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I use 'Macrofirst' app! It's crazy easy to use! You can even scan barcode of stuff and it'll automatically pull the nutritional facts up and all of the information for you. It tracks everything including water intake! Check it out because it's the best one I've found so far that you don't have to actually pay for! They do have an option where you pay for it to get more out of the app, but I've always used the free version and it has and offers everything!

I used to eat it a lot but stopped when I got obese (reckon that was a cottage cheese curse?). I eat it now but it has to always be savory. I make cottage cheese bowls with chili oil, cucumbers, roasted cherry tomatoes, black and white sesame seeds and herbs, I dollop that and top it with an over easy egg. I also like it with protein toast. I've never had the sweet version (I see people eating it with fruit, nuts and honey) but I don't think that will appeal to me. I also blend it with avocado, chili, lime, cilantro and salt and it makes a great topping or dipping sauce. If you want ideas on cottage cheese combos follow Toasted Table on Instagram, she's the reason I have consistently eaten cottage cheese since my VSG.

You just need to fuel ahead of your activities. Proper amounts of proteins, fats and carbohydrates spaced out through the day. a quality protein carb snack before strenuous activity.

I make a roasted acorn squash last night with chicken for my husband and I and he really liked them. I went the more savory route. My dad makes a stuffed acorn squash recipe that is delicious but might need to be tweaked for newer surgery patients (like me), but I thought I would share since they seem to be a big hit!

Thank you both so much for sharing flir stories and wisdom. I meet w the doc tomorrow to discuss options. In the meantime I was due for my wegovy shot on Thurs. Have been ravenous since Sat evening. Which is making me painfully aware that I may need a more permanent solution cause what if something changes and I no longer can get the meds via insurance. It's a lot to process. But now I guess I need to research more about sleeve vs band vs other options. Thanks again. Gina.

Some people can just have a taste but I learned after my sleeve that I am not one of them. I can’t have one slice of pizza or one brownie. Even if I manage to have just one that day I will crave more unhealthy stuff the following days. At bedtime I have been doing the sugar free popsicles. That seems to be working. If you have actual hunger then something with protein would be a better option. Like a Greek yogurt maybe. Can you budget the calories so you can do that. I think the triple zero is only like 80 calories. That should keep you full through the night though.

Vegan protein powders would be your best bet. Just avoid the soy ones. Are you okay with seeds as some vegan proteins use seeds (chia, sunflower, pumpkin, hemp) as a source of protein.

@SpartanMaker I love butterscotch! Sounds delicious!! My go to's are: 1Cup FF Fairlife 1C Unsweetened Almond milk 1Tbl of FF SF pudding mix 1 scoop of Isopure- usually vanilla or chocolate Swerve to taste *if I do chocolate I'll add PB2 for a peanut butter taste Or Ill just do a fairlife protein shake and add the pudding mix My favorite one that I made thus far has been: 120ml of lite unsweetened coconut milk 285mil of unsweetened almond milk 1 scoop of vanilla isopure 1tbls of SF FF chocolate fudge pudding mix 1 tsp of cake batter extract 1 tsp of raw cacao 1tbls of swerve brown sugar The coconut milk really elevates the flavor and creaminess. Its higher in calories but in my option worth it! My recipes always makes 2 large servings!

I never got information about that either. I was just told the portion size and to eat the protein first. I'm 6 months post op and to be honest, I don't even think about macros or calories except to make sure I get protein in first. That's probably not good for me in the long run, I know, but counting calories has been to much for my mental health at the moment so I've been focusing on portion size and protein.

Protein Bars or a shake?

Is it just me, or is it really odd they'd tell you what not to use, but didn't tell you what you should be using? Surely they must have some suggestions that fit what they want here? As far as I know, all meal replacement shakes contain added vitamins as that's sort of the point. They also contain added carbs and fats that most protein shakes don't have. I'd say the vast majority of people here were told to just use protein shakes. That's typically for a few reasons: First, especially if you also take a vitamin supplement, you're not going to suffer any long term harm using protein shakes instead of meal replacement shakes for a few weeks. Second, most meal replacement shakes are lower in protein than a typical protein shake. We want as much protein as possible to help prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue when dieting. Third, most bariatric doctors don't actually want you consuming very many carbs, since one of the main goals of the pre-surgical diet is to shrink your liver to make the surgery safer. The best way to do that is a very low carb diet. (The liver is one of the main ways your body stores glycogen, so by depleting it of glycogen (carbs), it will get smaller, even if no other changes take place.) TL;DR: Ask your team what they want you to use.

Deli meats, lightly cooked fish, smoked fish, prawns, tuna, softly scrambled eggs, sashimi and cheese were my go to things. As you can see I craved the salty side. At the end of the day I would finish with a protein yogurt or protein pudding and a latte or a glass of milk, plain or made into a protein milkshake made with PB2 powder and banana

My favorite tofu dishes are either agadashi tofu ( firm tofu, drain, pat it dry, roll it in corn starch and bake or fry it) mix 2tbs soy sauce, water, mirin in a bowl with 1 tsp ground fresh ginger, drop tofu in and eat immediately. or tofu tofrites: extra firm tofu (drain, pat dry and allow to dry wrapped in paper towels with a plate on top to squish out water, while you make the batter. I have a bunch of batters. Off the top of my head 1c almond meal/flour, 1/2 c coconut flakes, and like 2 tbs Cajun seasoning. Cut tofu into fat fry sizes and dunk it milk or a scrambled up egg then batter and place on baking sheet with parchment paper (or it sticks and is bad ) 15 min at 400 and or until outside is panko crispy. Salt if needed. Good as is or with dips also great with shrimp. Or tofu chocolate pie/ mouse: everyone likes this with different amounts of sugar (if I eat sugar I suddenly can’t think about anything but binge eating for a week). So I just use the darkest and most cocoa powder chocolate I can get and melt 1.5 cups and toss it in a blender with an already prepped block of silken tofu (prep, wrap it in paper towels 2-3 layers till try, so not squash silken to get out water). I then add a sprinkle of salt and a tap vanilla. Scrape it into cups or a pie tin…. Refrigerate for 2 hours. My sister makes this with a cup of sweetener… I skip. Pardon.. seriously all day I think about food. Get a notebook or notecards. Separate it into categories by how long it is to prepare. Start with your under 5 min, 30, or whatever times you need. Put carb, protein, etc info in the back. Make your recipe set. When you are bored with food… a crazy good recipe like sukiyaki with konjac noodles or muscles in a savory broth, spoil yourself. Or mix up your cards you have saved. Add cards as you like things. But make sure you have a ready supply of “crap I can make with on hand pantry stuff when I didn’t go shopping,” “crap I can make under 5 min, I am starving,” and “crap that freezes great for oamc food prep so you are never having to resort to crap take out.” You will feel like you’ve got the Bariatric eating down after you have your recipe book.

There is no magic bullet here. In terms of protein density, you're just not going to beat whey or soy protein isolate. If you don't like them as shakes, you might try mixing with less water or milk into protein pudding? It may take some experimentation to find one you like the taste of that way. I've never tried them, but bariatric pal does sell some that are prepackaged and designed specifically for making pudding. If you want to go the whole food route, eggs and chicken breast probably come in next in terms of protein density.

I don’t like shakes. In fact I never had another one after the initial liquid stage. But you might find it easier to treat your shake as a drink with a protein bonus and not a meal or a snack as it can count towards your fluid intake. Dilute it a little more so it’s not as thick & heavy then just sip it throughout the day like you would water until you’ve finished it. Boost up the protein content of other drinks by adding flavoured or unflavoured protein powder to coffee, soup, porridge, yoghurt, etc. Find a good high protein yoghurt. That’s what I ate to boost my protein. Or you could try protein water. Lots of flavours available. I had pork scratchings/crackling a couple of times. Handy when travelling. Found a low salt one but it wasn’t worth it - no flavour. Need that salt. Keep to the recommended portion size though cause they can be very morish. Yum!

im in the midst of a full home renovation and the only thing we have at our disposal at the moment is an upstairs bathroom sink and a microwave. so thus is our dinner options for the night: - microwave KD - canned tuna and crackers - strawberry rhubarb pie - (dark) chocolate covered pistachios - instant ramen - jalapeño corn bread - ...and a screwdriver i made cuz i couldn't decide what to eat omg ....ended up drinking the cocktail (natch) with ½ serving if pie, one forkful of cornbread, and 1/4 a tin of tuna. yay me. ha. estimated 446 calories for what i ate. hopefully i can start eating a little better when my kitchen is fully operational again!

I’ve run into similar issues with ambiguous insurance code stuff, especially when it comes to newer or non-traditional procedures like ESG. It’s super frustrating calling and getting different answers each time. I had to push a lot for coverage on something once, and only got traction when the billing office from the provider contacted the insurer directly with suggested codes. If you're planning more procedures or looking into broader health coverage in the future, especially for your family, I found this info on https://premierpmi.co.uk/health-insurance/health-insurance-for-a-family-of-4/ pretty helpful when we were comparing options. It gave me a clearer picture of what to expect.

I've been taking BariatricPal Multivitamin ONE capsules recently, and I've found them really helpful. They're flavorless, and you only need one a day, which is super convenient. There's a deal where a year's supply is just $99, which seems like great value. If you're interested, you can check it out at https://store.bariatricpal.com/99. One thing I appreciate about these vitamins is that experts in the field specifically design them with bariatric needs in mind. Just a heads-up, though – taking a separate calcium supplement is recommended, as it can affect iron absorption. If you're looking for options, BariatricPal has a range of calcium supplements that might suit your needs, available at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/calcium. Also, if you're exploring different brands or types of bariatric multivitamins, there's a variety to choose from at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/multivitamins. It's always good to have opt I've been taking BariatricPal Multivitamin ONE capsules recently, and I've found them really helpful. They're flavorless, and you only need one a day, which is super convenient. There's a deal where a year's supply is just $99, which seems like great value. If you're interested, you can check it out at https://store.bariatricpal.com/99. One thing I appreciate about these vitamins is that experts in the field specifically design them with bariatric needs in mind. Just a heads-up, though – taking a separate calcium supplement is recommended, as it can affect iron absorption. If you're looking for options, BariatricPal has a range of calcium supplements that might suit your needs, available at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/calcium. Also, if you're exploring different brands or types of bariatric multivitamins, there's a variety to choose from at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/multivitamins. It's always good to have options.

Hello and welcome. Don’t think in terms of why you didn’t start here because we all have our time that this is best for us and maybe back then you weren’t really ready. This surgery is an amazing tool but it’s really important that you are ready to do your part or you wont be nearly as successful. Sounds like now you know that the other options wouldn’t work for you and you are ready to do your part in making this tool work hard for you. You’ve got this!!

My Sunday baking using protein wraps as the base and 4 eggs to help with the protein. Before Cut down to six portions so not exactly an after because I was able to eat the full portion.

You said that you stopped eating meat, are you taking Protein supplements like shakes? You should be having a high protein diet and not so much in carbs, and some veggies are carbs, like peas for example. Fruit has natural sugar in them, you should be focusing on protein. I strongly urge you to talk to your dietician with your surgical team, and make a better diet plan than what you are on. Something you can do in the meantime is to look at the bariatric bowls and plates available on Amazon, and look at the portion sizes of fruits and veggies, then look at the size of the plate for protein. It may not be what you are eating, but could be your portion size. But based on your initial post, you are eating fruits and salads, you are not focused on protein. I say again, check with your nutrition specialist with your surgical team. I will say what others have, 60 pounds is a good amount of weight to lose. Remember that your surgery is a tool, and not a cure. It takes time to gain the weight, it will take time to lose it, when you are eating correctly and as your nutritionist says, contact your surgical team. Congratulations on your journey, you are doing great so far!!

Thanks for all the comments. At least I know it's not just me going through this. And all the info you shared is good to know! I guess I'll up the protein in my food intake! Sounds like that's the best thing I can do. Oh. One more question! Does protein powder have amino acids?? Not that I can get a lot of that in, especially if it's filling! Thanks again!!

Sticking to soft foods and small portions is key, but you can still enjoy the celebration without overdoing it. Planning ahead helps—maybe eat a bit before the event so you're not tempted by off-limits foods. Also, if you're looking for something sharp to wear, https://www.gentlemansguru.com/product-category/wedding-tuxedos/ has some great options. Comfort is important, especially after surgery, so pick something that allows for movement and doesn’t feel too restrictive.

For 4 med bagels: 2/3 cups flour 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt ~1 teaspoon baking powder big pinch of salt Prep: Preheat oven 350 Mix dry ingredients, fold in wet ingredients. Knead until smooth, add a dash of water if too dry. Hand roll into balls, poke middle hole for bagel look. Dip into EBTB seasoning, optional: egg wash if you’re filthy rich 🤑 Bake: ~25-30mins at 350 (adjust for elevation). Cool completely before slicing ❤️

You are doing amazing but I do understand how you feel. In the very beginning I just wanted to lose the weight as quickly as possible but then I had an epiphany! I need to fix my relationship with food! I'm 10 weeks out so I'm still early days but I know that just losing weight is a sticking plaster for the real reason I used food as a coping mechanism. So I think I need to consider therapy! The food noise gets so bad for me sometimes its like torture! I will be so much more happier when I nail these obsessive food thoughts but it will take time, I've had them my whole life. Like many I have lost up to 6 stone and put it back on quite a few times before I took the plunge and had surgery so I guess I need to be kind to myself and learn to understand the parts of myself that I have ignored for so long. Are you counting calories? at the 5 week mark I was managing around 500 cals a day. I didn't have the protein drinks because I was fuller for longer eating minced chicken, tuna, eggs, lentils, cottage cheese and pureed foods for less calories, a quarter of a cup at a time. I still managed to get in my protein and at least 2 litres of fluids too. If I was a little under in my protein I would drink a clear whey isolate protein squash drink, they are around 100 cals and contain up to 22g of protein! I am on 800 cals a day now as my stomach has done a lot of healing since then. Everyone is different though and I know that some people still can't tolerate actual food at your stage, so listen to your body hun. Here's some ideas for purees for you, a quarter of a cup at a time is about right for the stage you are at but if you can't manage it all that's fine, its just a guide for you. Tuna and mayonnaise - 14 grams of protein Blended baked chicken. I would bake chicken in some tinned tomatoes and season with garlic and herbs then blend it. 50g of chicken has 16g protein Egg mayo - an egg has 6-7g protein Bolognese - use 5%fat minced beef and blend with a tomato based sauce or make your own - 11g protein Protein puddings available in all the supermarkets - 15-20g protein readybrek oats with some protein powder Fat free cottage cheese blended with peanut butter powder and some sweetener if you need it. Cottage cheese has 11g protein per 100g PB powder has 8g protein per serving Ricotta cheese bake - you can find the recipe on Pinterest and even on here! I wish you well on your journey my lovely. You are on a path of healing, mentally, physically and emotionally and you are doing amazing! Be kind to yourself the weight will come off and at 5 weeks you are still healing and probably holding extra fluid anyway. xx