Hello Everyone!

I had a thought today, at work, staring at the computer. Imagine that??? I think we all need some variety from time to time and with only being allowed a specific amount of calories, it's hard to come up with ideas to keep meals interesting and not boring....and also simple, portable, etc.

Would you be interested in sharing your menu plans? Would love to know your thoughts on this. Does anyone feel this would help them?

We could list our Calorie Count (the one set by your doc or Dietitian), total calories for each item, or meal, or total for the day. Any other ideas would be great!!! Whatdya think?! Would this be helpful?

Nancy*

It is easy to get into a rut. Luckily for me, I don't mind eating the same thing over and over.

My doctor did not set a calorie count for me and I did not have a dietician. I really don't believe in counting calories. It never got me where I wanted to go before and I don't think it would work for me now. My only plan is that I try to stick to the Omega 3 (sometimes called the Mediterranean diet) diet and to eat low glycemic index foods.

But here's how it generally goes for me:

Breakfast

A smoothie made from Protein powder (Unjury), fresh or frozen fruit, soy milk, ice, and some Crystal Light powder for extra flavor. I know they say not to drink calories, but this smoothie is so thick that I eat it with a spoon and it sticks with me a long time.

Or I will have lowfat cottage cheese with some homemade fruit compote mixed in. The compote recipe is in a thread on this board. Or I will have oatmeal with compote. Or plain lowfat yogurt with compote.

lunch and dinner

I eat a lot of salads with homemade salad dressing (Omega 3). Then I've been experimenting with new recipes. Since I live alone and I can eat very little, one recipe will last me all week. And like I said, I usually don't mind eating the same thing.

I will be interested in hearing what others say.

Nancy

I don't follow any set menu plan. I reckon I should, but I'm like Nancy. That never worked for me before so I just try to focus on Protein.

I usually throw some whey protein in some Water and shake it up and run out the door. For lunch, I often take a Tuna kit to work, if not, I grab a chicken breast and some veggies or I ask for a cheeseburger minus the bread and I'll have some Baked Lays or Sunchips with it. It's a treat when I do that.

If I'm being 'good', I go home, throw a baked scrod or crabcakes or some protein in the oven, maybe a few spears of asparagus or a 1/2 cup of Italian green Beans. Most every night I have a yogurt to take my meds with.

If I'm on the road with my traveling team. I am much much worse.

I love the Schwan's man. I can order good protein from him and avoid the aisles that call out my name in a grocery store. He's a bit expensive, but the food is great quality and easy to cook in just the right portions, which helps me stay focused.

I eat alot of chili too (Wolf Brand Chili), but I'm not always 'good' when I eat chili cause I like it with Fritos and grated cheese. Unless you've lived in Texas, you wouldn't understand just how good a Frito Pie with Wolf Brand Chili is, but it's one of my biggest comfort foods. I'm detoxing slowly. lol.

Leatha my mother inlaw in Oklahoma gets stuff from scwanns I wish I could find someone that delivers out were I live . Their food is good and it makes cooking easy.

Well, check into their website. They've been in most states that I've ever been in. I really enjoy their foods and they keep me on the straight and narrow when I have them on hand. It's when I have to go to that evil grocery store that things get out of hand. lol.

http://www.schwans.com/

Great ideas here so far...here are a couple of mine:

Breakfast:

oatmeal and 1/2 banana

cottage and applesauce

frozen whole wheat waffle

Cereal with milk (or yogurt cuz Greg swears by it!!!...don;t tell him I said so...but it IS good!!!)

Southwestern EggBeaters scrambled

cheese and crackers when I am in a hurry

Lunch:

Tuna to Go package, applesauce

chicken salad and crackers

Soup at hand by Campbells

Dinner:

this is the tough one cuz I am starving when I get home lately...waiting for a fill next week...but I try to have veggies and some kinda Protein. Need ideas.

I really appreciate this thread. I just entered the 'soft food' stage and I REALLY REALLY need some sample menu ideas because right now I'm quickly regaining the 15 pounds I've lost since surgery.

Right now for a while, I just need to be told exactly what to eat.... at least until I get this head hunger under control and tame all of these bad eating habits that I've been living with for the past seven years.

The first four weeks I was very good and I faithfully stuck with my Clear liquids and full liquids, but once I started eating REAL food again I was so surprised to realize just how well I felt and how much I can eat right now without a fill. I'VE REALLY GOT TO GET MYSELF UNDER CONTROL!!!

So again, I sincerely appreciate this thread and the ideas I've seen so far.... it's really going to help me get back on track. Thank you Nancy and everyone!

Nancy smiles: I saw you put down that you eat soup,and i was wondering if you eat soup for a meal does it stay with you as long as if you ate something else? You know because of it being mostly liquid I would think it would go down really fast and you would get hungry sooner. I haven't been banded yet so thats why I'm asking this silly question.

Does any one else eat soup, Protein drinks and other liquid meals and do they keep you satisfide for a good while?

Soup is a good standby, but you are right. The general rules of the band are that you eat hard proteins and no caloric liquids. However, some days 'normal' people choose soup. It is not a good idea to get in the habit of 'soft foods', because of the higher caloric intake that is associated with that. Good eye, Jammin. Good question.

I should probably clarify my note on soup for lunch. When I was first banded, I ate (rather drank) this kind of soup during the in between liquid and solid stage. It really did stay pretty long at that time; but now it doesn't. THe kinds of Soups I eat now are either lentil or black bean. Have not had a problem with the Beans ...yet.....but these give me some good Protein and fiber! I usually have veggies or fruit with it. I've discovered some AWESOME organic lentil and bean soups at Trader Joe's!! IF you have one in your area, it's worth checking out!

Any other suggestions for lunch foods? I need something I can eat at work that will stay with me. Sometimes salads do not go down quite right...so I try to eat things that are "safe" at work. Any ideas?

Thanks Jammin! and Leatha!

N*

Nancy smiles: I saw you put down that you eat soup,and i was wondering if you eat soup for a meal does it stay with you as long as if you ate something else? You know because of it being mostly liquid I would think it would go down really fast and you would get hungry sooner. I haven't been banded yet so thats why I'm asking this silly question.

Does any one else eat soup, Protein drinks and other liquid meals and do they keep you satisfide for a good while?

I'm so grateful that I can eat salad without problems, but I know a lot of people have trouble with it. For lunch, you could make chicken salad or tuna or egg salad. I make it in advance and then it's easy in the morning to just put a little in a container and I'm ready to go. I like cottage cheese, so cottage cheese and fruit is a good option for me. Sometimes I'll buy a hamburger with no bun in the cafeteria. Sometimes I'll just bring a handful of mixed nuts. They are high fat and high calorie, but it's the good kind of fat and they do have Protein. I can eat very few and they stay with me longer even than meat. So they don't slow down my weight loss.

Every once in a while I do eat Soup. It's usually a substantial kind of soup like Split Pea or black bean. Good source of protein and Fiber. They are partly liquid, yes, but partly solid, too, so they satisfy me. I can only eat about a cup of soup and I'm full. If your store has Andersen split pea soup, it's the best.

Nancy

Trader Joes has an awesome French Onion soup in the frozen section too. It has quite a bit of protein too, believe it or not. I used Trader Joes alot when I was in Cali.

What is Trader Joe's? It sounds great. I wish we had one here.

Nancy

It's a small grocery chain. I've only ever seen it in Cali and I saw one in St Louis the last time I was there. Alas, none in Texas. http://www.traderjoes.com/

I'm still in the full liquids stage, but going to puree this week. I wanted to get a book on life after the band but couldn't find anything at the store. My husband stumbled across this book, "Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery" by Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray. In it they break down protein, calories, fiber, everything. They also let you know how much you can have at each stage, whether puree or onto regular foods.

I was banded on 1-3-05 and am still on full liquids. I will begin the puree stage tomorrow. What types of food items work well when pureed? ( This web site is sooooo cool!):guess