I am going insane. Around every time I have to eat, all I want to do is cry. Is anyone else having problems finding things to eat? I have had the exact same thing multiple times a day since last Saturday. My day consists of this. Wake up, make myself a smoothie. Drink 4-6pz of that and use it to hide my meds....then I drink crystal lite and more of the smoothie until lunch time. Lunch and dinner consists of 1-2oz of tuna fish, and 1-2oz of lima Beans...sometimes I will get in less than an oz of apple sauce. Then at night I have more smoothie with my meds and crystal lite.

I want to eat other things, but I just don't know what I can eat that will give me as much Protein in one meal. With 2oz of tuna and 2oz of lima beans, I get 16-17 grams of protein.

Can you all help me please? I have only been out of surgery for a little over a week. I don't want the little food I do eat to make me cry and I don't want to be sick of the little bit I can eat. I did have an egg with cheese this morning...but I'm not a big egg fan w/o bread....and as we all know, I can't have bread. LOL.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Greek Yogurt, Cottage Cheese and Cottage cheese doubles (with like a tablespoon of fruit), tomato soup or other strained soups. To be honest, being sad (then comes bored) with food helps with breaking (for me) the strong connection between needing to eat and wanting to eat. I spent a good portion of my life living to eat and not just eating to live. Know what I mean? I understand, though. I've recently been dreaming about MEAT. Pork steak in particular! LOL Good luck!!

my smoothies are made with greek yogurt and soy milk...so I get lots of protein in with those. I totaly understand that the repetitiveness and boredom will help me in the long run...it's just hard. I never really ate much prior to surgery...but I enjoyed large meals and I liked to snack. Now, I don't even like to eat my "meals". I know with time, I will feel better with it all. I just need to accept the repetitiveness of it all. Thanks for your post...it helps to know it gets better.

My nutrionist said that if you add 1/3 dry nonfat milk to food, it will give you 8 grams of protein and supposedly it doesn't add taste to the food. I'm pre op. I go On 4/25/12 To get my surgery date. I worry about eating post op and I'm really scared that my mind is going to torture me by making me crave things I can't have. To date, I haven't been very disciplined with telling myself no. So I'm worried.

@lilajane I thought the same thing before surgery. I will say that I have only had one real craving that caused me to have to get up and leave my surroundings. My husband and my father were both eating a peppermint patty and I wanted one SOOOOOOO badly. Other than that, I don't really crave anything. Once you have this done, you are full almost all the time, so the idea of taking in any other food doesn't really happen that much. Good luck on your surgery and let me know how you do. It's so exciting to finally get to the point of getting it done....I only had one regret...when I woke up post op and the pain was so bad (becasue they messed up my meds) I thought, "Why did I do this, I shouldn't have done this." It was mostly because of the pain. Since then, not one regret. I figure the months of being a little uncomfortable is nothing compared to the years of feel uncomfortable around strangers or when I was out with out with my thin friends. And this time, I will feel so much happier once it's all done that the little bit of pain and gas I feel are NOTHING. Good luck and remember, it's not easy but it's not the hardest thing you've done either.

You're only a lil more than a week out? What are u Allowed to eat? I was on full liquids at that stage. Try some creamy soup. I loved my tomato soup with lots of grated parm!!! So tasty and satisfying. Tons of cream soups out there for some different tastes.

@jdherin, I am allowed any food as long as it's liquid or pureed. No sugar is even better. LOL

Have you tried beans?? I lived on beans during that stage. I also did ground beef with spaghetti sauce. Have you tried egg salad?

My advice is to stop worrying so much about Protein. Honestly, it took many of us MONTHS to consistently get both our liquids and our protein in. Right now you're on the fast track to burning yourself out completely. Cut yourself some slack and eat things that actually sound good to you that are reasonably healthy choices.

Sometime around 8-9 months I realized that I needed more carbs but with only so much room in my sleeve I was forced to make up my protein intake elsewhere. You can add unflavored Protein powder to soups (it never really worked great for me but some people swear by it) and I always did two scoops of protein in my morning shake. This way I hit my totals for the day but had room for other foods that I needed. You can also try sludge - a bodybuilder friend of mine taught me this one. Mix one scoop of protein powder (I preferred chocolate) with 1 Tbs. Peanut Butter and just enough Water to make a sludge out of it. I chilled it really cold in the freezer and ate it up like ice cream. It's kinda weird but packs a protein/calorie punch and is easy to get down.

Oh, and I second the vote on cottage cheese. If you like it, it's a great food. I was SO sad when my lactose intolerance made me cross it off my list. It's a soft food and is packed with protein.

So, eat something you want to eat. Honestly, you're killing yourself here and it's not even necessary! It's very important to stick to your surgeon's guidelines so you heal properly but you're forcing yourself into a corner with your diet. Mental health is important for our overall well-being, too, you know! You need to be happy about what you're eating or you'll start to regret your decision.

Good luck. I admire your determination but you don't need to be so fixated on reaching those goals so early out!

~Cheri

@ Cheri...I know that everything you say is true....BUT, (come on you knew there would be a "but" LOL). it is very hard for me not to worry about my protein goals. Like everyone on here, my classes pounded protein in my head. I wish I liked cottage cheese, but I've hated it since I was a child. My sister, who had by-pass, and I spoke last night about my options, and she recommended "tasteless" protein to mix in with other foods. I love beans, so I will start preparing more than Lima beans to have. I also thought about chili with beans. That way I get some meat and some beans in me at the same time. I also thought about chicken and white bean soup. I am going to try some new things today and see how I do with them. I am also going to try to not focus on getting my protein in as much as I have. I don't want to resent my decision so I need to "calm myself" and just do what I can. Thanks for the motivation words....I will try to keep them in my thoughts.

The thing about protein is that will help you heal inside out and yes it's necessary. I couldn't do any of the protein supplements like isopure so I picked the GNC one lean chocolate milk and it's pretty good for snack time. The thing about food intake is to slowly allow your stomach to tell you what is tolerated. Trust me I've wanna cry after some foods. Mashed potatoe not too dry though feels good with cheese. A slice of moist mozzarella. However to me wow been eating a bit more solid foods so early I see why it could be painful. If you could do onion soup without the bread it's also good. Your body needs to heal and as you know every week it gets better. Good luck!!! Keep in touch

I have been getting my protein and my liquids in for the past few days. I am feeling great. I love my smoothies with Greek yogurt and vanilla soy milk. It gives me a lot of protein and I can sip on it throughout the day. I usually get 5oz at a time (mix my meds in it as it's the only thing that makes my meds bearable). Last night I had wanton soup (1 noodle pureed with the chicken broth) and it was soooo good. I feel almost too good for only being out of surgery not even two weeks yet. I think the main reason I feel so good is that I walk all the time. I actually feel bad for saying how well I am doing when I read so many people on here can't get their liquids in at this point.

Its really hard at this phase to like the stuff we have to eat- especially if you are on an extended diet plan!

In a pinch if you need more diverse flavor try mixing Protein powder into guacamole, marinara sauce, curries, etc. Even mashed endamame can work in a pinch. Make sure to track your carbs/fats/sodiums from the things you mix in.... maybe compensate with extra excercise.

Stay strong and remember that 3 months from now, you will not only be healthier but also safely on your way to healing.

@lilajane I thought the same thing before surgery. I will say that I have only had one real craving that caused me to have to get up and leave my surroundings. My husband and my father were both eating a peppermint patty and I wanted one SOOOOOOO badly. Other than that' date=' I don't really crave anything. Once you have this done, you are full almost all the time, so the idea of taking in any other food doesn't really happen that much. Good luck on your surgery and let me know how you do. It's so exciting to finally get to the point of getting it done....I only had one regret...when I woke up post op and the pain was so bad (becasue they messed up my meds) I thought, "Why did I do this, I shouldn't have done this." It was mostly because of the pain. Since then, not one regret. I figure the months of being a little uncomfortable is nothing compared to the years of feel uncomfortable around strangers or when I was out with out with my thin friends. And this time, I will feel so much happier once it's all done that the little bit of pain and gas I feel are NOTHING. Good luck and remember, it's not easy but it's not the hardest thing you've done either. <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />[/quote']

My mom has been taking care of me and I am so thankful. I haven't felt hungry and if she didn't get food for me, I probably wouldnt eat! She is good about this whole thing. Not supportive of my decision but very of me. I cried in the hospital thinking what did I do and didn't say anything but calm hushes! I was thinking the same thing about my options. So boring, but in a few days I get to start on mushy food. Never thought that would be so exciting

Hello and congratulations on your decision to have the sleeve! I too had some regrets immediately post op...I had no idea what to expect regarding the pain along with the nausea that I experienced. I was on a liquid diet for 2 weeks post op and lived on shakes, cream soups from Medifast (15 g of protein) which I ordered online rather than joining and paying all of their membership fees. I am a type 2 diabetic and was diagnosed just one month pre-op. This made it even harder to choose foods that were appropriate for my diet, especially during the "soft" or "mushy" phase. My strangest craving during the first 2 weeks was pickle juice! I proudly drank it out of a shot glass and followed it with iced tea with splenda. Good luck to you and hang in there. I finally felt like I could eat enough to enjoy a variety of foods at around 5 weeks post op. It does get better!