After weight loss surgery, you need to plan your meals ahead of time. You always want a high-protein, low-calorie option to be available at meal time. You might find yourself carrying your own prepared food with you to be sure that you have the food you need. Sandwiches are good “go-to” option, but not just any old sandwich will do! This article can help you build sandwiches that are good fits for your meal plan.

What is Wrong with the Sandwiches You Used to Eat?

A typical workday might have started off with a trip through the drive-through for a breakfast burrito or sandwich, or a bagel and cream cheese sandwich at work. Lunch could have been a brown bag peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a trip to a nearby restaurant for a sandwich, burrito, or burger. Where might these options leave you?

• Sausage, egg, and cheese croissant or biscuit from a drive-through (600 calories with 42 grams of fat)
  
• Bagel with cream cheese (500 calories with 70 grams of carbohydrates)
  
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (600 calories and 40 grams of sugar)
  
• Club sandwich (1,000 calories and 2,500 milligrams of sodium)
  
• Chicken patty sandwich (60 grams of carbohydrates and 1,100 milligrams of sodium)
  
• Beef, bean, and cheese burrito (900 calories and 40 grams of fat)
  

Your breakfast and lunch sandwiches could have added up to over 1,500 calories. Add in beverages, sides (hash browns, fries or chips, anyone?), and snacks, and you could have been at 3,000 calories by lunchtime!

These Choices Don’t Work After Weight Loss Surgery!

Needless to say, these options do not fit into your weight loss surgery diet.

• First, some of those sandwiches have more calories than you are supposed to be eating in a day, not to mention that some also contain more saturated fat, sodium, and sugar than you should have in a day.
  
• Second, those sandwiches emphasize starchy breads and fatty condiments, not the lean proteins and nutritious vegetables you need to stay full and nourished after weight loss surgery.
  
• Third, they can cause complications. Doughy bagels and fried chicken, for example, can cause obstructions in lap-band patients; fatty sausage and sugary jelly can cause dumping syndrome in gastric bypass patients; and these low-nutrient foods can fill you up and cause malnutrition.
  

Luckily, this does not mean that you need to give up the convenience of sandwiches and the pleasure you get from biting into one. There are plenty of ways to make sandwiches that are weight loss surgery-friendly: low-calorie, high-protein, convenient, and delicious!

Protein Fillings for WLS Sandwiches

Start by choosing a lean source of protein, just like you do when you plan all of your meals. These are some healthier options compared to what you might have chosen before weight loss surgery. Don’t forget to measure your portions if you are making your own sandwich, or eyeball your portions if you are ordering in a restaurant.

• 2 scrambled egg whites (30 calories)
  
• 2 ounces of canned light tuna (60 calories)
  
• 2 ounces of chicken breast, lean ham, turkey breast (80 calories)
  
• 2 ounces of fat-free cheese (90 calories)
  
• ½ cup cooked beans or 1 vegetarian burger (120 calories)
  
• 2 ounces of turkey or vegetarian bacon or breakfast sausage (130 calories)
  

Load up on Vegetables and Fruit

Vegetables and fruit are the next food groups to add to your meals. Vegetables especially are low-calorie, so add more if you want a bigger sandwich. Try classic combinations, or get creative. You can also experiment with herbs such as fresh cilantro, basil, and dill. These are some ideas.

• Lettuce and tomatoes with meat and cheese
  
• Grilled eggplant, zucchini, and/or bell peppers with beans
  
• Cucumbers and sprouts with fat-free feta cheese
  
• Diced celery, carrots, onions, and water chestnuts with tuna
  
• Spinach and mushrooms with egg whites
  
• Pear or apple with fat-free cheddar cheese
  
• Cantaloupe with ham and/or fat-free cheese
  
• Blueberries with egg whites
  

Breads and Alternatives

Most bread is high in carbohydrates and low in protein – clearly not what you need for your nutritious weight loss surgery diet. Besides adding calories and carbs, bread can cause obstructions in lap-band patients and make gastric bypass patients sick or overly full. When possible, skip the regular bread.

• Bagels
  
• Tortillas
  
• Subs
  
• Croissants
  
• Biscuits
  
• Regular sliced bread
  

Instead, choose whole-grain, high-fiber, low-calorie breads, and consider open-faced sandwiches, with the filling on 1 slice of bread, instead of regular 2-slice sandwiches. These are some good options.

• Reduced-calorie bread (45 or fewer calories per slice)
  
• Light English muffin (50 calories per half)
  
• Mini whole grain bagel (60 calories per half)
  
• Low-carb tortilla (50 calories per small tortilla)
  
• High-fiber, light wrap (90 calories per wrap)
  
• Also, look for creative, non-bread alternatives.
  
• Lettuce leaves to make lettuce wraps or cups
  
• Egg roll or wonton wrappers
  
• Sheets of dried seaweed
  
• Grilled eggplant
  
• Your fork (skip the bread and just eat the filling)
  

Keeping Condiments Under Control

The condiments that you add can make or break your sandwich, both in terms of nutrition and taste. Skip the full-fat mayonnaise, dressings, dips, sour cream, and butter, and be wary of high-sugar jam, barbecue sauce, and honey mustard. Instead, consider the following condiments.

• Salsa
  
• Fat-free mayo, dressing, dip, or sour cream
  
• Regular mustard
  
• Plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
  
• Hot sauce
  
• Shredded fat-free parmesan cheese
  
• Reduced-calorie, trans fat-free margarine
  

Some Breakfast Sandwich Ideas to Start Your Day Off Right

• Egg whites scrambled with spinach, mushrooms, and fat-free feta cheese on ½ English muffin
  
• Cottage cheese and strawberries wrapped in lettuce leaves
  
• Shredded fat-free cheese and lean ham toasted on a slice of reduced-calorie, whole-wheat bread and topped with salsa and tomatoes
  
• Egg whites cooked with turkey bacon and broccoli in a small, high-fiber wrap
  
• ½ whole-grain mini bagel spread with fat-free cream cheese and topped with canned salmon with diced celery and water chestnuts
  

Lunch Sandwiches

• Lettuce wrap filled with diced chicken breast, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and bell peppers, and soy sauce or light Asian dressing
  
• Dried seaweed sheet rolled around tuna salad made with fat-free mayo, chives, and celery
  
• Pinwheels made by layering slices of turkey breast, lean ham, and fat-free cheese slices, spreading them with mustard, and rolling them
  
• Bean burrito with black beans, fat-free cheddar cheese, salsa, and fat-free sour cream on a small, high-fiber tortilla
  
• Chicken breast with sliced apple and light vinaigrette between slices of grilled eggplant
  
• Tomato sauce, fat-free mozzarella cheese, and mushrooms on a light English muffin
  
• Toasted Rueben sandwich with low-fat Swiss cheese, shredded cabbage or sauerkraut, lean corned beef, and fat-free Thousand Island dressing on a light English muffin
  

Are You Ready for Some Sandwiches?

You can eat these sandwiches at home, or make them ahead of time and carry them with you in a reusable container. As a weight loss surgery patient, you should own plenty of reusable containers with tight-fitting lids. If you do not already have some, they are worth the investment so that you can carry healthy foods with you wherever you go.

We hope that you enjoy these sandwich ideas and that you are inspired to make some of your own healthy, high-protein sandwiches!

So much great and very helpful information in this article. Thank You for posting!!

Love this info, Alex! Sometimes we get into a same-o, same-o rut (I am queen of lettuce wraps, I think!) and forget there are lots of creative options out there! Great, on-the-mark article!

Thanx Alex, some great ideas and tips!!!!

Literally food for thought! This has inspired some new recipe ideas... Thanks Alex

Thanks for the tips, I go to Subway no bread, just meat,cheese and all kinds of vegies, with a side of ranch dressing. Eat it with a fork and knife.

Great information. Often times when we order out from work, we'll get the fillings of a sub. (turkey, Tuna, veg) and have them just put it over lettuce. Put the seasoning on and get some vingar/olive oil on the side. The nearby deli starting putting these "Lite platter alternatives" on their special menu.

I have been getting bored with my lunches and seriously was thinking this morning what I was going to think up!! But you did it for me! YESSSSS.... Thank you for sharing some much needed food thought porn

For me the egg plant is seeming very interesting idea to try out

I truly try to stay away from breads. When I allow myself, I gain weight. So I just eat the inners with no condiments..... Thank you Alex......

Great thanks for the info!

Thanks Alex for the tip! I've been looking for great alternatives to bread when making a sandwich since bread tends to plug me up. Great sandwich ideas especially for me almost 9 years post op.

I like Jimmy John's!They have any sandwich that can be made wrapped in lettuce.The turkey tom is good.And its enough to eat 2 times.1/2 sandwich per serving.Delish!!!!

I miss sandwiches and when i was able to eat them wrapped in lettuce it was the greatest thing ever!I can't tolerate bread at all.This is a better alternative and a healthier one!Glad i can help!

Good info. Thanks for posting. Got done ideas for my lunch. I do like smoked salmon on low cal 100whole wheat bread that is toasted ..of course not too often since it is high in fat. But good fat. Also a slice of avocado.

I cannot tolerate bread at all!Nor can i with pasta,rice or steak.Haven't eaten that in 3 1/2 yrs.I miss sandwiches sometimes.But now healthier alternatives and something I could tolerate!

Now, I can't wait to eat a sandwich!!!