I'm on my "unofficial" pre-op diet and right now am doing 3 low carb meals and 2 protein shakes. Next week I will do 2 meals/3 shakes until I head into my "official" two week pre-op diet of 1 meal/4 shakes. Anyway, I was at Trader Joes yesterday and discovered they have such great options for all phases of the pre..but especially post op diet. For example, the have tasty broths..not only chicken and beef...but turkey broth and mushroom broth.They have tons of cream soups that don't even need to be strained for the full liquid phase (coconut thai, creamy portabello..any many more!) They also have GREAT S/F popsicles with unique flavors like pineapple, mango, pommegranite and mint! For the mushy phase, I discovered guacamole hummus.....two words: DEE-LISH (ok, maybe that's one word--but I digress) I also came across an Egg White Salad with Chive that would be perfect for the soft food phase. I know everyone might not have access to Trader Joes...but for those of you who do and are preparing for or recovering from surgery...go stock up!

I've never been to one, but heard it's a great place. There is one about 30 mins away... now have me wanting to go. What are the prices like?

THANK YOU so much for your post!!!! I have Trader Joes nearby and can see I have NOT been taking advantage of it. I'm not very good at this investigating phase so your ideas were very, very helpful. Thank you again for posting. You've also inspired me to look!! DUH!!! :-)

I'm on my "unofficial" pre-op diet and right now am doing 3 low carb meals and 2 Protein shakes. Next week I will do 2 meals/3 shakes until I head into my "official" two week pre-op diet of 1 meal/4 shakes. Anyway, I was at Trader Joes yesterday and discovered they have such great options for all phases of the pre..but especially post op diet. For example, the have tasty broths..not only chicken and beef...but turkey broth and mushroom broth.They have tons of cream Soups that don't even need to be strained for the full liquid phase (coconut thai, creamy portabello..any many more!) They also have GREAT S/F popsicles with unique flavors like pineapple, mango, pommegranite and mint! For the mushy phase, I discovered guacamole hummus.....two words: DEE-LISH (ok, maybe that's one word--but I digress) I also came across an Egg White salad with Chive that would be perfect for the soft food phase. I know everyone might not have access to Trader Joes...but for those of you who do and are preparing for or recovering from surgery...go stock up!

I've never been to one, but heard it's a great place. There is one about 30 mins away... now have me wanting to go. What are the prices like?

TOTALLY worth the 30 min trip! And they have great prices! I spend way less there than I do at the regular supermarket. I would say the only downfall is sometimes I find something that I love, but its not always there the next time I go. But..I always discover something appealing and now that my mind set is on pre/post op, I've discovered a whole new selection of foods! Good luck

No Trader Joe's in Florida.

THANK YOU so much for your post!!!! I have Trader Joes nearby and can see I have NOT been taking advantage of it. I'm not very good at this investigating phase so your ideas were very, very helpful. Thank you again for posting. You've also inspired me to look!! DUH!!! :-)

You're so welcome! I was giddy with excitment yesteday as I walked through and discovered so many tasty treats. I'm a band to sleeve revision patient, so I know all too well how boring and grueling the pre/post op phase is. At least some of these things will make it more tolerable. I'm lucky to have a store about 5 mins from me. I'll keep you posted and any new discoveries

The funny thing is that I wanna eat all that stuff you mentioned and I'm not even near the pre or post op stage! I LOVE trader Joe's!

The funny thing is that I wanna eat all that stuff you mentioned and I'm not even near the pre or post op stage! I LOVE trader Joe's!

LOL! And you SHOULD eat all those things...they're totally healthy! Oooo...they also have peanut butter cream cheese which only has 5 g of sugar and 5 carbs....YUM!

Love trader Joes mine is 45 minutes away and so worth the trip, I didn't find them over priced I actually think their price's are pretty much in line with the rest of the grocery stores one long island.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE trader joes,, when you are further out they have great turkey meat balls! i take 3 meat balls with spaghetti sauce to work in a container,, perfect lunch! The trader Joes brand greek yogurt is creamy!

They have perfect fish and crab cakes individually packaged.

There is more, I am know, but really if you have one near you, you owe it to yourself to go in!

You can also get special bariatric food that is made to be higher in Protein and lower in carbs than the regular versions. You can get protein pancake mix, hot chocolate, fruit flavored drinks, sloppy joe mix, soups, etc.

Some companies that make them are: Nashua Nutrition, WonderSlim, HealthSmart, Healthwise, ProtiDiet, Focus28, SmartForme. The first four are all made by the same company and then packaged under different names.

Some web sites that sell these products:

Nashua Nutrition

BariatricEating.com - BE, Inc. The number one bariatric website for protein, Vitamins, and success.

https://www.smartforme.net/

bariatric food, bariatric products, bariatric bootcamp : Focus28

Best Bariatric Surgery Diet supplements, Bariatric Foods, Vitamins for Bariatric Eating

Netrition.com - The Internet's Premier Nutrition Superstore!

I'm on my "unofficial" pre-op diet and right now am doing 3 low carb meals and 2 Protein shakes. Next week I will do 2 meals/3 shakes until I head into my "official" two week pre-op diet of 1 meal/4 shakes. Anyway, I was at Trader Joes yesterday and discovered they have such great options for all phases of the pre..but especially post op diet. For example, the have tasty broths..not only chicken and beef...but turkey broth and mushroom broth.They have tons of cream soups that don't even need to be strained for the full liquid phase (coconut thai, creamy portabello..any many more!) They also have GREAT S/F popsicles with unique flavors like pineapple, mango, pommegranite and mint! For the mushy phase, I discovered guacamole hummus.....two words: DEE-LISH (ok, maybe that's one word--but I digress) I also came across an Egg White salad with Chive that would be perfect for the soft food phase. I know everyone might not have access to Trader Joes...but for those of you who do and are preparing for or recovering from surgery...go stock up!

Thank u for this! I'm gnna check it out for sure!

LOVE HATE Trader Joe's! LOL Always find too much stuff in there I want to try! I will be stocking up on some of this stuff you mentioned for post op diet. Curernt favorites and not recommended for either pre or post op diet... Almond Flavored Sparkling Wine, Curry Flavored Naan bread ( goes great with hummus), Dried Cranberries, Multi Grain Bread, Wasabi Flavored Almonds. Someone pretty far out from surgery might get away with a small amount of those.

Khy

They carry the most AMAZING Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup. Wow. I've had it a few times in the last days with a dollop of Ricotta...mmmm mmmm I picked up some Chile Lime Chicken Patties and some Scicillian Chicken Sausages that have 15 gr protein per link that I can't wait to try...I expect they will add a lot of flavor to my puree or mushy stages. I got some amazing tzitki sauce (I know I spelled that wrong). Their prices are very competetive with the average grocery store. Something that I usually pick up while I'm there is the Brown Jasmine Rice too. I won't be carbing a whole lot, but this rice is excellent. Oh, and on my last trip I picked up a beautiful basil plant for my kitchen window sill because I LOVE fresh basil and can't wait to add the flavor to "Cheese crisps" (recipe on this site) and basically any marinara type dish (i.e., ricotta bake! YUM re: eggface).

I travel to the Kansas City KS area each week and did not realize there was a Trader Joe's. So next week I will go and stock up for my surgery on the 1st! Thanks!

We don't have a Trader Joe's :-(

Maybe Whole Food's will have some interesting things to try.