I am just beginning week two of stage 3 post surgery (date was 7/31) and I've been doing pretty well but I am SO tired of sweet! My protein shakes are all sweet (save for chicken soup, which I have once a day). It seems like all of the recipes for soft foods on this stage are for more sweet things -- and that grosses me out. I have been eating a soft scrambled egg once a day, and made the ricotta bake, but does anyone else have good suggestions for what I can eat for the next week? I think tuna is okay, so I will add that. What about other meats? Have you done ok with ground turkey, chili, or other more substantial protein-based savory recipes? Please share!

Do you like beans? Beans are high in protein but you would have to take gas x or something after you eat them. Get some dried beans and cook them down with some chicken stock.

I am just beginning week two of stage 3 post surgery (date was 7/31) and I've been doing pretty well but I am SO tired of sweet! My Protein Shakes are all sweet (save for chicken Soup, which I have once a day). It seems like all of the recipes for soft foods on this stage are for more sweet things -- and that grosses me out. I have been eating a soft scrambled egg once a day, and made the ricotta bake, but does anyone else have good suggestions for what I can eat for the next week? I think tuna is okay, so I will add that. What about other meats? Have you done ok with ground turkey, chili, or other more substantial protein-based savory recipes? Please share!

I had my surgery on 8/2. I have been eating a half of a turkey patty and green beans. The trick is to eat very slowly and chew it really well. It takes about 30 minutes to finish it (for me). I haven't had any difficulties EXCEPT when I try to eat too fast.

I am just beginning week two of stage 3 post surgery (date was 7/31) and I've been doing pretty well but I am SO tired of sweet! My Protein Shakes are all sweet (save for chicken Soup, which I have once a day). It seems like all of the recipes for soft foods on this stage are for more sweet things -- and that grosses me out. I have been eating a soft scrambled egg once a day, and made the ricotta bake, but does anyone else have good suggestions for what I can eat for the next week? I think tuna is okay, so I will add that. What about other meats? Have you done ok with ground turkey, chili, or other more substantial protein-based savory recipes? Please share!

I feel the same way! I moved myself to the soft foods so I could have non sweet stuff. Here's what I've has: scrambled egg, refried beans, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, cream of wheat. And I add melted cheese wherever it makes sense - yummy plus extra protein. Next on my list: tuna, egg salad (really smoosh the egg). I am doing so much better now that I've been eating real food. I no longer gag at the thought of eating/drinking. It is absolutely imperative to eat tiny bites and a very small quantity in total. I envision myself as a little baby bird eating

I'm only 5 days post op and I know how you feel about the sweet. I'm so over broth and preimer shakes. I am an avid Pinterest user. I have already pinned so many recipe ideas for all the stages. They do give some good ideas. I suggest that if you haven't already.

I started hating all the sweet stuff/shakes pretty much right after surgery. 9 weeks out now and also wanted more savory from the get go. still having a hard time with most animal protein( slimies) , but what i found i tolerate well from about 4 weeks out was scallops and shrimp. edamame are a real life saver, and great to get protein in. also lean cuisine has a high protein ravioli dish that i tolerate very well. also you can find all kinds of protein chips on amazon at a good price.

Edited August 31, 20187 yr by roleypoley

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm definitely ready to move on to more soft foods and fewer protein shakes, but I cannot figure out how to get my protein in through regular foods! I can't eat enough. I'm up to about 1.5 eggs (scrambled with a tiny amount of butter, and last night I put a single slice of avocado on top & mushed it in so that they'd be softer/creamier), I can eat a 2 oz portion of the ricotta bake, about 2 oz of oatmeal. Even with a 1/2 scoop of protein powder (which is really too much for such tiny amounts), anything but eggs nets me only a couple of grams of protein. I'm supposed to be getting 60-70g per day. Has anyone figured out how to doctor up the chicken soup flavored protein powders so they actually feel like food instead of broth?

12 hours ago, roleypoley said:

I started hating all the sweet stuff/shakes pretty much right after surgery. 9 weeks out now and also wanted more savory from the get go. still having a hard time with most animal protein( slimies) , but what i found i tolerate well from about 4 weeks out was scallops and shrimp. edamame are a real life saver, and great to get Protein in. also lean cuisine has a high protein ravioli dish that i tolerate very well. also you can find all kinds of protein chips on Amazon at a good price.

All good suggestions -- but I'm allergic to soy so edamame is out (and I have to be careful with processed foods too). Last weekend we went to the beach and I ate crab several times -- that was amazing!

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm definitely ready to move on to more soft foods and fewer protein shakes, but I cannot figure out how to get my protein in through regular foods! I can't eat enough. I'm up to about 1.5 eggs (scrambled with a tiny amount of butter, and last night I put a single slice of avocado on top & mushed it in so that they'd be softer/creamier), I can eat a 2 oz portion of the ricotta bake, about 2 oz of oatmeal. Even with a 1/2 scoop of protein powder (which is really too much for such tiny amounts), anything but eggs nets me only a couple of grams of protein. I'm supposed to be getting 60-70g per day. Has anyone figured out how to doctor up the chicken soup flavored protein powders so they actually feel like food instead of broth?

I haven't figured out how to reach my protein goal with just food either. I average about 5 g protein per meal since I eat so little at a time so that would mean I need 12 meals to get to 60! The only way to get there is through protein drinks but I don't like those sweet ones either. There were some protein drinks that were more fruity like punch that I loved before surgery but post surgery my body rejected them. Apparently now I can't tolerate sucralose. So now I think I have to resort to making my own protein shakes/drinks. Ugh. The thought of a noisy blender first thing every morning makes me cringe! I really prefer ready to drink things. I have a nutritionist appt today. I'll share what I learn.

Thanks @rs. I've been instructed to eat no more often than every 4 hours, so assuming I am getting 5g of protein per meal, that means I'm 40-50g deficient without shakes. I know a lot of people still do shakes for 2 of their 4 meals, which I can do. But at some point we've got to 86 those, right? Or turn them into snacks in between the meals every 4 hours? I see my nutritionist next week & will find out.

Thanks [mention=334772]rs[/mention]. I've been instructed to eat no more often than every 4 hours, so assuming I am getting 5g of Protein per meal, that means I'm 40-50g deficient without shakes. I know a lot of people still do shakes for 2 of their 4 meals, which I can do. But at some point we've got to 86 those, right? Or turn them into Snacks in between the meals every 4 hours? I see my nutritionist next week & will find out.

@sleevedllama I saw my nutritionist this morning. Unfortunately I didn't really get any new magical advice. Just other protein shake brand options and suggestion to mix with milk to reduce the sweetness. I asked about the protein shots I've seen advertised (e.g. BariatricPal 15g protein shot). She was indifferent to it. Said I could try but in my case I've found that my stomach is pretty sensitive to certain things (e.g. biggest learning was that my stomach thinks sucralose is the devil lol) that we're not sure if I'll be able to tolerate these protein shots. But I think I'm going to try one just to see. I've only been eating 3, maybe 4, meals per day. She wants me to get 5 per day. Although, again, even 5 per day at average 5 g each only puts me at 25. Even 7 g only gets me to 30. I'm going to try to add the Unjury unflavored protein powder to as many meals as possible to help boost the number. Beyond that it seems I really need to find a way to get the rest in liquid form. Plus I'm not getting in enough liquids anyway so that would kill 2 birds with 1 stone. I had surgery on 8/15. Lost 10 lbs first week primary because of horrible bathroom issues and dehydration. In the last 9 days since then I've only lost 1 lb. Nutritionist says it's because I'm not getting in enough protein to burn the fat. Makes sense. But what a challenge.

You can buy protein powder with 30 grams in it. You can get body fortress right at Walmart for 17.99. Drink 2 and you have had your 60 grams. Why would you waste calories on only 5 grams of protein shakes that is just odd.

My hub is in the hospital, so I’m navigating the hospital cafeteria. Spicy Pinto beans with extra broth that I use to mash and a dollop of guac are fabulous! Greek yogurt, hummus and cottage cheese are also working well for my week 2 sleeve post op. Yes

On 8/31/2018 at 7:35 PM, iluvbears42@yahoo.com said:

You can buy Protein Powder with 30 grams in it. You can get body fortress right at Walmart for 17.99. Drink 2 and you have had your 60 grams. Why would you waste calories on only 5 grams of Protein Shakes that is just odd.

We were talking about food, not protein shakes. The point is that staying on 3-4 protein shakes per day isn't really sustainable. We need to learn how to eat with our new tiny stomachs and still get the 60-70g (or even 70-90g I've seen some recommend) of protein daily. 4 meals where you're only able to eat the size of one egg, which equates to 6-7g of protein, isn't going to cut it, even if you are eating only high-protein foods. We simply can't handle enough volume of food, so we have to rely on the shakes. I'm ok with that for one meal a day, maybe two, but I'm trying to incorporate regular meals (and I still don't feel like eating anything, I'm just tired of sickeningly sweet shakes).

My puree and soft food stages had me found meals with food but in between meals supplementing with protein drinks to make sure I stay on target. Today I had a shake for breakfast (Dr appt early) lunch was tuna fish with a little fat free mayo and relish snack later was ricotta bake about 5pm protein shake. Dinner was 2.5 Oz chicken breast and 1/4 c sliced carrots. Congress out to little over 70g protein