Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Help! Does Anyone Actually Plan Meals?



Recommended Posts

Hi Everyone,

I'm pretty new to this journey, and I'm in Month ONE of the six-month insurance-required medical diet phase.

I'm two weeks in (and, like, zero weight loss). What's killing me is the meal plan. My eating is totally chaotic, emotionally driven, blah, blah, blah.

Does anyone here PLAN meals for, say, a week at a time? Grocery lists? The whole she-bang? If so, please help! I'm going crazy here..... I keep thinking if I can't do this WITHOUT the sleeve, how will I ever manage counting Protein and Vitamins and stuff WITH the sleeve? I really want to succeed; I just don't know how. (By the way, my NUT said, "Now, you'll need to create a food plan for meals," and I said, "Sure." Help please.)

I have the Fitbit and stuff for tracking. It isn't tracking I need, it's PLANNING.

Thanks, DeterminedGirl

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I went shopping for things like Protein to see what I liked. I made a list of foods I really like and made a shopping list. Then I came home and took a calendar, one day at a time, and put my foods on the calendar. Since I am not the only one cooking, it helps whoever is cooking, to get things ready the night before.

I did use the nut's advice about how many servings of Protein, dairy, etc. when making shopping list. Since I hate milk, I opted for plain non-fat greek yogurt and added my own fresh fruit.< /p>

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Have you tried a food tracking app like MyFitnessPal or LoseIt!? Once you enter in a meal you just click on it to enter it into your diary. As far as a menu- I like simple. I find I do better with a very structured meal plan though- try to limit times where I don't know what to eat- if you are too hungry, you could easily eat too many carbs or sugar.

ie; Bkfst. - Greek yogurt or cottage cheese w a little fruit

AM snack - apple with 2 tbls. natural peanut

butter Beverage- Diet green tea with ginsing (large!)

lunch - 1 egg & 2 liquid egg white omlette with Sinny Cow Lite cheese (any flavor, they are all delish!) or lite Swiss cheese and 2 Jimmy Dean Turkey sausages (thaw, cut into small pieces and start sautéing in Pam sprayed frying pan. Add eggs and cheese, black pepper. Cover pan, lower heat. I top with banana peppers- the best! Also feta/spinach/mushroom/onion. Or chicken, tuna or shrimp with salad. I try to eat one big salad a day - lunch or dinner- packed with veggies and use apple cider vinegar with dressing. I'll eat almost a whole bag of steamfresh veggies (no sauce!) with beef, chicken, turkey burger or fish/shrimp.

PM snack- Jello TemptationsChicklate pudding or sugar free jello.

If I have a hungy day, I'll have chicken broth- 2 pkts in a huge mug (Sodium free-add your own pinch of salt- I use garlic salt)

Drink your Water and take your Vitamins and be sure to eat enough Protein and veggies! Good luck!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I plan dinners two weeks at a time, and build my grocery list starting with that. My breakfasts, lunches, and Snacks are all planned out (in my "Diet Minder" journal) the night before...so I know, every day, exactly what I need to eat. This has made it very easy to ensure I'm meeting my Protein goals every day, and that my carb intake remains below 30 grams/day. If I decide to change something, during the day, I can do it in an intelligent manner...because I know what I need, in order to make my numbers for the rest of the day.

Tracking food consumed...whatever method you choose to use...is critical (IMHO).

Best of luck!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I used sparkpeople for awhile, they will set up a menu if you want based on your weight loss goals.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's great you have time between now and the surgery to work on things. The following is just my suggestions and ideas.

I had a Protein shake for Breakfast EVERY morning. I figured I might as well get used to supplementing one meal a day with the Protein. There are many to chose from, keeping it at about 25 grams of protein per shake is a good idea, making sure the shake is low carb is important too. Money was a factor for me, so I buy Pure Protein Frosty chocolate and I use skim milk and ice cubes in it. lunch, I would eat, cottage cheese or hard boiled egg, or a few shrimp.

I literally cut out as much carbs as I could and saved carbs for special occasions when we would go out to eat. dinner, I always ate meat first, vegetables seconds and I would have a teaspoon or whatever of the starch was, now I don't even do that. Once in a great while I would allow myself something like a skinny turkey sandwich from potbelly or some rice, but not every day.

Tracking the food is important and the one that seemed to be the easiest to use is myfitnesspal.com. It makes tracking your calories, carbohydrates and fat SO much easier. You input what you ate and as you are learning, this is imperative. It also helps you PLAN, because if you know you are going out to eat somewhere you can input what you think you are going to eat and look it up in advance to check out the carbs and protein.

I kept myself at 800-900 calories a day (except on my "forespecial days" like going to Red Lobster or out to House of Kobe or something special which I allowed myself once in a while during my pre-approval six months phase).

I easily hit 80 grams of protein a day and 45-75 grams of carbohydrates.

Snacks or emotional eating I made sure I hate almonds, Peanut Butter & fruit.

This is a way of life, not really a diet. I promise you if you work on behavior modification before your sleeve it will be so much easier after surgery.

I am 3 months out from surgery and I can say I lost 120 pounds. This is because I put all effort into this way way of life before I had surgery.

Treat yourself once in a while, if you want to have a special dinner that includes carbohydrates have it, a margarita or whatever, but make sure you track things, even on the days you don't do but most importantly, drink 64 ounces of Water a day, eat at least 3 meals a day, chart your food, eat your protein first, vegies second and carbs thirdly.

Exercise. I couldn't exercise at first so I stood and walked in place for 5 minutes a day, then 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, then I did the gazelle, was able to make it 5 minutes a day and before surgery I was able to do an hour in the am and an hour in the pm. I believe exercising or walking 30 minutes a day is beneficial.

Another trick about an hour before dinner, have a hot tea, hot decaff coffee, hot broth or something, that helps. Getting rid of your carb addiction before surgery is the best thing for you. Also wean yourself or get yourself off carbonated beverages, including diet pop. It is really hard for people to do during the pre-op shake and if you can quit now, do so.

Meal planning. I made sure I had 1% cottage cheese on hand, eggs, cheese, sugar-free pudding, Jello, crackers (I use Breton Original) it's the lowest of the carb crackers and I would once in a while have a treat of Peanut Butter on one cracker.

Meals, grilled chicken breast with one dole pineapple ring on it, turkey taco's, turkey sloppy joes, pork chops (grilled), turkey tortilla Soup, chicken tortilla Soup. meat loaf, Steak, etc.

Cooking for my family I used to make a LOT of casseroles, lots of fattening casseroles, with gravy, lots of spaghetti, etc. Unfortunately, when money is tight, cheaper meals like spaghetti, hot dogs, casseroles are more fattening. Learn to buy extra when something is on sale. If you see a lean steak on sale, buy 2 extra packages, when chicken breasts are on sale buy 2 extra each time. You can make a lot of Chicken products that taste good and are so different from each other without getting sick of chicken. Boil chicken, shred it, make chicken taco salad, Chicken with Mozz Cheese & Spaghetti Sauce (go ahead and make a low carb wheat noodle if you have family. Rotisserie Chicken with Light mayo inside a hallowed out Tomato. tuna, Salmon. After surgery I make sure I always have a bag of shrimp here and it lasts for a while because I will have 2 or 3 for lunch once in a while.

Make sure you chew each bite 20 times and do not drink with dinner and wait 1/2 hour after eating to drink. There are lots of reasons for this, but staying full longer is important. I was a chronic choker. I used to choke during dinner. It was horrible and I hated going out to dinner because of it. I could never imagine not drinking with my meal for this reason. Funny thing happened though, I got rid of my Water with dinner, and I quit choking. Why is this? Probably because I focused on chewing my food more and stopped shoveling food in my mouth.

These are the things that worked for me. It may or may not work for you, but from a girl that at this time last year, needed someone to tie her shoes for her, help her out of the chair, help her walk upstairs, had to park in handicapped parking, couldn't walk 1/2 a block, slept with oxygen, gave herself injections every single day, to a girl that just went to Six Flags and nobody even gave me a look as I got into the rides, went out to a fair and stood near the stage dancing for 5 hours, I don't use oxygen anymore, no more shots, I can tie my own shoes and walk 5 miles without even getting tired, I went from 4x clothes to large, you get what you put into this lifestyle.

Good luck to you. Count yourself very lucky that you are working on these things before surgery. Stay positive and look at each new accomplishment before surgery as another big step or hurdle in the journey. If you can get rid of soda, applaud that, if you get your 64 ounces of water in, be happy for that. The sleeve is only a tool, the easiest way to get through this entire ordeal is to do your best, stay positive and focused.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I lost 65 lbs pre-op and 40 in 11 weeks post op. I must say, planning has been a big part of my success.

Each Sunday I try to make a spreadsheet (or powerpoint or whatever) of my meals for the week. Pre-op I just planned lunch and dinner because I was doing Meal Replacements too. Post-op I plan everything, including Snacks. Then I save it as an image and upload it as my desktop background. It's most accessible to me that way because I'm on my computer a lot. I can't say I adhere to it strictly, it's hard to plan a week out but I try to eat the things I plan, just maybe on different days. I find recipes I like online and add the ingredients to my grocery list. I keep track of what recipes I have the ingredients for and that's how I plan my dinners, and in accordance with any events throughout the week. Lunch is usually leftovers. Again, I might not be super strict according to the plan but at least I know what snacks I SHOULD be having and don't allow myself to eat other things, just maybe rearranged. So, basically, by the end of the week I've eaten most of the things on my menu. It helps me make decisions because I like instant gratification and would probably make the wrong choices just because I'm hungry if I don't know ahead of time what I'm going to eat. And I do use MFP as well. I was resistant to it at first because I'm lazy but it's actually quite easy and now I love it!

Hope that helps!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's pretty simple. Just write everything you are going to eat in advance and only eat what's on your list. Make sure you use a food scale to weigh everything and so you stick to the correct portions. If it's not on your list you don't eat it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • LeighaTR

      Four days post surgery. I am sipping as fast as I can and getting NO WHERE near the goal of 60 - 80 grams of protein or the 64 oz of liquids. I just feel FULL. I don't know if it can still be the gas build up (I would think by now that would be gone) but it is a struggle to drink. And so far I have not had the nausea or spasms and don't want to wander into that territory by pushing too hard with liquids. I about passed out today as it was my most "strenuous" day. Went from second story to basement for shower and I was sure I was going to pass out. Looking back on my last few days I have had a total of less than 1000 calories. Am I just not getting enough nourishment in me? Once again a friday where I can't get ahold of the doc until Monday rolls back around so I am hoping maybe someone here has some experience on how to keep energy going. I do have fibromyalgia too and that may be where some added fatigue comes into play. How did you all fair with the goals the week after surgery?
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      2 days until I fly out to San Diego to have my Bypass Surg. in Tiajuana Mexico. Not gonna lie, the nerves are starting to surface. I don't fear the surgery itself, or the fact that I'm traveling alone, but its the aftermath that I'm stressing about the most, after this 8 week wait. I'm excited to finally be here, but I am really dreading the post surgical chapter. I know its going to be tough, real tough and I think I'm just in my head to much now that the day i here. Wish me luck, Hopefully I'm one of the lucky ones, and everything goes smoothly. Cant wait to give an exciting update,. If there is anyone else have a June bypass or even a recent one, Id love to have someone to compare war stories with. Also, anyone near San Antonio Tx? See ya soon with the future me. 💜
      · 3 replies
      1. Phil Penn

        Good Luck this procedure is well worth it I am down to 249.6 lb please continue with the process..

      2. Selina333

        I'm in Houston so kind of near you and had the sleeve in Dec. Down 61 lbs. Feeling better. Was definitely worth it. I hope the everything is going well for you. Update us when you can!

      3. Doughgurl

        I am back home after my bypass surgery in Tiajuana. I'm post op day 4. Everything went great! I guess I'm one of the lucky ones who have not encountered much pain at all, no nausea thus far and I'm having no problem keeping down broths and water. Thank you for your well wishes. I cant wait to keep up this journey and have a chance at better health and simply better quality of life. I know there will be bumps in the road ahead, and everything won't be peaches and cream, but at least I have a great start so far. 😍

    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

        Thank you so much for your well wishes. I am hoping that everything goes easy for me as well. We don't eat out much as it is, so it wont be too bad in that department. Thankfully. Also, I hear you regarding your back and feet!! I'd like to add knees to the list. Killing me as we speak! I'm only 5' so the weight has to go. Too short to carry all this weight. Menopause really did a doosey on me. (😶lol) My daughter also lives in Houston. with her Husband and my 5 grand-littles. I grew up in Beaumont, so I know Houston well, I will be sure to keep in touch and update you on my journey. I may need some advice in the future, or just motivation. Thank You so much for reaching out, I was hoping to connect with someone in the community. I really appreciate it. 💜

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×