Bariatric Pre-made protein meals (add water meals) VS home cooked protein meals

[Shawna Jones 2]

I’ve recently discovered that when I eat/drink my Protein, food from bariatric store or in cases where I just add Water or pre-made Protein Drinks Ect, that I get hungrier faster than when I just cook up my own small meal, or even just have a small piece of chicken or protein Ive made or pick up from restaurant. I will be not hungry eating regular food at home that include the lean meats ect for like 4-6 hours. If I eat just a Protein Drink, snack, bar, bariatric meal however, seems like I’m ready to eat again no later than 3 hrs or even sooner..... anyone else ever notice a difference and know why? I’m so busy I often don’t have the extra time or energy to pre-make food or cook dinner so I just use pre-made bariatric protein food usually.

[catwoman7 10,843]

hmmm....I wonder if there are sugars or something in there? Simple carbs make you hungrier faster.

[VIN_IN_AL 55]

3 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

hmmm....I wonder if there are sugars or something in there? Simple carbs make you hungrier faster.

It’s amazing how sugar creeps into just about everything we eat, including the so called “low-fat” foods. Looking at the nutritional information of the Meal Replacement packages from BariatricPal they appear to have very low sugar, 2 grams or less, although I would have liked to have seen the standard nutritional label on the package.

I tend to avoid anything labeled “fat free” these days since I feel they provide a false sense of security. I had a habit of consuming a larger the quantity of fat free foods only to find out I was consuming MORE calories and sugars when I was eating equal amounts in normal form. The nutritionist I see now simply says I need to focus on “Good Fat’s” not “Fat-Free”.

[VIN_IN_AL 55]

47 minutes ago, MsMocie said:

They are made to be low calorie, which means they used some chemicals to make them. The reason why you feel more full on regular foods are because they are more nutridense

Unless you live on a farm and "self provide" 100% of what you consume your going to have chemical's in one form or another in just about whatever food you eat, including Organic grown.

[TheAngryMeow 99]

1 hour ago, VIN_IN_AL said:

Unless you live on a farm and "self provide" 100% of what you consume your going to have chemical's in one form or another in just about whatever food you eat, including Organic grown.

I second this. I used to buy into the organic, grass fed, all natural, no antibiotic stuff all the time. I came to realize that no matter what you do, you will slip up somewhere. GMOs are in EVERYTHING nowadays. Even organic stuff. So it's best to just eat healthy and not worry about finding the most "pure" ingredients.

As far as the OPs original concern, I noticed that too. I can only speak from experience since I'm still on the liquid pre-op diet, that I had to experiment with a ton of different things before I found what worked for me. Currently, I drink Glucerna hunger smart. It keeps me satiated for several hours and sometimes I forget to even eat. Plus, its the most palatable of the Protein drinks I've tried so far. It's always a good idea to make stuff from scratch because you know what goes in it and can avoid the extra sugars and fats. But in a pinch, protein drinks and other protein sources are helpful. But I wouldn't rely to heavily on it.

Good luck 👍

[Healthy_life2 8,319]

15 hours ago, Shawna Jones said:

I’ve recently discovered that when I eat/drink my Protein, food from bariatric store or in cases where I just add Water or pre-made Protein Drinks Ect, that I get hungrier faster than when I just cook up my own small meal, or even just have a small piece of chicken or Protein Ive made or pick up from restaurant. I will be not hungry eating regular food at home that include the lean meats ect for like 4-6 hours. If I eat just a Protein Drink, snack, bar, bariatric meal however, seems like I’m ready to eat again no later than 3 hrs or even sooner..... anyone else ever notice a difference and know why? I’m so busy I often don’t have the extra time or energy to pre-make food or cook dinner so I just use pre-made bariatric protein food usually.

Hi Shawna,

Are you pre or post op?

This is only from my experience and information from my dietitian.

Protein Shakes, bars, bariatic store processed food supplements are for first stages when you can't eat enough food to hit your protein goal. My dietitian does not want patients dependent on protein shakes, bars or bariatric store products long term. Once you can hit your protein goal with real food there is no need for shakes etc...

My hunger is not satisfied with protein shakes or add Water meals. they are slider foods. They easily break down and slide through your new stomach. Real whole food keeps my hunger under control.

All of us are busy. Some of us use a day off work to meal prep. Below is a link to the low to no cook thread for meal ideas.

[FluffyChix 17,409]

11 hours ago, Shawna Jones said:

I’ve recently discovered that when I eat/drink my Protein, food from bariatric store or in cases where I just add Water or pre-made Protein Drinks Ect, that I get hungrier faster than when I just cook up my own small meal, or even just have a small piece of chicken or Protein Ive made or pick up from restaurant. I will be not hungry eating regular food at home that include the lean meats ect for like 4-6 hours. If I eat just a Protein Drink, snack, bar, bariatric meal however, seems like I’m ready to eat again no later than 3 hrs or even sooner..... anyone else ever notice a difference and know why? I’m so busy I often don’t have the extra time or energy to pre-make food or cook dinner so I just use pre-made bariatric protein food usually.

Hi and welcome! Congrats on listening to your body and noting the cues it's giving you!!! Waaaahhhhoooooooo! That is totally part of how we come to have "light bulb moments" with the signals our bodies send us!

Most likely what's happening for many reasons is: The food is very processed so it hits your blood stream as glucose faster which causes a higher insulin spike. When your blood glucose falls, then you get hungry again. And it can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 3-6 hours depending on the food source. Right? The less processed a food is and the more dense, dry and solid it is, the longer is stays in our new tools, the more work and energy the body expends to send it out of our tums and into our gut, and the slower we digest the food in our gut, the slower the broken down macro nutrient takes to get the glucose that can be wrung out of it, into our blood stream. Slow is good!

Liquids = super fast

Mechanically ground = super fast

Solids, low carb, low calorie dense, high Fiber = very slow or at least slower

Solids, dense, lean, no "lube", low fat = slowest and ideal

Sorry to geek out on you! (I ate eggs and sausage with avocado and pico at 10:45 this morning and I've yet to eat again cuz have been full all day. ) Tonight I'm eating a king's meal: steak, asparagus, avo & tom salad.