control!

Try not to concentrate on what you can’t have. When you get to stage when you can eat all foods on program there are plenty to substitute with to satisfy cravings.
I love pizza. But it wasn’t til 8 months out that I ate cauliflower pizza. I did buy store brand from Costco- Miltons with roasted veggies. I added chicken sausage, part skim ricotta & RF mozzarella. Cooked in air fryer so crust was just crispy enough. Delicious. Yesterday I made lobster pizza from langostino also from costco. I certainly do not feel deprived. But I’m really focused so I don’t fight with myself too much.

Hey there, I'm Italian too (pre-op though) taught how to cook by my 1st gen Nona. I'm on my 6 month pre-op slow-carb diet plan rn. For Pasta what I'm doing is using a food processor to mince veggies and garlic together, cooking and seasoning it with the meat (I half cook the meat first), then adding the sauce to it (about 3:1 veggies to meat, tonight I used carrots & broccoli) then instead of eating it with pasta I eat it over red Beans. It's still carbs, but not the kind that make you fat or spike your blood sugar since they are slower to digest and have Protein and fiber. The veggies meld with Tomato sauce seamlessly and you get a lot of good nutrients in every ingredient (vs. the empty calories of pasta.) (I'm a bit of a child in that I often prefer hiding my veggies from myself.)
I agree with the above re: cauliflower crusts, just be careful about store bought ones and store-bought pre-made cauliflower crust pizzas because they can sometimes be a lot more flour than cauliflower and that's not the droid you're looking for. Best to make your own honestly. For risottos I find using riced cauliflower to be a pretty good substitute- it's super yummy when cooked with some marsala or sherry & chicken broth (I like mushrooms, shallots and garlic too). You can also get a spiralizer and use that for an alt. pasta with zucchini, squash or carrots. Cream sauces can be tricky because the usual recipe is heavy cream or 1/2 & 1/2. You can use milk with a little low fat cheese for flavor then thicken with a little xanthan gum. That is IF you can tolerate dairy.

This is of course for once you are on regular food. For a while you're gonna have to take things slow and figure out what your body needs and can handle. A lot of these cravings are part of the brain aspect of weight loss. Your bariatric team should include a counselor and/ or support group (besides us!) that can help you with it.

***I swear I didn't add all these hyperlinks- wth?

Here's a link to a Ricotta Bake recipe from BariatricBits, for when you are able to tolerate soft foods:
https://bariatricbits.com/single-serve-baked-ricotta/
It's quick and easy to make, and is less than 150 calories.

check for the recipe for ricotta back on "The World According to Eggface" blog. A lot of people love that, and it'll satisfy your craving for Italian food.
don't cheat. If you do, you'll be on a slippery slope and may never reach your goal.

Try Joseph lavish bread with turkey pepperoni, sugar free Tomato pizza sauce and low fat mozzarella cheese.

Once you are past your puree stage and can eat regular foods again, there are ways to get those foods you crave but still be healthy about it. For pizza, I make a ground chicken crust and do Tomato sauce and cheese and veggies. It's super high Protein and great for you.
I can't have Pasta, but I found chickpea pasta, which surprisingly, doesn't taste too awful and is full of good Fiber. There are ways to go about eating foods in a healthy way, but remember why you did the surgery. Your health is the most important thing right now.
You won't feel hungry for a while (or at all, for some people), so just eat healthy, drink your Water, and once you can eat real foods again, look for healthy alternatives for your cravings. You got this, hang in there.

Your getting close to the end of the puree diet. Right now, check if these are OK: soft scrambled eggs, non-fat yogurt, banana, applesauce, string cheese, low-fat ricotta cheese, Peanut Butter, mashed potatoes.
You'll be able to eat soft foods soon such as meatballs and chili. These can be prepared with turkey.
I am on the soft food diet now. I'll admit I had a couple of small slices of homemade from scratch pizza. Crust was prepared with whole wheat flour. It was a special occasion (Father's Day) but I don't plan to have pizza more than once every three months.
We're making fish, chicken noodle Soup, beef barley soup, and stir fry beef and broccoli.
This is a good time to reevaluate meal planning for your weight loss journey.

When I got to soft foods stage I started eating cauliflower pizza. It's a good substitute that follows your diet when you have a pizza craving. I can only eat one piece before I'm full, even now, but it's delicious and beats the cravings. Also, when you get into general food stage you can always get the veggie made Birds Eye pasta which is made with zucchini and lentils. I like the Rotini Marinara. I add a small handful of shredded cheese, a little parm, and some salt and pepper then split it into three servings. It helps with the pasta cravings and taste like spaghetti minus the meat lol. That's my suggestion. Just try to find substitutes that fit within your diet. That's what I do. I know it's hard, but trust me, it's worth it! You had the surgery to lose that weight, so you just have to do what you can to fight those cravings!