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Looking for convenient protein foods



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Hi folks, I was sleeved 4/30 and have lost a little over 30 pounds so far. I'm finding that a boiled egg is super for bumping up my Protein and keeping me full for a good long while. However... I track everything I eat on myfitnesspal, and I think I may be using eggs a bit too much from the standpoint of cholesterol. What are some other easy-to-prepare protein foods you use? I also use cottage cheese (which doesn't stay with me as long) and chicken (prepared in the microwave, flavored with Lawry's seasoned salt), but I need some other options that really keep you full. I'm trying to keep it simple as I'm constantly on the go and I'm not much of a cook, although I'm trying :) .... It's too easy for me to rely on packaged foods that have too much sugar and carbs. Thank you!

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First of all, dietary cholesterol in food has no effect on the real cholesterol levels in your body. That was disproven a while back and the FDA is considering removing cholesterol from nutrition labels, as it is misleading. So don't stress about eating eggs or shrimp or other foods that are high in dietary cholesterol. It's saturated and trans fats that effect your body's cholesterol levels.

Moving on to your actual question, my go-to Protein convineince foods are:

  • Protein Bars
  • Protein shakes
  • reduced fat string cheese
  • Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt (only brand I can tolerate... doesn't taste so "Greek" to me)
  • "beef" sticks ("beef" is in quotations there because I actual eat mostly ones made with turkey or other meat)
  • lightly salted peanuts

Edit: Here's a WebMD article explaining what I was talkign about with dietary cholesterol:

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/cholesterol-food

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beef/turkey Jerky and flavored tuna or salmon packets are my go-to, high Protein foods that basically take no preparation. One thing I would encourage you to consider is letting go of the idea that you need to be constantly kept "full." You don't need to be full -- you just need to not starve to death before your next meal. I am working on accepting hunger and just telling myself that "it's not fun to be hungry, but it's not an emergency. I can eat again in two hours." I've found that this kind of self-talk allows me to stop thinking about food and how I "need" it (I don't) and focus on other things until my next planned snack or meal rolls around.

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Thanks for these excellent suggestions. Perhaps "full" is not the correct term... I'm not expecting to constantly be "full." Satisfied for a good while after each meal is probably more descriptive. What I want to try to avoid is grazing, so Protein foods that stick with me for a while rather than sliding right through are ideal. JamieLogical, what brand of turkey sticks do you like? Love the idea of Jerky, tuna packets, pistachios. I do use the low-fat cheese sticks and greek yogurt, as well.

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@@Malagal These are the easiest to get a hold of at local stores:

http://www.oldwisconsin.com/snacks/snack-sticks/turkey

I have also gotten some more "exotic" meats at places like Bass Pro Shop, camping supply stores, and specialty stores. They have things like duck, alligator, buffalo, karibu....

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Peanuts (just watch your portion...they can be high calorie/fat if you go overboard)

Light and fit greek yogurt

Light string cheese (I like sargentos)

Protein shakes (pre-mixed)

Oh also, I love treats from BariatricChoice.com like Protein hot chocolate, protein Fruit drinks, protein chips, etc. Just watch the carbs.

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Drink mix Syntax nectar comes in a variety of flavors! It helps with getting Protein in and helps with hydration too.

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I agree with all the foods listed above. I found a to-go cup of hummus and pretzels thins helpful. I do eat the pretzel thins (or a few I should say) but use them to scoop a ton of hummus up at a time.

I've been doing eggs salad and tuna salad a lot. I found a low calorie, high Protein wrap (9grams) I've been using - I only eat about 1/4 of a wrap, but it is good.

Greek yogurt and beef Jerky are my current go tos.

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Jennie-o taco seasoned ground turkey mixed with some fresh or canned veggies is so good, even when reheated.

Sliced deli meat is also convenient.

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      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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      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.
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      1. summerseeker

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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