Hi everyone! This is our first thread for daily menus. I borrowed this concept from another support board and it's a very popular thread. I am hoping it may help us with accountability and also help other to help us when we may get stuck or have food issues to work through. To begin we will just do a weekly thread and anyone can join regardless of their surgery status or type of surgery. Just follow your own plan as given to you by your doc according to where you are in your journey. To participate, just hit reply and type in the day's menu. You may want to take part in the discussion that goes along with it.

Here's an interesting article in the Bariatric Times about Mindful Eating and Bariatric Patients.

For the next few weeks, I thought it would be fun to look into the concept of Mindfulness as it applies to bariatric patients! I don't know about you, but that's one of my top rules from my surgeon and nut. I must eat MINDFULLY. I can't eat in front of a tv, standing up at the counter, in front of the computer, while talking, etc. I have to be present and focused on the bite of food in my mouth. It's harder than it sounds! I've been practicing Mindful Eating since May and it has really helped me hone in on only eating set meals each day per my RD. Per the RD and surgeon, they want me eating 3 meals and 3 organized snacks daily. Wow! That's a lot of eating, but it's on a set schedule and is helping me prepare for my post-RNY life.

Ok everyone! Let's get started. Please feel free to post your menu for each day. (Each day of menus will be a new reply to post entry for each of us.)

So here's the QOW (Question of the Week): Mindful Eating: Why do you eat?

Edited November 8, 20178 yr by FluffyChix

1 hour ago, Sherry Rice said:

Yikes Im feeling like a huge failure after reading your post. I am 100% guilty of NOT eating mindfully. I have been forcing myself to eat and/or just eating what is handy (eggs, canned chicken breast, hummus are my "go to's". )
Starting tomorrow I will begin eating mindfully. I think this is a great idea and wish Id have known about it.
Thank you!!!


5' 5"
HW: 259
CW: 235
GOAL: Healthy and hard 140-ish?

Oh gosh! Please never feel like a failure. Life is too hard, to add to the hard by putting those types of things on top! We all have different ways of doing things. What will work for one, may not work for another!

For me, I was so used to eating willy-nilly, all over the place. I would eat just cuz I saw food on the TV or in the kitchen, or cuz it sounded like a fun thing to do. And I ate when I wasn't hungry. I also chased that stuffed feeling. I LOVE feeling that stuffed feeling (pre-surg) cuz I know I've been fed and it feels like safety--like nothing bad can happen. Like I got a meal that day. So before surgery, I'm trying to listen to my RD and unlearn very bad eating habits and break-up with bad food relationships. I'm never gonna be 100% accomplished at this. I'm just shooting for "just good enough," cuz it takes the pressure off! I am also I "think" trying to aim for 90% smart/healthy behaviors and food and maybe 10% sloppiness. But, we're doing a menu thread. Why not come join us! Start now, today!!! Just post and talk about how you are feeling about food. (And don't you just love these boards? I learn new things every time I'm here!!! These guys/gals are serious braniacs!!!)

16 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

Oooohhhhhhhhh... ok! Thank you for this!

I have been known to buy the frozen pre-chopped onions.. so this makes perfect sense!

I have bags of frozen chopped veg in the freezer. They are so good for things like omelets, egg cups, soups, stews, single serving casseroles. I also keep grilled chopped chicken, grilled chopped pork chops (center cut), flank steak chopped, ground beef/turkey with onion and garlic cooked and in the freezer. I also keep Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage crumbles in the freezer. I also have 2c bags of broth in the freezer. So I can pull things out frozen, throw em in a pot or saute pan and go! It save such crazy amounts of time and gets you more nutritious food than buying pre-made or take-out stuff.

I keep in the freezer (buy them when they are having sales):

chopped frozen spinach, collard greens, turnip greens

chopped frozen onion, red/green bell pepper, fresh parsley, cilantro (doesn't freeze very well)

sliced yellow squash, cauliflower, green beans, broccoli florets, sliced okra, green peas, corn (I will use 1-2tbsp of grn peas or corn at times for an accent in low carb dishes)

frozen blueberries, strawberries, cherries, blackberries, cranberries

Edited November 13, 20178 yr by FluffyChix

Thank you for the motivation to restock and organize my freezer!

1 minute ago, Berry78 said:

Thank you for the motivation to restock and organize my freezer!

Oh my gosh girlfriend! I had to do this out of self-preservation! When I regained back to 287lbs and was on the straight Whataburger Chicken Strip Cream Gravy dinner diet that was putting on copious amounts of lbs each month, I just finally had to have a come-to-Jesus-meeting with myself! I could literally barely stand 10minutes at the counter! And then would have to flop back into my recliner and elevate my left lymphedema arm that weighs as much as an elephant penis (60lbs) . And elevate my feet.

I had to set up an organized prepped kitchen. I love to cook but have so little energy for prep. I also have a tough time cooking for 2 people only. So I decided to start cooking things in "small batches." So if I cook 1lb of ground meat, I serve our portions for our meal, then freeze on a plate or cookie sheet/bag/tag and have it for next time. It makes it so much easier to take 1oz or 2 or 3 at a time. And the pre-chopped frozen stuff works great!

It was the only way I could get back to eating healthy, break up with Whataburger *sob* and start losing the weight. Now I can stand as long as I need to cook, but am still really trying to limit the amount of time I spend hanging out with mah food.

6 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

Oh gosh! Please never feel like a failure. Life is too hard, to add to the hard by putting those types of things on top! We all have different ways of doing things. What will work for one, may not work for another!

For me, I was so used to eating willy-nilly, all over the place. I would eat just cuz I saw food on the TV or in the kitchen, or cuz it sounded like a fun thing to do. And I ate when I wasn't hungry. I also chased that stuffed feeling. I LOVE feeling that stuffed feeling (pre-surg) cuz I know I've been fed and it feels like safety--like nothing bad can happen. Like I got a meal that day. So before surgery, I'm trying to listen to my RD and unlearn very bad eating habits and break-up with bad food relationships. I'm never gonna be 100% accomplished at this. I'm just shooting for "just good enough," cuz it takes the pressure off! I am also I "think" trying to aim for 90% smart/healthy behaviors and food and maybe 10% sloppiness. But, we're doing a menu thread. Why not come join us! Start now, today!!! Just post and talk about how you are feeling about food. (And don't you just love these boards? I learn new things every time I'm here!!! These guys/gals are serious braniacs!!!)

Years ago I finally figured it out. My hubby and I were talking, I said to him that Heavy people are not eating to enjoy food sometimes They are looking for that stuffed feeling!! When you said that about wanting the stuffed feeling because it made you feel safe and that you ate for real. Now I'm not saying this as to blame my hubby but...I wasn't obese or even a little overweight when we got married. But as I have said before FOOD was our main thing. We both loved to eat!! Now comes a confession that is pretty damn hard to admit. As we were learning about having a family etc. My mom would make food and send it home to us, he would eat and eat until it was gone. He would ask me if I wanted some and because I was full I decided I would have some later. He would eat it all, I didn't get any of it. SO...being the miz piggy I was I would make sure I got my part!!! Even if I was stuffed I would eat it!! So that sure helped me gain more and more. Food was all we ever did. We didn't have much money and our big thing was going out to eat after we bought our groceries. We would buy hamburgers for 5 hamburgers for $5 and then we would order a family fry which came in a box. We bought 10 burgers, I ate 2 and the kids ate 1 a piece which left him with 6 burgers. Now they weren't a huge hamb with everything on them but dang they were the best. In time I got up to 3 or 4 burgers. Which then we had to but 5 more. Which he would eat!! This went on for so many years!! Him asking me if I wanted something, I would say not right now...BOOM they got ate by him.it So as I said he didn't force me to eatanything but I figured if I wanted some I better eat it now. lol Just wanted to share this I guess, I haven't told many people about this because I am not blaming him but it does sound like it. Sorry I wrote a book!!

@shedo82773 Girl! This so resonates with me and Mr. Fluffy!!!! Honestly, the man will eat until there is no more left. I have had to start making both of our plates and weighing and measuring everything!! We were eating partners. Maybe even "feeding partners." Food was our thing!!! Finding cheap little dives with huge portions of yummy-heart horrible food was our date!!! Ugh! Even now, it is so beguiling and calls my name!

As a child, my dad lost his business. For a long time, we played the $20 game. Where Dad and I used to divide $20 into how much stuff we could get at the grocery store. We fed a family of 4 on $20/week and I raised rabbits which we ate. We also fished, crabbed, and shrimped for food and went gigging for frogs on the bayou. We'd bird and deer hunt. Then later, we were actually homeless and had to move in with a family friend for a while. So food was very important to me. :-/ Bleh! Haven't thought about that for a long time!!!!

Tuesday Menu-Well I had another near miss with falling off the diet train yesterday. I credit the power of a full belly via lunch, and also credit mindfulness with keeping me sane and eating healthy-on plan food. Instead of having a mini binge or rather a hedonistic meal, I was able to feed myself a very filling and healthy lunch which allowed me to really get in touch with my feelings so I could process them. And that allowed me to make and eat a very delish, simple, and healthy dinner rather than shoving carby, salty, fatty food down my piehole. This morning I woke up in a much better frame of mind and feel like I "won the day."

B-yogurt/cottage cheese blueberries almonds and Fiber One cereal bowl with 1oz Fairlife skim milk, 2 pieces bacon

MS-carrots and hummus

L-Fried Egg and Swiss low carb wrap

AS-psylli tea, peanut butter and GS apple

D-blackened tilapia, green beans in garlic and olive oil, Greek salad with Nicoise olives and feta

BS-pomegranate seeds, Lily's SF dark chocolate chips, toasted almonds

Daily Totals: 1493cals; 98g protein; 80g fat; 93g carbs; 39g fiber; 54g net carbs (Dayum! I have GOT to get my protein down and my fat up! This is entirely too much protein for me.)

Am I the only one wanting the daily menu thread? I know I named it wrong. I shoulda just named it November 2017 Daily Menu Thread--since there aren't that many of us posting our foods. Let me know and if I'm the only one, I will stop posting.

11.16.17 Thursday Menu (Starving all day again. Been doing PT for the 2nd week and hunger has dramatically increased. Had 6 year survivorversary with 2glasses of wine + part of an appetizer.)

B-1/2 serving Barnaby's buffalo scramble bowl and fruit cup

L-1/2 serving Barnaby's buffalo scramble bowl

AS-1 pck HEB Spicy Red Pepper Toasted Seaweed; Sabra hummus and baby carrots; 8g toasted almonds

D-Sam's Grill blackened pangasius and shrimp; garlic broccoli; side salad with blue cheese dressing; about 2oz broccoli tempura; 2 glasses of cabernet sauvignon

Daily Totals: 1509 cals; 85g protein; 61g fat; 73g carbs; 13g fiber; 60g net carbs (Wow! My fiber intake sucked today!)

I read it every day. I haven't had surgery yet and have been doing a lot of food funerals. But I read and take notes of things that will be good choices for me to try after surgery (likely Xmas week). I hope you and others continue!

@Subaru Hi you should totally jump in and try to start working on good food habits. Congrats on having approval and tentative date!

2 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

@Subaru Hi you should totally jump in and try to start working on good food habits. Congrats on having approval and tentative date!

Oh I know I should! And thanks!

I like reading these too. 'Course I might have driven Rainbow off... he's probably said "enough is enough! Berry picks on fish, egg whites, and quantity of meat, is there anything I'm doing right?? "

Sorry, Rainbow! I think you are doing awesome! Just a few things to watch out for, is all...

Ok, so yesterday I was extra hungry again.. thinking I need to pay attention to acid.

1 cup cottage cheese

1 small apple and a banana (eek!)

1oz pecans

4oz pork loin

1oz sausage patty

1 cup split pea soup

1 egg

1 cup sweet potato

2 cups milk and 1 cup coconut water

1625cal 90g protein

Yesterdays diet was super exciting I had a single Chik fil a nugget for breakfast (wasn't the healthiest but my morning appointment ran over) Lunch was 1.60z of egg salad it was great little salt little pepper and dinner was 1.5 oz of grilled chicken it was a poultry kind of day!! I also had two of my protein drinks grand total 387 calories 52 protein (a bit short of my 60 but for yesterday that is ok) 18 carbs and 6 sugars

I still am in awe of how little I eat and how content I feel it is an odd sensation that I am truly enjoying

9 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

Am I the only one wanting the daily menu thread? I know I named it wrong. I shoulda just named it November 2017 Daily Menu Thread--since there aren't that many of us posting our foods. Let me know and if I'm the only one, I will stop posting.

11.16.17 Thursday Menu (Starving all day again. Been doing PT for the 2nd week and hunger has dramatically increased. Had 6 year survivorversary with 2glasses of wine + part of an appetizer.)

B-1/2 serving Barnaby's buffalo scramble bowl and fruit cup

L-1/2 serving Barnaby's buffalo scramble bowl

AS-1 pck HEB Spicy Red Pepper Toasted Seaweed; Sabra hummus and baby carrots; 8g toasted almonds

D-Sam's Grill blackened pangasius and shrimp; garlic broccoli; side salad with blue cheese dressing; about 2oz broccoli tempura; 2 glasses of cabernet sauvignon

Daily Totals: 1509 cals; 85g protein; 61g fat; 73g carbs; 13g fiber; 60g net carbs (Wow! My fiber intake sucked today!)

Fluffy, I don't post what I eat because I am a weird eater. But...I do like to read this. I'm sure the Friday night has something to do with "NO POSTERS". Thank you for starting this. To document your food is the way to get where you want to be. RIGHT It will come together.

>> Wk 11.05.17-11.11.17

Since last Saturday, I have kept a half-eye out for a new thread like "Wk 11/12/17 to 11/18/17" but none has emerged. That was an idea that had a natural death date then!

As it's already the Saturday 18th at 1pm, I guess that the idea fell down.