I'm a little over a week post-op, and I would love to know how many of you long timers eat bariatric foods/shakes regularly. I hope to go whole foods as soon as I am able, but I worry about hectic schedules. What food habits do you have know that you're proud/not so proud of? I really have been choking down the liquid diet and artificial sugars, and I'm hoping to hear what works surrounding whole foods. Thanks!

If by "whole foods" you mean just regular food -- animal and plant Protein, veggies, fruits, whole grains, dairy products, baked goods -- then yes, that's what I eat.

The only thing I ate today that was a "bariatric product" (although it's not purely bariatric) was a GNC Lean shake 25 (25 grams of protein and 170 calories).

All the other foods I ate today were:

All-bran Cereal

Skim milk

coffee

Raw sugar

Whole wheat bread

Deli ham slices

Light mayo

Sliced tomatoes

Baby carrots

Cheddar cheese

Almond biscotti

Barbequed ribs

Grilled zucchini

Brown rice pilaf

Seed crackers

Dark chocolate

Red wine

Green tea

I'm nearly two years post-op (sleeve).

Today's Macronutrients:

Total calories - 1801

Protein grams - 105

Carb grams - 165

Fat grams - 72

Fiber grams - 30

I'm a little over a week post-op, and I would love to know how many of you long timers eat bariatric foods/shakes regularly. I hope to go whole foods as soon as I am able, but I worry about hectic schedules. What food habits do you have know that you're proud/not so proud of? I really have been choking down the liquid diet and artificial sugars, and I'm hoping to hear what works surrounding whole foods. Thanks!

I'm struggling with the artificial sugars myself. I NEVER used them prior to starting my bariatric pathway and I truly hate the way they taste. I'm really interested to see what the pros have to say!

In my mind, whole foods = unprocessed or minimally processed. I want to get away from convenience foods, do more from scratch, make my dressing, etc. I want to veer away from preservatives, food coloring, msg, corn syrup, etc.

I definitely want to get away from processed sugars and artificial sweeteners.

I'm with VSGAnne3014 about eating fresh foods.

Since I was sleeved last October I have eaten only fresh, home made meals. I even threw out the flavoured protein drinks as the artificial sweeteners were just yuk! I bought whey isolate and devised all sorts of ways to get the drinks down my neck in an enjoyable form. It's amazing how inventive you can get.

Once I was on solids I got into the habit of keeping some go-to foods in the fridge. Hard boiled eggs are a great stand-by for munchy moments. Turkey mince chilli is another great fridge and freezer staple. I make a huge pot and split some of it up into portions which I freeze and I keep some to dip into for a quick meal in the fridge. My other stand-by is a large container of mixed melon pieces which I munch with Parma or some other ham and black pepper. OK, so you can call deli meat 'processed' but in the grand scheme of things it ain't too bad. Besides which, it is a yummy and easy meal. I also cook gammon joints in the pressure cooker with veg to give it flavour. I then shred the meat so I always have that to pick at. Another favourite that you can find in my fridge is cooked salmon. I buy a large piece in Costco, cook it in the microwave and keep it, with the juices that appear during cooking, in the fridge. I've always got some prepared pineapple and mango as my sweet treats ready, again stored in my fridge. Most of these things can be slung into a container and taken with you for a bite to eat at work.

Hope some of this helps.

Thanks Jintycb

That's really close to what I wanted to know.

Morning Jinty !

I'm with you about keeping things ready in the fridge and also the list of foods posted by VSGAnne is very similar to what I eat minus the chocolate. To my amazement I don't really care for it anymore.

As I tell most people "I eat clean except when I don't".

80% whole clean foods.

But my sleeve seems to be smaller than many, even now I can't get in my Protein needs without Protein powder or a Protein Bar most days.

So most days is 80% clean/whole foods and either a scoop of protein powder (in a shake or smoothie, mixed into my oatmeal or made into a protein mug cake or pancake) or a Quest or power crunch bar.

Btw I am 2.5 years out and have been in maintenance for 1.5 years.

I'm almost 3.5 months post op and I eat mainly whole foods. I avoid carbs like the plague (except for a rare cheat) and eat plenty of fat. I keep a few atkins shakes on hand for rush out the door emergencies, but those are even rarer than my carb cheats. Personally I think whole foods are the way to go as soon as they are tolerable.

I eat mostly real foods, but do still eat some bariatric products, mostly for convenience.

I am on a road trip this weekend so I brought some Protein shakes and bars mostly because I was uncertain about what food options were available.

I also like things like bariwise oatmeal because it is easy, convenient, and portable.

I use 1 premier protein vanilla shake as cream in my coffee every morning. Have 1 protein bar as my afternoon snack at work each weekday. Otherwise I eat only whole foods. Grass fed beef and dairy (dubliner cheese is), I eat about 75-80% of my food is homemade. I eat out rarely and it's usually when I'm traveling. Free range organic chicken etc. And yes it is more expensive but still so much cheaper than what I used to spend eating out and/or on junk food.

Thanks for the responses. I was hoping for this response. I also did some research on whey powder, and it sounds like there are some good minimally processed choices out there.