So, me and my partner are surviving off food stamps, as we have to right now, and we are out for the month. That doesn't allow me much in the way of what to eat. The foods I can eat I have to ration. Im 3 weeks po and in the dreaded 3 week stall. I ate ramen noodles and meat last night, because I had to get something in. Don't come at me for choices, how unhealthy, etc etc, because I know. They sat ok, no pain, kinda feels like they may still be sitting this morning? Not sure. Guess I am just looking for reassurance that I will be ok.

3 weeks po vsg*

An option for a low cost, high protein low fat meal during your rough patch can be canned tuna, chicken or salmon. I put the tuna and chicken with a teaspoon of mayo and 2 teaspoons of greek yogurt with some onions, celery etc. It is really satisfying as a meal, very high protein, and only about 150 calories.

Another good low-cost high protein option is fat-free refried beans. A can at Target is 85 cents and you can get 4 or 5 servings out of it if you're only a few weeks post-op. I heat up about 3.5 oz in the microwave, then mix in about half ounce of shredded cheese and pour on a little taco sauce and it's delicious. I had that for dinner several days a week for the first couple of weeks post-op.

55 minutes ago, Tony B - NJ said:

An option for a low cost, high Protein low fat meal during your rough patch can be canned tuna, chicken or salmon. I put the tuna and chicken with a teaspoon of mayo and 2 teaspoons of greek yogurt with some onions, celery etc. It is really satisfying as a meal, very high protein, and only about 150 calories.

fantastic suggestions!
Also eggs are good (if you can handle them early out)

Edited December 22, 20214 yr by GreenTealael

Oh yeah eggs are great - starting with the first day back from the hospital I have had eggs every single morning. I scramble two eggs, then mix in an ounce of shredded cheese and pour on a little taco sauce to taste (I do like adding taco sauce to everything). It's delicious, filling, and really cheap. I calculated it's about 50 cents a meal and that's my breakfast every morning.

2 hours ago, DarkSoul said:

So, me and my partner are surviving off food stamps, as we have to right now, and we are out for the month. That doesn't allow me much in the way of what to eat. The foods I can eat I have to ration. Im 3 weeks po and in the dreaded 3 week stall. I ate ramen noodles and meat last night, because I had to get something in. Don't come at me for choices, how unhealthy, etc etc, because I know. They sat ok, no pain, kinda feels like they may still be sitting this morning? Not sure. Guess I am just looking for reassurance that I will be ok.

Since you absolutely have to eat them (no other choices right now) I say cook the noodles until they are fully expanded (bordering on overcooked) to try to prevent them front expanding further in your stomach.

Also you won’t need very much to eat now, so how much of it you eat in a serving will be limited anyway. But as soon as you can shop again ask the good people of this forum and they will help you chose things that will stretch your budget.

(On a side note, I would love to see a thread created for an extremely tight budget - Bariatric style)

Good Luck ❤️

Edited December 22, 20214 yr by GreenTealael

What phase are you in right now? May help us all give better suggestions. I think at 3 weeks post op I was still in the FULL LIQUID stage. Possibly moving into the PUREE stage but I know each person and plan is different which is why I asked what stage you are on.

Having said that, in my LIQUID stage I was consuming: Protein drinks, broth/cream soups, sugar free popsicles, sugar free jello and pudding and yogurt.

In my PUREE stage I ate things like ricotta bake, refried beans mixed with a lil shredded cheddar and sour cream or a little spicy guacamole, yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, etc.

Some of these things are just as inexpensive as Ramen and will most likely meet your protein needs better and keep you full longer. But of course if you've already bought what you could and can't spend anymore for now then it is what it is. Just keep some of these other suggestions everyone has given you in mind for when you can make an additional purchase of food in the future. I wish you the best of luck!!

Edited December 22, 20214 yr by SummerTimeGirl

Can you get some assistance from a food pantry? If you google some in the area there may be options. That could help you both, especially if they have canned tuna, chicken, etc on offer.

No judgement here. We are all doing the best that we can with the resources we have available.

14 minutes ago, blackcatsandbaddecisions said:

Can you get some assistance from a food pantry? If you google some in the area there may be options. That could help you both, especially if they have canned tuna, chicken, etc on offer.

No judgement here. We are all doing the best that we can with the resources we have available.

Great idea. I was also gonna suggest that. Lots of pantries, churches, etc. Definitely look around. Especially this time of year many places have things like hams and turkeys they're giving out too. And absolutely no judgement. Many of us have been in your shoes at some point in time in our lives and some still are.

Good luck to you! What a struggle to undergo at what is already a challenging time. I think other people's suggestions of refried beans and tuna are great, as well as working with a food pantry. But... I've eat a few noodles even early out and it didn't do any harm.

Hope it gets easier soon!

I’m sorry you & your partner are having difficulties getting the necessities needed to meet your needs. I was wondering if going to the food bank will help you out. Someone stated that soups, broths are inexpensive. I thought maybe instead of protein bottled drinks that you can search online for powdered to mix with water or skim milk. The powder protein could be less expensive. Finally if possible is there any chance you can ask family or any close friends to help you & your partner with some food purchases to get you both through this rough patch? It’s just a thought. I wish you both the very best and I hope both of you can try to enjoy the Holidays!

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions! I am currently in the soft food stages. I handled purees well and got permission to move onto soft foods after a week. We did unfortunately already buy what we could; and I made my small list, but I also have to ration what I have so it gets me through! I have some protein powder left, some eggs, we have some meat, i got permission for toast and crackers, and i think i have a thing of applesauce and a can of soup left! And some milk. So with that I have to make it to January when we get our next round of stamps! No income coming in right now! Tough time for everybody. I thought of posting my cash app in hopes maybe somebody could help, but I would feel horrible doing that!

If you mean calorie wise no you haven’t blown it all or anything like that. I am 8 months out and have had pizza, pasta, bread and even chocolate. I only had them once to see if I could tolorate them but I did have them and it didn’t blow anything. I am about ten pounds from goal right now. Obviously you don’t want to have them everyday for a prolonged period of time but the serving size you are eating right now is so small anyways that the calories are restricted by that.

Your local food pantry may be able to help. Skip the pasta, rice and bread. Go with canned and dried beans, canned meat, tuna, eggs and peanut butter.

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