Hi everyone. Man, do I ever want oatmeal. I can't have it just yet, but when I do, does anyone know if the steel cut or rolled oat form is better for those of us with the sleeve? Oh, and any tips for adding protein powder to it? I'm thinking plain would be best, but how to mix it in?

I'm loving the BariatricPal Protein Oatmeal!

(To the tune of paying and arm and a leg for having it shipped across the Atlantic, paying 25% import duty on top as well)

https://store.bariatricpal.com/products/bariatricpal-hot-protein-breakfast-maple-brown-sugar-oatmeal

I am not much of a breakfast eater, but in the early phases, I did have oatmeal a few times. I just used a lower sugar packet, since I have them in the house for my kids anyway. I added some Isopure plain powder to it before heating it up. If you add it after, the powder will clump and never mix in. I don't know that rolled vs steel cut really makes a difference, I would say try the one you prefer and see if you tolerate it. Chew really well, that will help. If not, try the other. You won't be able to eat much of it anyway, so might as well try and enjoy what you can!

3 hours ago, LouLouM said:

does anyone know if the steel cut or rolled oat form is better for those of us with the sleeve?

Oat bran is better for you than steel cut, which is better for you than rolled oats (which are "processed". Don't use "instant" or "quick" oats. All of these can be cooked in the microwave in 2-3 minutes. Bob's Red Mill produces all of these. I had never tried oat bran before, but its great. I eat my oatmeal with 1/4 to 1/2 c of unsweetened almond milk or fat-free lactose-free milk.
1/3 c oat bran to 1 c water, dash of salt = 120 cal
1/4 c steel cut to 1 c water, dash of salt = 150 cal
1/2 c rolled oats to 1 c water, dash of salt = 150 cal

If you can't eat the whole amount you can store it in the refrigerator for reheating. You can also make uncooked oatmeal in the refrigerator overnight. Look for various recipes online, but pared down you can use just the oats and a cup of milk.

I didn't have oatmeal the first few months, but I do now. I Just use the regular old-fashioned oats. I just add the protein powder before I heat it up. Unflavored would work, yes, but I usually use vanilla or cinnamon flavored. depends on if you want a slight flavor or not...

I'm normally (pre-surgery) a steel cut kind of girl, but post surgery I have switched to rolled and quick oats (I mix these in with yogurt and let them sit a bit to bulk up my snack with some extra needed calories). I just was not sure I could handle steel cut in the first few months after surgery. At some point I'll try them again since I prefer the texture by leaps and bounds. One advantage to the non-steel cut oats is cooking times... so much quicker!

14 hours ago, Sunnyway said:

Oat bran is better for you than steel cut, which is better for you than rolled oats (which are "processed". Don't use "instant" or "quick" oats. All of these can be cooked in the microwave in 2-3 minutes. Bob's Red Mill produces all of these. I had never tried oat bran before, but its great. I eat my oatmeal with 1/4 to 1/2 c of unsweetened almond milk or fat-free lactose-free milk.
1/3 c oat bran to 1 c Water, dash of salt = 120 cal
1/4 c steel cut to 1 c water, dash of salt = 150 cal
1/2 c rolled oats to 1 c water, dash of salt = 150 cal

If you can't eat the whole amount you can store it in the refrigerator for reheating. You can also make uncooked oatmeal in the refrigerator overnight. Look for various recipes online, but pared down you can use just the oats and a cup of milk.

Let's maybe focus on oatmeal being better than almost anything, rather than which kind? I'm doing protein instant oatmeal and I'm pretty successful, so ... it's all about good habits.

I just use the quick oats...

1/3 Cup Quaker Quick Oats

2/3 Cup Fairlife Milk

15g of Powdered Peanut Butter (this is epic)

15g Unflavoured Protein Powder

I have had this everyday since about week 4

I make rolled oats in my instant pot and portion it out in one eighth cup servings. When I eat it, I usually mix it with a spoon of fat free Greek yogurt and a few frozen blueberries. I’m getting ready to make some more and freeze it since the portion size is so small. I started eating it at the purée/soft stage. I use Souper cubes for freezing foods in small portions.

7 minutes ago, OutdoorsGirl said:

I make rolled oats in my instant pot and portion it out in one eighth cup servings. When I eat it, I usually mix it with a spoon of fat free Greek yogurt and a few frozen blueberries. I’m getting ready to make some more and freeze it since the portion size is so small. I started eating it at the purée/soft stage. I use Souper cubes for freezing foods in small portions.

You must be reading my mind!!! I am craving oatmeal soooooo badly right now and it's not on my list of approved foods for right now. I feel like it would go well, though. I need that fiber! During my first pregnancy I was borderline gestational diabetic and the nutritionist recommended that I eat oatmeal for breakfast (this is where my love of oatmeal began). I had to check my blood sugar during that time, and on the days I ate oatmeal, my numbers were so much better and I felt full for so many hours.

1/8 cup dry quick oats

Water (maybe 1 cup?)

1 tablespoon chia seeds

Sprinkle of cinnamon

1/2 packet Stevia

Microwave 2 minutes, then stir in 1-2 tablespoons skim milk. It’s all soupy at this point. I let it thicken/cool for 20 minutes while I get ready for work; this also makes a nice gap between drinking water and eating the oatmeal.

Then I add unflavored protein powder to thicken even more.

The chia seeds add flavor, a bit of crunch, filling bulk, fiber, protein and the heart-healthy Omega 3 fatty acids (which is how I initially got them when I couldn’t take fish oil or stomach actual oily fish yet).

It doesn’t look that pretty, but it is my staple, cheap/easy, and I start the day off right. It is over 5 hours till lunch break at work, and as long as I drink throughout the morning, I am not hungry.

Edited December 25, 20214 yr by Esi

I just stumbled on your post and wanted to recommend the best breakfast I make - Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

There are a few more ingredients than most other oatmeals mentioned here but holy cow it's delicious! And the nutritional stats are really good too.

You will need the following:

2 apples, cut in approx. 1/2 inch chunks (with or without skin, I prefer without)

1.5 cups of milk (regular or almond/soy - I use vanilla almond milk)

1.5 cups of water

1/2 tbsp of butter or margarine (I use Country Crock) - if butter sticks, cut them into a bunch of cubes

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

1 cup steel cut oats

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Mix everything into your slow cooker, cook on Low for about 7 hours. That should give it a nice crisp around the edges. Depending on your slow cooker it could end up getting burnt edges which aren't fun. If you want to avoid that use the double boiler method of slow cooking and add an hour or more to the time. Either way, make sure you coat the inside of the pot VERY WELL with cooking spray.

Let it cook overnight and in the morning it will smell AMAZING in your kitchen and taste delicious. Put any leftovers in the fridge - to reheat put some milk in and microwave for a minute or so.

I calculated that I made about 48 ounces of food, which was 8 servings of 6 oz. each. Here are the nutritional stats per serving (of course you can modify this up or down depending on your serving size, and your own ingredients):

159 calories, 29.4 carbs, 3.4 fat, 3.8 protein

You can also add optional toppings after it's cooked such as walnuts, raisins, syrup, etc., that's up to you.

Enjoy!

I found some protein oatmeal on Amazon. It's instant but you have to cook it a bit longer.