Sample Menus

[j_war06 0]

Wow, how come you people get to eat Snacks? ??? I was told 3 meals a day and thats it, drink Water in between...........And I have HELL trying to stay under 1000 cals a day! I just dont get it, Im not losing any weight either!

[jess-band4/06 0]

I think that whatever works for each of us is what we should do. I also choose to restrict what I eat. I want to lose weight, but I need to eat healthy while doing so. I hope that by eating healthy I'll lose the weight easier(pray) and also not get diabetes, heart disease and keep my cholesterol at a good #.

Jessica

Banded 4/10/06 46pounds--

[maryb 1]

Wow, how come you people get to eat Snacks???? I was told 3 meals a day and thats it, drink Water in between...........And I have HELL trying to stay under 1000 cals a day! I just dont get it, Im not losing any weight either!

I can't get enough food in to meet my 1000 to 1200 calories per day goal without at least one snack (my yogurt) a day. I wasn't losing as well under 1000 calories....you have to feed your metabolism!

[spunky 0]

I just got another fill and am just back on solids again. Here is my "normal" day:

Breakfast: oatmeal or Cream of Wheat

Snack: 100 calorie pack

Lunch: Soup or WW Smart Ones Meal or EZ Mac

Supper: usually 1/4 of what I used to eat ( I stray away from breads, red meat, Pasta, potatoes, rice, etc.)

Evening Snack: SF/FF pudding with FF Cool Whip or 1 cup SF/FF frozen yogurt

[liberty2003 0]

For BF i have Two scramble Egg beaters and 2 slices of bacon

For lunch i have salad with grilled chicken and FF italian dressing

For dinner..I have whatever is left over..But i DO love having Special K Cereal and FF milk.

It holds me over..

I try not to snack but if i am craving something sugary i have a toosie roll pop

[socalgal3 4]

I think they want us to eat 3 meals and day and not have Snacks because snacking may have contributed to our original weights. Also, some people don't eat Breakfast, so they want to make sure you do. But, my opinion is, if you are eating healthy snacks like an apple, a 100 calorie pack, etc. and staying within your daily calories, it is ok to snack. Many nutritionists recommend several small meals throughout the day as opposed to 3 squares. Just watch overall calories, Protein, etc. and you should be fine. Do what works for you.

[Time to love me 0]

I can not give you a normal meal day for me yet, i'm still on liquids. but, i was told by my nutrititionist to eat 6 small meals a day, as she puts it. I do eat breakfast, lunch and dinner... but i have a healthy "snack' 3 times a day. The nutritionist requires this to have Protein. I use string cheese, yogurt.. turkey rolled up and so on. I'm told with the exception of sleep time. I should never go 4 hours without eating, it will set me up for a bad meal choice. but like always, listen to your own doc or nutrit.

best of luck to all!

[waterlily1072 5]

Breakfast is usually my daily milk, I am really tight in the morning and food has always made me sick to my stomach in the morning, so I choose to drink my breakfast.

lunch is usually a can of tuna with a little mayo and a pickle or some sort of Soup and a yogurt

snack on a few cheerios or triscuits to keep me from trying to scarf my dinner

dinner is whatever I can eat out of what I fix for my family, or am lucky enough to have fixed for me by my dh (last night was the insides of a yummy deli sandwich)

Snack on pretzels or popcorn about 2-3 times per week

[roseann 0]

hi, Roseann here. I just got out of the hospital 2 wks. ago, diagnosed with diverticulitis. Now am adding more Fiber to foods, can't really get Pasta down anymore, rice is a no-no. I am making a Protein Shake today, with a banana added, 20 g Protein Powder, 10 g fiber added with FiberSure, all in a Slim Fast shake. I don't have much tolerance for dried meat, so I add some mayo, I also make chick pea and white bean salad, by adding oil and vinegar, and then eat them cold. I try to eat some fruit also.Dinner is small piece of meat, a few bites of veggies. I am trying to add more fiber. Before the hospital, I was doing all ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, hard cheeses, meat, no fruit. No wonder I was so constipated and put into the hospital. FIBER is so important, I can see that now. So please be careful in what you choose to eat, carbs only make you crave more. I don't want to end up back in there with those horrible stomach pains anymore. I am confused also about what to eat. You guys are giving me ideas. Thanks.

Anyone out there who has diverticulitis?

[Sally14 0]

So far girl, that is what I have done is eat bascially what I ate before except a lot less. I do try to get a bit more Protein than before, because I was told that was very important. I eat almost anything I want, but I have to eat reallllly slow. If not It locks up and hurts!!! I drink very little with meals, before I would drink about 3 glasses of liquid at a meal, now I might drink 1/4 to 1/2 glass. To me that is an improvement ..Sally14

[Toni_GA 0]

I agree with socalgal3 that I was under the impression that I could eat normal food except breads just in smaller amounts, but that hasn't been the case. My habits were bad pre-surgery or I wouldn't have needed it, but I thought minor food adjustments would be made. Now 1 1/2 yrs later I find that I am tired of the way I must eat to lose weight. I have begun to eat more normal foods and i have gained 10 lbs back in 3 months. I am currently looking for different food choices that don't include meals of liquid or yogurt so that my mind can be satisfied as well as my stomach. If anyone had great recipes to share I would appreciate it.

[Toni_GA 0]

I just got another fill and am just back on solids again. Here is my "normal" day:

Breakfast: Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat

Snack: 100 calorie pack

Lunch: Soup or WW Smart Ones Meal or EZ Mac

Supper: usually 1/4 of what I used to eat ( I stray away from breads, red meat, Pasta, potatoes, rice, etc.)

Evening Snack: SF/FF pudding with FF Cool Whip or 1 cup SF/FF frozen yogurt

That sounds like something I could do-Thanks

[Sunta 4]

I'll post what I had yesterday, which is representative of a normal day for me:

Breakfast: Balance Bar

Lunch: 1 small slice of pizza

Snack: 1 oz. Indian snack (chick pea flour, rice, spices, high-protein)

Dinner: homemade Indian lentils (3/4 cup) and homemade paleek paneer (Indian spinach and cheese; 1/4 cup) and small piece Indian bread

2 glasses of wine

[LindaV 0]

Thanks for the great ideas everyone! One trick I have used to get in some extra Protein is to mix a scoop of chocolate Protein powder in when I make ff/sf instant pudding mix. I can't even tell it's there and I would much rather eat pudding than drink a Protein shake.

Another way I get extra protein in is to add cottage cheese to things. You can add a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cottage cheese to most meals that have a gravy base and hardly taste it (although I like it) and again, you get up to 14 grams of extra protein.

I use sparkpeople.com to track my food intake and exercise. It's a great website which is completely free and I have found it a little easier to use than fitday. I also print out the reports when I see my nutritionist and she helps me tweak my diet if it needs it.

I stop losing weight if I consistently eat less than 1200 calories a day and I start to lose muscle if I eat less than 80 grams of protein a day (I do Water aerobics 4-5 days a week). I pay out of pocket to see a nutritionist but I think it is well worth the money. I probably won't see one the rest of my life, but for now, while I'm still learning to live with my band, I am finding the visits to be invaluable.

[Rita Ann 0]

All the menu's are great and very interesting its seems as long as it works for you thats all that matters. my choices change every day. I dont have a set plan but I measure everything I dont eat any more than 4 oz. I dont drink until at leat 30 mins has passed. usually by the time the dishes are done and the leftovers cleaned up I make my self a cup of Decaf tea. I like cream of wheat. I got the big box and cooks in 2 1/2 mins. but I noticed I cooked to much, so I sucked up the price and got the 1 serving size. it works out really good for me. I never thought I would buy cases of Water, but it's easier for me than gallons. when I shopped it was always BJS or costco so you know the sizes but, my husband and I decided it would be good if I got single derving for my self to help with the protion :hungry: control. hope that helps..have a enjoyable evening.

Rita-Ann