Meal planning can be an important factor in success after weight loss surgery. You need to get enough Protein and other nutrients and limit your calories while you stick to the allowed food choices on your weight loss surgery diet. Meal planning can be challenging, though. How do you plan your meals?

Select the answer that best describes you, and tell us about it in the discussion below!

So far I will go to the store an buy a large variety of different foods along with various fresh vegetables and fruits and then during the week I find I just can't eat everything and end up with quite a bit going to waste. (especially the fresh stuff). I eat primarily meats, eggs, and dairy for protein, which means there is little to no room for fruits or veggies. I end up throwing out most of what I bought of these items each week. It appears it will be a continual learning curve.

I was the same as you but have now included a vegetable juice each day for myself and husband. We just can't fit vege's in yet so by having the juice we are not missing out on anything. I also include 1/2 apple with the vege's to take the horrible taste away. We no longer waste any of the veg because I just throw in what ever there is and don't bother cooking veg with the protein unless it is included in a recipe.

Meal planning can be an important factor in success after weight loss surgery. You need to get enough Protein and other nutrients and limit your calories while you stick to the allowed food choices on your weight loss surgery diet. Meal planning can be challenging, though. How do you plan your meals?

Select the answer that best describes you, and tell us about it in the discussion below!

i take time to weigh/measure and prepare my weeks' lunches at work

its as simple as grab and go..sure it takes time but worth it...and we buy in bulk meats and it is also measured out to 4oz servicing...i feel its worth the effort...we deserve that

I cook every couple of weeks (on Sunday). It takes several hours. Then I have weeks of hamburgers, steak, turkey burgers, lamb chops, etc. for dinners. lunch is either tuna or I buy something inexpensive like a cooked chicken and cut it up. Breakfast is yogurt, cheese, eggs or nuts so that doesn't take planning.

I start/want to plan better, but I haven't...

I cook a dozen eggs to have for breakfast, etc to have on hand.

I will buy a roasted chicken, or make something on the weekends to last me thru the week... like cupcake lasagnas or other high density protein items...and have quest bars for a snack or back up... along with my protein supplements...

When I go to the grocery store I get a lot of healthy things just for me. Every single day I prepare my breakfast & lunch to take to work & any snacks. If I don't, there's a very healthy vegetarian restaurant by my work that prepares organic healthy food - so I have no excuse!

I mostly eat the same things every day for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is usually meat and a vegetable, though I do occasionally have a casserole of some sort. I answered that I plan the night before, which is true, but I also plan at a much higher level. One of the major changes I made since surgery is to not bring things into the house that I can't/shouldn't eat. So it starts at the grocery store every weekend, making sure I have the right things to choose from, making the daily planning much easier and more successful. There is nothing "off limits" to me, but for the most part, I try to keep it routine and simple. I don't want to spend my energy focused on food - I want to spend it enjoying the results of my new, thin self, and all the energy I now have!

Sounds like decent planning.

I start/want to plan better, but I haven't...

I cook a dozen eggs to have for breakfast, etc to have on hand.

I will buy a roasted chicken, or make something on the weekends to last me thru the week... like cupcake lasagnas or other high density protein items...and have quest bars for a snack or back up... along with my protein supplements...

Recycled mentioned food wasted and thrown out. I got tired of this myself, the waste. Our NUT recommended food now, not shakes I still have stocked up. Therefore. I keep my pantry and fridge stocked with good foods and these 2 sleevers eat as needed. I no longer buy a whole rotisserie chicken to waste. I go to Fresh Market and buy their chicken salad in small containers for instance. I buy one pre-made green salad at Publix. I keep smoked salmon on hand and my husband can feast on 1/2 cup for dinner. I make a low-fat turkey chili and freeze in small portions for instant meals. One filet mignon feeds us both.

The beauty is we eat only when hungry as directed by our surgeon, and regular meals no longer exist. Our life is simple and we do not live to eat anymore. I used to be in a panic mode before surgery as to what I could have for dinner. I no longer go to the grocery store and spend a fortune. I am so thankful not to be hungry 16 hours a day.

Before surgery, I followed a once a month cooking schedule. I will go back to that. Then Sunday evening, I pull out what I am to eat that week. Saves time and money.

Plus I have all kinds of protein canned. Roast, turkey, chicken and soups. I intend to drain the liquid then eat the good stuff. I will save the broth for part of my water intake.

I start/want to plan better, but I haven't...

I cook a dozen eggs to have for breakfast, etc to have on hand.

I will buy a roasted chicken, or make something on the weekends to last me thru the week... like cupcake lasagnas or other high density Protein items...and have Quest bars for a snack or back up... along with my protein supplements...

What are cupcake lasagnas?!

Kim

Cupcake Lasagna

Cupcake Lasagna

Thanks! Looks like some great ideas!

Kim

I always plan my meals for the week by what's on sale at the store. When the ad comes out, I plan. I also am a creature of habit and eat the same things most days.

*I always have 2 cups of coffee in the morning. I don't do ANY soda anymore so I don't feel guilty with my coffee! ☺

* For breakfast I have a shake with protein powder, milk or yogurt, ice, and fruit.

* Lunch is Greek yogurt with Bear Naked protein granola. 22 grams of protein and so good!

* Another protein shake mid afternoon

* Whatever is on the supper menu. Usually soup, fish or Turkey something. If what I make for the family isn't for me, I'll have a salad with cottage cheese, deli meat, or eggs.

* any snacks throughout the day if needed are string cheese, yogurt or nuts

* I also drink ALOT of water with crystal light.

Lately my weight has been fluctuating so some days I will strictly do shakes and water just to kick my system into gear.

I am a daily planner, but I do think weekly planning is better. I do a little bit of that already by weekly grocery shopping and making sure there is always fresh Protein, veggies and fruits in the house and not buying hi fat or hi sugar foods.

I really enjoyed reading all the replies! Interesting that we have so many different styles, yet it appears from the statistics that everyone is successful. I have somewhat of a mix of styles. I am extremely blessed in that my husband does nearly all of the grocery shopping and cooking (I have a very long commute and a stressful job that even has me working at home every evening). He is very conscious of my dietary needs so he usually cooks what I can have. The only exception to that is weekend breakfasts when he adds biscuits, gravy and hash browns to his meal. I just have one egg. It does not bother me to watch him eat things I cannot have. At first he did not want to eat things I could not have, and he started losing weight! He does not have a weight issue. I had to reassure him that he could and should eat what he wanted and I would be fine. I even see him have Snacks in the evenings such as chips and guacamole. I feel it is no different that all the food commercials we see on TV. I have to learn to be around foods and pass them up. It helps that I am satisfied with what I eat.

I can see that our NUTs are giving us very different advice. I am almost 4 months post surgery by my NUT said I am to stick to just 1/4 cup of food per meal and just three meals per day with two Protein shakes as my "snacks" until I reach my goal weight. I made a personal decision that she was insane because I was hungry much of the time. So I have increased to almost 1/2 cup for each meal. I also have a small snack during the day such as 8 small grapes or one clementine. I drink lots of Water. This seems to work for me. I do still follow the other guidelines such as NO Pasta, rice or bread of any kind at any time and no fried food or sweets.

Since I do not cook, I do not directly "plan" my meals for the week. I scramble eggs every 4 days or so and freeze one egg per container with either a little salsa or 2 teaspoons of gravy or shredded cheese. Whatever protein he cooks during the week we portion out into 2 ounce servings and freeze as well as some of the vegetables. In the mornings I grab one Breakfast container, one lunch container, my fruit and I drink a ready made shake on the way to work. I often do not even know what I have brought for lunch until I open the container to heat it! No worries because I know I like all the foods I have frozen. I do mix it up a bit by taking tuna, yogurt, nuts, etc.