So I have been making sure that I hit 100g or more of protein every day. I typically am low carb (under 60g) low fat (under 20g). I like to be adventurous with my food and I enjoy finding new recipes that fit into my macros. However, this last month I have been trying to find recipes that are yummy and fulfill my sweet tooth without going for the ice cream, or candy. One that I discovered was a Greek Yogurt Cheesecake: 1 container of Greek yogurt (i have used Dannons light and fit , 1Tbls of SF FF Cheesecake pudding mix, 1TBL of reduced fat whip. its 115cal 12g of protein, .5g fat and 15g carbs. (you can use any variation of yogurts and pudding mixes). Carbs are higher that I would usually eat but if you have a hard workout day and have it to spare this is the best treat!

Also I did not know that Splenda made a brown sugar?! So diced up apples with some spray butter and 1tbls of that brown sugar and bake to soften. You can add it to a little plain Greek yogurt or eat it as it with a dollop of low fat cool whip. I have been finding that I need to have stuff like this in my diet in order to not go off track. Not everyday, but days where all I want to do is eat chocolate or ice cream.

I have been following this mom of 3 that lost 50lbs through exercise and diet, she has a ton of recipes. All her single serving recipes easily make 2-3 servings for us bariatric folk, but its healthy and realistic for those people who don't want to restrict forever.

Anyone else have some yummy recipes?! Or does anyone think this might cause a slippery slope?

Edited July 18, 20242 yr by AmberFL

16 hours ago, FifiLux said:

I made small chocolate truffles that I kept in the fridge and had one or two when feeling like something sweet;

0.25 cup agave Syrup, 30 g chocolate hazelnut Protein Powder, 110g 100% cacao (no sugar) and 60 g smooth Peanut Butter. It made 15 balls;

This looks so yummy!

12 hours ago, Hope4NewMe said:

I bought a ninja creami machine and I get the Keto chow mix and I make a yummy Protein ice cream. I tend to use milk or Water instead of heavy cream because of the calories but it still turns out ok. I also love just fruit in it too, my favorite is pears. coffee with a Protein Shake also makes great ice cream. It's fun to throw in weird things and see what happens lol.

I really need to bite the bullet and just buy it ?

14 hours ago, JennyBeez said:

I think like most things, moderation is key.

I have a basement stash of UPF in the basement for quick fixes: shelf stable Protein Shakes (obviously), instant Bone Broth packets, and a couple of instant Soup powders I bought from the BP shop. They get me through days I'm feeling low energy or have no appetite.

Right next to them, I have a huge stock of SF FF pudding mixes that I bought pre-op thinking I'd need them for the first two weeks of recovery (spoiler alert: I didn't need 1/16th of the **** I 'prepared' with), so the greek yogurt recipe sounds like a fab way to slowly make my way through the stash.

I've also got a SF Lactose Free chocolate ice cream sitting in my freezer for certain monthly cravings. Again, something I bought for recovery that just.... hasn't been fully used up yet. It's not awful nutrition wise, but I use it sparingly. I have a pack of high Protein flatbreads in the freezer, some NSA protein pancake mixes and a few NSA flavouring syrups in my pantry.

I'm not against sweeteners or UPF in general, it's more that it's rare to find any one pre-made food that hits all the macros for me, and my brain really likes when I follow a nice, strict, mathematical structure.

The only thing I use more often than I think I should is probably the protein pancake mix? Twice a week I'll make a pancake in place of a more balance meal -- this week it's been three times already because it -- and oatmeal-- are one of the few things not pinging my nausea. (It's been a rough week)

(@NickelChip That's good to hear about the yonana machine -- I've been eyeballing it for a while but even as a child I go through cycles of strong banana-aversion LOL.)

Moderation is very key. I am nervous that I will never be able to fully achieve that. It’s a man annoying feeling. The feeling of falling off the wagon and just continuing getting bigger. Like my how my yo-yo dieting went pre op. If that makes any sense

10 hours ago, summerseeker said:

I am allowed all and everything. I limit myself because I can eat a whole bar of chocolate before I feel ill. So I buy small bars of really good chocolate. I know I will only eat one. Sometimes I melt the chocolate and dip strawberries in.

I know cottage cheese is not for everyone but I love it. I chop a apple finely and mix it into the cheese. Works well with pineapple or kiwi too.

Cheddar cheese and a crisp apple does wonders for me.

They have done so much cottage cheese. It’s delicious! High protein too!

On 7/18/2024 at 5:49 PM, AmberFL said:

One that I discovered was a Greek Yogurt Cheesecake: 1 container of Greek yogurt (i have used Dannons light and fit , 1Tbls of SF FF Cheesecake pudding mix, 1TBL of reduced fat whip. its 115cal 12g of protein, .5g fat and 15g carbs. (you can use any variation of yogurts and pudding mixes). Carbs are higher that I would usually eat but if you have a hard workout day and have it to spare this is the best treat!

I tried your greek yogurt cheesecake hack two days ago (just the greek yogurt & mix, I was lazy) ... I was immediately, irrevocably captivated. The thickness, the texture, it's so perfect. I've had a little bit two days in a row now, and my protein macros have skyrocketed. I topped it with a handful of fresh raspberries, and I now know exactly what I'll be bringing to summertime potlucks & bbqs. XD

1 hour ago, JennyBeez said:

I tried your greek yogurt cheesecake hack two days ago (just the greek yogurt & mix, I was lazy) ... I was immediately, irrevocably captivated. The thickness, the texture, it's so perfect. I've had a little bit two days in a row now, and my protein macros have skyrocketed. I topped it with a handful of fresh raspberries, and I now know exactly what I'll be bringing to summertime potlucks & bbqs. XD

yessss!! so good!! I have been doing so much experimenting lately lol!

That mixing pudding into the yogurt is a good idea. Especially since I usually find it to be tart. I wonder if that would be okay on the full liquid diet when I am first allowed yogurt. Maybe I shouldn’t push it since that’s already thicker than the shakes and stuff.

19 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

I wonder if that would be okay on the full liquid diet when I am first allowed yogurt. Maybe I shouldn’t push it since that’s already thicker than the shakes and stuff.

I was allowed greek yogurt on my full liquid too, but I found it too thick in the beginning. I watered it down with a splash of milk until it was a thinner consistency, but after a week or so I was able to get it down on it's own.

28 minutes ago, JennyBeez said:

I was allowed greek yogurt on my full liquid too, but I found it too thick in the beginning. I watered it down with a splash of milk until it was a thinner consistency, but after a week or so I was able to get it down on it's own.

My thing is that this time I will FEEL like I can get anything down and never feel full because they are not touching my already sleeved and HEALED stomach and my hunger has already returned. BUT I need to follow the same protocol to protect my healing intestines. I think I will feel just as hungry as I do now and be able to stomach eating like normal but i must be good and follow the staged return to eating protocol anyways.

i am sure it’s not going to be easy but of course I don’t want to hurt myself. It should be okay if I can have three shakes because I am doing two a day now on the LSD and it’s enough to sustain me so I am thinking maybe he will say I can do three shakes to keep me full plus eat those little tiny meals to go through the stages. I know it’s a little more calorie wise but I just don’t see me making it on two tablespoons of food when I still have my hunger and my stomach is not full.

I really need to talk to him more about this before I leave the hospital because the normal by the book diet just isn’t going to work for me. But it definitely Sounds like maybe to play it safe I should just wait until i am closer to the next stage to have any yogurt.

Edited July 26, 20242 yr by ShoppGirl

I've always eaten well even at my highest weight. I eat the exact same just much smaller portions and I know now that the type food I was eating was never the problem but how I much of it I ate - because I always complained that I wasn't able to lose weight although I always worked out and ate well ?‍♂️ - .

My meals are balanced and I always prioritize protein and have veggies with my meals, but I do have a couple of bites of not so good things (cake, cookies, ice cream) and I limit myself to a couple of bites, I am trying to enforce the taste everything but eat less rather than find alternatives to everything. With that being said, I do try to substitute things that don't affect the way I savor my meals (protein toast for normal toast, low carb tortillas for regular tortillas and so on, it's because I can't taste the difference). I also love eating out, albeit hidden calories and all.

I do indulge in sugar free chocolate almonds though and chocolate protein balls because I like the way they taste. I make paleo cookies and higher protein desserts like chia seed pudding protein banana bread but I still limit myself on how much of that I eat.

Edited July 28, 20242 yr by Lilia_90

On 7/28/2024 at 1:05 AM, Lilia_90 said:

I've always eaten well even at my highest weight. I eat the exact same just much smaller portions and I know now that the type food I was eating was never the problem but how I much of it I ate - because I always complained that I wasn't able to lose weight although I always worked out and ate well ?‍♂️ - .

My meals are balanced and I always prioritize Protein and have veggies with my meals, but I do have a couple of bites of not so good things (cake, Cookies, ice cream) and I limit myself to a couple of bites, I am trying to enforce the taste everything but eat less rather than find alternatives to everything. With that being said, I do try to substitute things that don't affect the way I savor my meals (protein toast for normal toast, low carb tortillas for regular tortillas and so on, it's because I can't taste the difference). I also love eating out, albeit hidden calories and all.

I do indulge in Sugar Free Chocolate almonds though and chocolate protein balls because I like the way they taste. I make paleo cookies and higher protein Desserts like chia seed pudding protein banana bread but I still limit myself on how much of that I eat.

I will have to say that at my highest weight I ate fairly well, just when I did eat bad I REALLY ate bad and binged. so that's how I blew up to 300lbs lol however now I am with you, if hubby is eating his Ben and Jerrys ice cream I will eat a couple of bites as opposed to eating the whole pint to myself. I do eat all the low carb stuff too.

I do fear that my little Bites, Licks and Tastes will add up and make make me blow up again, but I work out 6 days a week, 2 cardio days, 2 upper body strength days, and 2 lower body strength days.

I know you said that you have always worked out...I am getting bored of my routine which is why I added a cardio day and added 1 day of F45. What do you do?

2 hours ago, AmberFL said:

I will have to say that at my highest weight I ate fairly well, just when I did eat bad I REALLY ate bad and binged. so that's how I blew up to 300lbs lol however now I am with you, if hubby is eating his Ben and Jerrys ice cream I will eat a couple of bites as opposed to eating the whole pint to myself. I do eat all the low carb stuff too.

I do fear that my little Bites, Licks and Tastes will add up and make make me blow up again, but I work out 6 days a week, 2 cardio days, 2 upper body strength days, and 2 lower body strength days.

I know you said that you have always worked out...I am getting bored of my routine which is why I added a cardio day and added 1 day of F45. What do you do?

Funny you mentioned the ice cream pint. I remember for 3 months straight my husband and I would eat a pint of ice cream each every night LOL. My husband of course has never been overweight and probably never will be, I on the other hand kept getting bigger and bigger, just a few minutes ago I fixed myself a tiny bowl of sugar free belgian chocolate ice cream, added a crushed protein ball on top and 3 salted cashews. I literally had 3 bites and got sick and put it away. The licks do add up but they’ll nowhere be near what we used to eat. But I digress lol

As for workouts, I took up Pilates a few months ago and I’m obsessed. I do 3 days of heavy lifting (back/chest, bis/tris/shoulders, legs) and 2 days of pilates. I feel it complements my strength training so well because these sessions work out my big muscles and pilates targets my smaller muscles and I’ve progressed a lot and seeing great definition all over. One of my 2 Pilates sessions is circuit training so it burns quiet a bit and raises my heart rate, the other session is on the reformer and it burns so good!
I always end my weight training days with a 20 minute jog to close my steps.

Ugh I was a big fan of F45 until my ankle injury!!

Edited July 29, 20242 yr by Lilia_90

2 hours ago, Lilia_90 said:

Funny you mentioned the ice cream pint. I remember for 3 months straight my husband and I would eat a pint of ice cream each every night LOL. My husband of course has never been overweight and probably never will be, I on the other hand kept getting bigger and bigger, just a few minutes ago I fixed myself a tiny bowl of sugar free belgian chocolate ice cream, added a crushed Protein ball on top and 3 salted cashews. I literally had 3 bites and got sick and put it away. The licks do add up but they’ll nowhere be near what we used to eat. But I digress lol

As for workouts, I took up Pilates a few months ago and I’m obsessed. I do 3 days of heavy lifting (back/chest, bis/tris/shoulders, legs) and 2 days of pilates. I feel it complements my strength training so well because these sessions work out my big muscles and pilates targets my smaller muscles and I’ve progressed a lot and seeing great definition all over. One of my 2 Pilates sessions is circuit training so it burns quiet a bit and raises my heart rate, the other session is on the reformer and it burns so good!
I always end my weight training days with a 20 minute jog to close my steps.

Ugh I was a big fan of F45 until my ankle injury!!

ooo Pilates okay! I haven't tried that, I will have to look into that. That's why I am doing a cardio day and an F45 day. I am not trying to loose anymore weight but I feel so good afterwards. And I am starting to get muscly so I would like to maintain. I lift heavy as well.

Do you think 4 days of heavy lifting is good? I am new to this and have been working out with weights for only 4 months but the progress is pretty addicting.

I am having mixed feelings about F45 I did hybrid day and it was meh, I felt like I needed more, then I did a only strength day and oh man! that felt good, so this week I am doing an only cardio day and see how that is. I am only doing 1x a week, (works better for my schedule). So this is new but I am so bored with my workouts and I feeling like I am just coasting and not getting sore or tired like I used to, which I am told that is good since I am in shape?

11 hours ago, AmberFL said:

Do you think 4 days of heavy lifting is good? I am new to this and have been working out with weights for only 4 months but the progress is pretty addicting.

I am having mixed feelings about F45 I did hybrid day and it was meh, I felt like I needed more, then I did a only strength day and oh man! that felt good, so this week I am doing an only cardio day and see how that is. I am only doing 1x a week, (works better for my schedule). So this is new but I am so bored with my workouts and I feeling like I am just coasting and not getting sore or tired like I used to, which I am told that is good since I am in shape?

For me personally, I stick to 3 days of heavy weight lifting and it works for me and my goals, and I have always done the same. My goal is to maintain a good muscle tone (currently my inbody analysis tells me that my muscle mass is excellent and so is my lean body mass). I've always loved the slim but toned look on myself and I am not a fan of being on the bigger muscular side for me personally, although I admire that on other people.

There were periods where I worked out with weights 4 times a week and I gained some weight (albeit muscle) and I wasn't 100% happy with the way I looked. My point is it depends on your goals, if you're trying to build as much muscle as possible then 4 or even 5 days will do you good, however if you want to maintain and cut down on body fat then 3 days are more than enough. Sometimes I add a strength and conditioning day (these are my favorite), and I realize Pilates is a form of resistance training so it all works out.

With that being said, I used to do much more HIIT and intense cardio prior to surgery but now I stick to light jogging reaching my step goal and sometimes I'll do a fun trampoline workout (which burns a ton). I try not to rely on cardio to lose or maintain but on a good diet regimen to maintain a lower body fat and my strength training for building muscle and altering body composition.

You are not as sore because you are building muscle and getting stronger, I suggest mixing strength and conditioning during your workouts so if you're training legs your supersets can be deadlifts + jump rope, reverse lunges + high knees and so on. This would particularly work wonderfully with upper body workouts.

Edited July 30, 20242 yr by Lilia_90

7 hours ago, Lilia_90 said:

For me personally, I stick to 3 days of heavy weight lifting and it works for me and my goals, and I have always done the same. My goal is to maintain a good muscle tone (currently my inbody analysis tells me that my muscle mass is excellent and so is my lean body mass). I've always loved the slim but toned look on myself and I am not a fan of being on the bigger muscular side for me personally, although I admire that on other people.

There were periods where I worked out with weights 4 times a week and I gained some weight (albeit muscle) and I wasn't 100% happy with the way I looked. My point is it depends on your goals, if you're trying to build as much muscle as possible then 4 or even 5 days will do you good, however if you want to maintain and cut down on body fat then 3 days are more than enough. Sometimes I add a strength and conditioning day (these are my favorite), and I realize Pilates is a form of resistance training so it all works out.

With that being said, I used to do much more HIIT and intense cardio prior to surgery but now I stick to light jogging reaching my step goal and sometimes I'll do a fun trampoline workout (which burns a ton). I try not to rely on cardio to lose or maintain but on a good diet regimen to maintain a lower body fat and my strength training for building muscle and altering body composition.

You are not as sore because you are building muscle and getting stronger, I suggest mixing strength and conditioning during your workouts so if you're training legs your supersets can be deadlifts + jump rope, reverse lunges + high knees and so on. This would particularly work wonderfully with upper body workouts.

I do not want to be muscly lol, I want to be lean and toned. so maybe I cut down to 3 then...hmmmm. Now that I have lost all the fat that I can possibly lose without looking like a skeleton I wouldn't actually mind gaining a little bit more weight back. I start my weight lifting days with 15min of jogging or 15min of the stair master then do about 40min of weights. Cardio doesn't do much except I just feel good afterwards, like the endorphins, the sweat, just elevated heart rate lol which is why I wanted to do at least 2 days of that. I have been relying on the internet to give me workout regimens since weight lifting is new to me. When you 3 days do you do full body workouts each of those days? (You seem like your a guru at working out, sorry if I am asking too many questions)

I agree you cant workout a bad diet so I focus on high protein low-ish carbs.

My typical work days macros are 1300-1400cal 130-150g protein 75-80g carbs, 20-30g fat on my rest day its less since I am not as hungry. Idk if that is good or if I am effing up my sleeve. I haven't gained weight by doing this, but ya know its scary to fall back into bad habits.