Hi all, I am 7 weeks Post Op and know I am not getting enough food in. Can you share what you eat in a typical day? Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack. Thank you!

I can't really share my menu because I am 4 years out but...did your surgeon give you any guidelines? It will get better as you progress. Just be careful and not overdo. Make sure you are getting enough fluids in and you are striving towards your protein goal. Take care and I'm sure there will be others that can help you out.

2 minutes ago, shedo82773 said:

I can't really share my menu because I am 4 years out but...did your surgeon give you any guidelines? It will get better as you progress. Just be careful and not overdo. Make sure you are getting enough fluids in and you are striving towards your Protein goal. Take care and I'm sure there will be others that can help you out.

They gave me guidelines, but I do better with being told what to eat instead of suggestions........

Just now, HDScarlett said:

They gave me guidelines, but I do better with being told what to eat instead of suggestions........

Oh O.K., I do know that everything is a learning process. What are you allowed to eat at 7 weeks? I can try to find my journal if need be. I do know that I was on Protein Drinks for 4 weeks postop.

9 minutes ago, shedo82773 said:

Oh O.K., I do know that everything is a learning process. What are you allowed to eat at 7 weeks? I can try to find my journal if need be. I do know that I was on Protein Drinks for 4 weeks postop.

Pretty much anything which is why I am struggling. Supposed to aim for 70g Protein a day.

Ok, here's my plan:

Meal 1: 4oz cottage cheese (13g prot.)

Meal 2: 3.5 oz black beans and 1 egg (14g)

Meal 3: 4oz tuna with a little mayo (25g) probably have to "finish later"

Meal 4: 1oz nuts or seeds (7g)

Meal 5: 1.5 cups milk (12g)

Since milk isn't really a meal, and the nuts are a snack... it all works.

You can switch out the fish for other meat and change up the type of beans.

If you can't fit in this much food, make it a goal and drink a protein shake.

1 minute ago, Berry78 said:

Ok, here's my plan:

Meal 1: 4oz cottage cheese (13g prot.)

Meal 2: 3.5 oz black Beans and 1 egg (14g)

Meal 3: 4oz tuna with a little mayo (25g) probably have to "finish later"

Meal 4: 1oz nuts or seeds (7g)

Meal 5: 1.5 cups milk (12g)

Since milk isn't really a meal, and the nuts are a snack... it all works.

You can switch out the fish for other meat and change up the type of beans.

If you can't fit in this much food, make it a goal and drink a Protein Shake.

Thank you. This is what I was looking for

I'm 7 months out and have eaten that menu the entire time. I've added fruits and veggies as I gain room. I add my milk to tea and coffee through the day.

Great post but...remember you can't eat that many OZ'S. You are just in the baby steps of your journey. That is quite a lot of food for someone at 7 weeks out. Focus on protein and fluids and it will all come together. Have a good rest of your day.

5 minutes ago, shedo82773 said:

Great post but...remember you can't eat that many OZ'S. You are just in the baby steps of your journey. That is quite a lot of food for someone at 7 weeks out. Focus on Protein and fluids and it will all come together. Have a good rest of your day.

Actually it is a little scary but when I do eat, it seems like I can eat more than I think I should......that is another reason why I need some example menus with amounts. I am falling into a pattern of not eating breakfast, low on lunch and then trying to squeeze it all in at night......by having sample menus, I can get back on track like when I was only doing liquid or purees

It is a lot of food.. but even if you only eat half portions now and add a protein shake.. it gives you a framework to work with that will grow with you.. (I thought that I made that clear, but maybe not...)

These choices are not random. Each item has protein, variety keeps the day interesting, and there is a wider range of nutrients (than, say, chicken, chicken, chicken). They are all pretty soft, and for the most part there is minimal cooking. Eggs need to be cooked each day or hardboiled a couple times a week. Tuna and beans.. just open a can. Other meats prepared as desired.

The only way to meet your goals for the day is to eat very frequently. I made my goals early on by eating this quantity of food.. split up into 6 or 7 meals. I never could do protein shakes, so that was how I met my goals.

I’m 6 weeks out:

breakfast: 2 eggs, tablespoon feta, 1/4 c fresh spinach cooked into omelette

snack: Greek yogurt

snack: latte

lunch: 2oz chicken salad

snack: string cheese

dinner: chili or other protein dense soup

snack: applesauce

sometimes cottage cheese instead of yogurt or sub breakfast for a protein shake (rarely). But i’ve been eating very similar to this since 1 week out. Usually get about 800-900 cal.

@HDScarlett Unfortunately, everyone is different. However, here is what I was eating at 7 weeks out.

For breakfast: I had boiled egg whites (hate the yoke) (2).

For snack: I had 7 olives and a powerade zero calorie drink.

For Lunch: I had 4 oz of chicken breast, 1 tsp of guacamole and 1 tbsp of sour cream.

For snack: the remainder of my brocolli and cheese.

For Dinner: I will have 4 oz of salmon and 1 tsp of guacamole.

or

Breakfast: Baked Turkey Bacon (3 Slices), 1 Boiled Egg white.

Snack: 14 Olives

Lunch: 2 oz of chicken, 1 tsp of sour cream, and 2 romaine lettuce leaf.

Snack: Sugar Free Popsicle.

Dinner: 2 oz of Chicken and Romaine Lettuce with 1/2 tomato.

Snack: 1 pickle

Note: I have low blood pressure and was instructed to add salt to my diet. I choose to use olive and pickles to help. I do not season my meats with a lot of salt neither. I also measure my food and portion it out. I do that because I can semi-accurately keep track of my food intake. That way if I am deficient somewhere I can make an informed decision to add somethings else later on.

Ok, here's my plan:
Meal 1: 4oz cottage cheese (13g prot.)
Meal 2: 3.5 oz black beans and 1 egg (14g)
Meal 3: 4oz tuna with a little mayo (25g) probably have to "finish later"
Meal 4: 1oz nuts or seeds (7g)
Meal 5: 1.5 cups milk (12g)
Since milk isn't really a meal, and the nuts are a snack... it all works.
You can switch out the fish for other meat and change up the type of beans.
If you can't fit in this much food, make it a goal and drink a protein shake.

How many hours in between are you having your meals?

Probably on average every 3 hours. It was never set in stone, and I regained hunger pretty early, so my belly would usually remind me to eat.

I would drink all the way up until a few minutes before eating, but couldn't drink for an hour or two after. So I'd eat, wait a couple hours, drink 8oz, then eat again.

First thing in the morning I never felt like eating, so I'd just drink until about noon. Coffee, milk, coconut water, maybe a spinach smoothie. Maybe water with a squirt of lemon.

Occasionally it would be 6pm and I'd only eaten my cottage cheese. Oops! Squeeze in what I could and call it a day. Try harder next time.

This is a menu option that I posted in another thread. I was eating this way at 7 weeks out. I made substitutions, but tried to eat 6X daily so that I didn't get hungry. I was told to up my calorie count to 800-1,000 per day since 6 weeks out.

Breakfast: 2 egg whites, 1/4 cup of spinach, 1veggie sausage (116 cals, 3g fat, 2g Net Carbs, 16g Protein)

AM Snack: 1 Premier Protein Shake (160 cals, 3g fat, 3g Net Carbs, 30g Protein)

Lunch: kale salad with cubed turkey (195 cals, 15g fat, 1g Net Carbs, 12g Protein)

Early PM Snack: 1 oz. raw almonds (160 cals, 14g fat, 3g Net Carbs, 6g Protein)

Dinner: 3 oz. grilled salmon with 1/4 cup chopped broccoli (185 cals, 11g fat, 1g Net Carbs, 19g Protein)

PM Snack: 2 celery sticks with 2 triangles of laughing cow cheese (85 cals, 3g fat, 1g Net Carbs, 4g Protein)

Macros: 901 calories, 49g fat, 11g Net Carbs, 87g Protein

I now eat more carbs then I did then, but still keep them under 70g on most days. I also keep my fat under 60g. I try to hit the 80g mark for protein each day.

A few times per week, I drink green protein smoothies. They are around 36 ounces, and that is all I will have until dinner as they are pretty filling. I normally divide it up into 3 drinks and have one every 3 hours or so. I will then have a dinner and PM snack as above. I really do believe that this helps to keep me pretty regular.

I play with a lot of different ingredients, but my favorite (right now) is...

1 cup frozen spinach, 1/2 cup frozen kale, 1/2 banana, 1 cup mean green juice, 1 Premier Protein Shake (bananas and cream), 1 scoop Premier Protein Powder (vanilla), 1 Tbsp PB Fit Peanut Butter Powder, 1Tbsp hemp seeds, 1Tbsp chia seeds, 2/3 cup water, ice

(625 cals, 16g fat, 39g Net Carbs, 73g Protein)

I will use some stevia or splenda if I need to for sweetness, but just a bit. You can find a recipe for mean green juice online or purchase a green juice (raw) in many stores.