What do you do to up your protein and calories?

[Jess55 97]

I'm 6.5 weeks post op. I am currently allowed to eat anything. My plan says 3 oz Protein with 1/2 cup veggies. And when getting enough protein without a Protein Drink add 1/4 cup grain.

I don't eat much in the morning, but I have been eating 1/2 a banana or a string cheese. Then my two other meals and maybe some string cheese or such as a snack. I'm not able to eat the grains yet. I want to be able to meet my protein goal without my protein drink. What do you all recommend? I currently go to the gym 4 days a week so I'd like to be at the higher end. Yesterday I managed to get 93g with my Protein Shake (premier protein), so without it it was on,y 63g.

I'm assuming this will go hand in hand with the upping protein, but I also would like to up my calories, I'm barely getting 600-800 per day. I don't want to lower my metabolism by eating that low for to long.

Any advice is helpful. I know I'm still not far out so I guess it would get better the farther out I get

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Give up the banana and cheese and have meat. Deli meat should still offer restriction at that point but be easy to digest, so try it.

[evesta 67]

eggs in the morning is my plan. Some bacon. I like to make egg muffins because they freeze well and you can add your own toppings for variety. My two chickens will be working overtime!

Does anyone know of a good but healthy Peanut Butter for Protein? I saw peanut butter powder and that looked interesting.

[blizair09 3,250]

I eat 7-8 times per day, about 2 hours apart. I even did that at 6-7 weeks post-op. I was able to leave Protein Shakes behind after 4 weeks (once I was allowed to bring some meat back in the post-op diet progression). At 6-7 weeks post-op, I was getting about 900 calories per day, now I eat around 1200 calories. I was getting 80-90 grams of Protein at 6-7 weeks post-op; I now get 100-120 grams now. Now and then I keep/kept my carbs at 20 grams or less per day.

If it helps, here is what I eat in a day.

Meal #1: 1 scrambled egg with 1/2 piece of American cheese and 2 oz of chicken breast

Meal #2: 4 oz cottage cheese with 1 T of sugar-free strawberry preserves

Meal #3: 3 oz chicken breast and 1 string cheese

Meal #4: 3 oz salmon with 1 oz green Beans

Meal #5: 3 oz chicken breast and 1 oz green beans

Meal #6: 2 oz hamburger steak (90% lean) and 1 oz green beans

Meal #7: 3 oz chicken breast and 1 string cheese

Meal #8: 4 oz cottage cheese with 1 T of sugar-free strawberry preserves

Edited April 20, 2017 by blizair09
typo

[mrsdaniel2013 41]

Eggs in the morning is my plan. Some bacon. I like to make egg muffins because they freeze well and you can add your own toppings for variety. My two chickens will be working overtime!

Does anyone know of a good but healthy Peanut Butter for Protein? I saw peanut butter powder and that looked interesting.

They make a peanut butter flour that is called "defatted" - essentially the yummy Peanut-Ness without the calories/fat. I've had it mixed with Greek yogurt or to flavor smoothies.< br>
HW 420
SW 347
CW 334
Sleeved April 10, 2017

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Peanut powder without added sugar is good. I have found overall that Peanut Butter has too many calories and too little nutrition to keep around. I'll never have it in my house again.

[Julie norton 2,850]

I like extra (fairlife)protein milk... yogurt, eggs, fish, chicken thighs cooked in liquid , ...and I still use bars and occasional home made (inspire )protein drinks. Home made Refried Beans are a staple

Quinoa does have Protein, and soy products have greatly improved ... pre baked and flavored tofu is amazingly good if you lean that way. Frozen yogurt is a treat!

(Disclaimer: I'm a bander still working my program 10 years later...maintaining a 95 lb loss)

And still I learn new things

And wow. Just like everyone, I mess up!!

[Jess55 97]

Give up the Banana and cheese and have meat. Deli meat should still offer restriction at that point but be easy to digest, so try it.

My RD I go to recommended having the banana and cheese in the morning. The banana for some carbs before I go to the gym and some Protein. I'm not going to start eating deli meat due to the fact that's it's highly processed and salty. I'm not saying I eat completely clean, but that's not my thing.

I've tried eggs in the past when I had the band and if I went to the gym after I was burping up eggs and felt disgusting. Though I'm considering trying eggs again, even if it's just on my off days

[rainyann 118]

Have you though about adding Protein Powder? There are some flavorless powders you can add to drinks

[Sullie06 1,013]

If you can get the eggs to work now, omelets are a big go to for me. I usually do one egg, cheese and turkey sausage or something along those lines and that gives a little extra Protein.

I also go a greek yogurt as a snack because that packs a big protein punch.

I'm currently trying to phase out my protein supplements at the encouragement of my NUT. I'm 16wks out.

[leebick 448]

I'd also drop the banana. When I was dieting (South Beach, Atkins, etc) I found that fruit was almost impossible for me. Even low glycemic fruits would stop my weight loss immediately. At 6.5 weeks post-op I couldn't handle grains or veg, or "big" servings, so I was also doing the 2 ounce, frequent meal thing. I still struggle with quantity so often have to choose between Protein or veg- and I am 31 weeks (more than 6 months) post-op.

If you want to increase your protein consumption, stick to protein foods. Any meat, cheese, fish, eggs, tofu, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, etc. I understand why you choose to avoid deli meats; I only use them because they are convenient, and I look for the lowest sodium, least processed options. Usually I cook a small chicken, ham, etc. over the weekend and keep portions of the meat bagged up, ready to grab when I am in a hurry. Regarding Peanut Butter, I find it helpful to have in the cabinet. I grab a spoonful if I am in a hurry or feeling low. Lots of options, but buying natural pb means I can pour off part of the oil to lower the calories. My daughter has PB with chia and flax in it; I need to find out what the brand is, as it was tasty and filling (1T). I also have the powdered PB2 that I mix with Water. It tastes pretty good and has only 1.5g of fat (enough for flavor/satiety but with a minimal calorie hit).

I am not sure why people want to "get off" protein shakes- is there too much "crap" in them? I am still drinking my Syntrax Nectar once a day to help with my protein intake. I mix it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk (can't stand skim milk). This stuff is pretty clean- just whey protein isolate, flavor, some lecithin, and sweetener. List of ingredients is FAR shorter than the list on the ready-to-drink products. My Nut is 100% behind me drinking these, to maintain my protein levels. IN fact, she is the one who suggested using this as my mid-morning snack/meal.

[Sleeveforme2017 144]

Eggs in the morning is my plan. Some bacon. I like to make egg muffins because they freeze well and you can add your own toppings for variety. My two chickens will be working overtime!

Does anyone know of a good but healthy Peanut Butter for Protein? I saw peanut butter powder and that looked interesting.

I put pb powder in my protein shakes

[pattycaketoo 133]

Eggs in the morning is my plan. Some bacon. I like to make egg muffins because they freeze well and you can add your own toppings for variety. My two chickens will be working overtime!

Does anyone know of a good but healthy Peanut Butter for Protein? I saw peanut butter powder and that looked interesting.

PB2 or PBFit. You can get it al Walmart. It's the powder and it's good. Just makes it into a paste before you add it to anything.

[ShelterDog64 2,364]

On 4/20/2017 at 2:48 PM, Jess55 said:

I'm 6.5 weeks post op. I am currently allowed to eat anything. My plan says 3 oz Protein with 1/2 cup veggies. And when getting enough Protein without a Protein Drink add 1/4 cup grain.

I don't eat much in the morning, but I have been eating 1/2 a banana or a string cheese. Then my two other meals and maybe some string cheese or such as a snack. I'm not able to eat the grains yet. I want to be able to meet my protein goal without my Protein Drink. What do you all recommend? I currently go to the gym 4 days a week so I'd like to be at the higher end. Yesterday I managed to get 93g with my Protein Shake (premier protein), so without it it was on,y 63g.

I'm assuming this will go hand in hand with the upping protein, but I also would like to up my calories, I'm barely getting 600-800 per day. I don't want to lower my metabolism by eating that low for to long.

Any advice is helpful. I know I'm still not far out so I guess it would get better the farther out I get

At your stage, all I concerned myself with was meeting my protein goal and my Water goal. IME, if you get the protein where your program wants it, the rest will follow in the first 6-9 months.

I'm a big dairy consumer, plain greek yogurt is a must in my diet. Before I was able to consume slightly larger amounts, I always mixed unflavored protein powder into my foods....into the yogurt, into refried Beans (another lifesaver in the first 6 months for me), and I still put a scoop in my coffee every morning. I made the ricotta bake from Eggface's website and added protein powder after I cooked it.

I try to eat pretty clean, don't use Protein Shakes or bars any longer...beef Jerky is the one over-processed food I still eat. It really satisfies me, and it travels well in my purse/car.

If you can eat meats already and tolerate them well, tuna is great...those pouches are so easy to rip open, squirt a bit of mayo or a spoon of plain yogurt in and you've got lunch or dinner. I also eat salmon or steelhead at least once a week and another fish once a week, usually cod or whatever is fresh at the fish market. Pork and beef are hard for me, even at 10 months, but chicken sits pretty well. Grilled chicken thigh with ras el hanout seasoning is my new obsession, with some kale or chard alongside.

[360lyMe 40]

I drink an extra Premier Protein shake (3=90 grams), Yoplait Greek Yogart=14 g, and tuna In the foil pack=17 g, on most days.