Hey folks, My surgery was on September 1, and I've lost 58 lbs including the 15 I lost on pre-op diet. But I am really running out of anything to eat to keep up my interest in food and my protein grams. I'm so tired of never having anything good to eat, I'm afraid I will just snap soon. I'm not a recipe collector and I hate to cook. Other than protein bars and shakes which I am so getting tired of, what are or were you eating in your forth month? I've been limited to 600 calories, because I only get about 30 minutes of exercise a day. I need some ideas. other than laughing cow cheese and the usual meats. I'm dreaming of Arby's beef and cheddar and pizza! Thanks

11 minutes ago, OutdoorsGirl said:

Do you remember when you started the beef Jerky? Sounds like a great option to have handy. I’d like to try it, but it may be too early for me.

I think I was about 5-6 months out with my sleeve and about 3-4 months out when I had my revision. The perks of jerky is that you really have to chew it so it gave a lot of oral satisfaction which was nice.

6 hours ago, Amy Braun said:

I should be cooking for my husband, who is not on any weight loss plan (but should be!)), but I'm rarely able to figure that out. It is a lot of hard decisions about what to eat. I have some good ideas from this post. I have an added problem of not enjoying many foods people suggest, not sure how to change that. Thank you so much for your reply.

Yes I totally understand it can be very hard, I still struggle with what am i going to eat and half the time dont eat and then i get miserable. i guess its just a case of tasting things as see how you enjoy them. I have found also that one day i might really enjoy something and think yep I will have that again and then not like it the next time I try it. Maybe you could cook together there would be no harm in him eating better food you never know maybe he might loose a few pounds too. I know you said you dont like to cook but have a look on pinterest I searched meals for gastric sleeve and easy lunches for sleevers a lot came up, lots of keto foods came up as well they looked amazing and were food most people enjoy, it might give you some inspiration and I am sure your hubby would enjoy them too. I have found simple meals like a piece of steak and a few veggies or salad its quick and easy or chicken breast and that is stuff you could do for both of you or even your hubby could cook.

On 12/3/2021 at 11:12 AM, Sunnyway said:

They seem to have only 11- 16 g Protein per package. That's less than is found in a Protein Shake.< br />

Yes, and? OP was looking for convenience food options because she is tired of shakes...

On 12/3/2021 at 11:12 AM, Sunnyway said:

They seem to have only 11- 16 g Protein per package. That's less than is found in a Protein Shake.< br />

Yes, and? OP was looking for convenience food options because she is tired of shakes...

On 12/2/2021 at 12:08 PM, Amy Braun said:

Thank you Candace, for all those ideas. Do you have a name for a chicken-based.crust frozen pizza?

Smart Crust from Foster Farms. I got it at Shoprite.

I also get the Chick-fil-A Southwest salad and eat all the toppings with just a tiny bit of dressing. I am now 8 months out and I add just a bit of the lettuce in and the salad makes two meals. I just picked one up for lunch and thought of you. They have an avocado ranch dressing that I do not like but everyone else I know loves it with the southwest salad.

27 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

I also get the Chick-fil-A Southwest salad and eat all the toppings with just a tiny bit of dressing. I am now 8 months out and I add just a bit of the lettuce in and the salad makes two meals. I just picked one up for lunch and thought of you. They have an avocado ranch dressing that I do not like but everyone else I know loves it with the southwest salad.

Thank you!

1 hour ago, Candace76 said:

Smart Crust from Foster Farms. I got it at Shoprite.

Thank you for this!

Hey folks, My surgery was on September 1, and I've lost 58 lbs including the 15 I lost on pre-op diet. But I am really running out of anything to eat to keep up my interest in food and my Protein grams. I'm so tired of never having anything good to eat, I'm afraid I will just snap soon. I'm not a recipe collector and I hate to cook. Other than Protein Bars and shakes which I am so getting tired of, what are or were you eating in your forth month? I've been limited to 600 calories, because I only get about 30 minutes of exercise a day. I need some ideas. other than laughing cow cheese and the usual meats. I'm dreaming of Arby's beef and cheddar and pizza! Thanks

I am just getting into soft food and also not a big cook. Found these Hormel beef tips and gravy during my pre-op diet. I just rinse off the gravy and have tender pre cut beef that you can heat up in the microwave. They were on the aisle between the meat and the lunch meat. Sort of reminds me of beef stew. Haven't tried the chicken yet - it was next to the beef tips.

Fitness pal may be good to use if you don’t like to cook. At least that way you can scroll through what’s healthy and unhealthy and maybe favorite some options. Or hmm I’m sure there has to be a website somewhere that list all of the healthy eating out options that are available

There is also a thread on this site called favorite grocery products that lists some ready made foods.

Every week I buy a rotisserie chicken and use that in a variety of places. I also always have a frozen bag of cooked shrimp (TJs Argentinian Shrimp) & frozen chicken skewers (Costco) in the freezer, which just need to be defrosted and warmed. Some of my regular "no cook" meals are: chicken & green beans, chicken & roast squash (pre cut), Shrimp & green beans, chicken veg soup (TJs). They probably sound boring, but I enjoy them and they all end up low carb & under 200 calories for plenty of food. A no cook splurge = Amys burritos (so good! but adds up fast). (For breakfast I always have coffee w/ unflavored Unjury protein powder.)

If you are willing to cook a little, I also sometimes make Banza pasta & shrimp or cauliflower latkes (TJs). And at the end of the week, I turn the left over veggies & chicken into soup and freeze that.

I will also note that I keep canned veggies on hand. I know they are not as nutritious as fresh, but they also aren't bad (if low sodium, as I understand) and they are still low calorie. In a pinch they are better than pasta or crackers or a lot of other options. I often don't cook fresh fast enough and I hate seeing them go bad.

Hope that helps. I appreciate seeing everyones suggestions, they help me a ton.

4 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

There is also a thread on this site called favorite grocery products that lists some ready made foods.

Thank you so much ShoppGirl! I just spent 2 hours pouring over the suggestions on that forum! (Still a little too obsessed with food choices, obviously,) We have an Aldi's about 40 minutes away and will get there nearly one day. Sound like I need to spend some time hunting!

On 12/11/2021 at 2:18 PM, Amy Braun said:

Thank you so much ShoppGirl! I just spent 2 hours pouring over the suggestions on that forum! (Still a little too obsessed with food choices, obviously,) We have an Aldi's about 40 minutes away and will get there nearly one day. Sound like I need to spend some time hunting!

lol. I did a lot of searching food and recipes too. I think it’s cause our bodies are starving. I am jealous that you have Aldi’s nearby. My friend has one that lives about two and a half hours away and I think we are going to have to make a day of it someday. I will just bring a big cooler and meet her there. I imagine it will take me quite a while to shop the store the first time the way we have to reading every label but I am looking forward to picking up some of the products I have seen mentioned on here.

Happy to see this thread! Since having surgery in June, my 2nd child moved out leaving just my "baby" (he's 16) home with my husband and myself. Like any 16 year old, he is often gone leaving just my husband and me home for dinner. I'm quickly finding that my desire to cook complicated meals is fading fast, which, has been really surprising! I really find that I have less interest in food, mostly because I know I'm going to eat less than a half cup of it and it's just not that big of a deal what I eat now...it's just food/fuel. This feeling has been both empowering and challenging to get used to.

On nights where I'm not cooking and there are no leftovers I tend to opt for: Oscar Mayer snack plates (meat, cheese and a few triscuits), pre-cooked chicken skewers I found at Costco with a veg, pre-cooked chicken or salmon patty tossed with some canned green beans, frozen meals (typically Healthy Choice or Real Good which lasts for two meals), greek salad with tuna (cucumber, onion, tomatoes, red bell pepper topped with some light dressing and fat free feta cheese), pre-cooked chicken breast bites (from costco) and a quarter of an apple or just a couple slices of good deli meat with some cheese and grapes. These are options I use for meals most days of the week. Between these and my eggs for breakfast I have no issues eating 80-90g of protein a day (which is on the high side for my program) without having to resort to a shake. Unfortunately, I am not one of the folks that can do a shake daily. I find I can do non-dairy shakes occasionally, but, more than that and my stomach starts to stage a revolt!

Be persistent, try different things and hold on to the things that will work for YOU!