BunnyLove

There are stock pastes that you can buy that are right next to the buillon cubes. They're shelf-stable until they're opened, and there are different brands. You can get mushroom, beef, chicken, veal and other kinds. They're not as salty and they're really flavorful, and they dissolve almost instantly in hot Water. You can add dry spices to flavor it when you make it. I keep tubes of herb pastes in the refrigerator, including garlic, lemon grass, and tomato paste, and you can add any of these for additional flavor then pour through a strainer to get rid of any solids before you drink it.

@Oregondaisy: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've saved all of your recipes and plan to try most of them. They sound amazing, especially the pumpkin and toffee ones! :biggrin2:

Avgolemono Soup 1 Cup chicken broth 1/2 C Evaporated Milk 2 Egg Whites 1 Tablespoon Cold Water 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice, divided Combine broth and milk in a saucepan and heat over medium temperature until simmering. Beat the egg whites in a bowl until frothy and add one tablespoon each lemon juice and cold water. Add 1/2 cup of the hot soup slowly, stirring carefully so the eggs don't scramble, then add the mixture to the saucepan after taking it off the heat. Stir everything carefully until the eggs are completely cooked, then taste and add more lemon if needed. Add ground pepper to taste.

The only meat I can have right now is baby food, and this is one of the things I came up with when I was told I could have creamy soups. By all means, experiment! The protein quotient can be increased for this by adding chicken or turkey baby food for those still on a mushy diet, but I haven't tried that yet. It should be good, though.

I've really enjoyed adding baby food fruits like pear and mango to my Greek-style yogurt. This is one way to enjoy purees. You can also make a really good "huevos ranchero" by soft-poaching egg whites, topping them with a smooth sauce (I like Trader Joe's enchilada sauce) and shredded BabyBel cheese. You should check out the Recipe Sharing forum to see some of the things that have been posted to see if anything sounds good to you, if only to use as a leaping-off point.

Southwestern chicken Soup 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth 1/2 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles 1/2 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers 1/2 (15 ounce) can black Beans 2 Tablespoons onion powder 1 Tablespoon garlic powder 2 (2.5 ounce) jars chicken baby food 1/2 Tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin Combine the first six ingredients in a large pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally for 30 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour into a blender in batches and puree. Season to taste. Notes: You can add a dollop of Greek-style yogurt to the top of your soup, along with a sprinkling of cheese shreds. You can use 1 (4 ounce) cooked chicken breast, chopped, instead of the baby food, but it's harder to puree to a smooth consistency. This is a variation on tortilla soup. If you want to make it for your family, double the recipe and divide it before pureeing, adding chicken (and tortilla strips, if desired) to theirs.

Candy oils are literally used one or two drops at a time. A whole teaspoon of olive oil has 40 calories, so I doubt there's even one calorie in a drop. You could get a dropper and see how many drops of Water it would take to fill a teaspoon measure to get an absolute calorie count, but I'm positive that it's negligible. Extracts should have nutrition information on the container, and you'll use more of these, perhaps a 1/4 teaspoon, for the same flavor intensity as the candy oils. I hope this helps!

Ladyofthehouse, I feel for you. This isn't an easy journey, especially if you're doing it without much advice. Here are the Vitamins that I was told I needed and, while I'm dealing with severe fatigue, I have some other health issues that are unrelated to WLS. Please get these and see if your situation improves: at a minimum, they can't hurt. These are taken daily. Complete multivitamin (any will do, but gummies are greate because they dissolve completely and have a higher absorption rate). Vitamin B12 sublingual (1000 ug) (I take this last because it tastes good and gets rid of all the other medicine tastes, if any). Calcium supplement (1200 mg/day) calcium citrate has the best absorption, but calcium carbonate (which is the kind in the chews) is absorbed well when taken with acids like Vitamin C. Just keep this in mind and you can take whichever you like. Vitamin D 2000 UI Good luck, and know that you're not alone. When you've reached your goal and are back to feeling normal, this will be a dim memory, promise!

I'm just past three weeks but have been having a weird up-and-down where my scale fluctuates 6-7 pounds in a single day. I'm not taking in that much in liquids (though I wish I were getting more than I am!), so I don't really understand it. It's not everyday, and I'm post-menopausal, so it's really odd. I've been checking my weight in the mornings just to keep an ongoing record and am not obsessing about it, but I wondered if anyone else is going through this kind of thing since this post seemed like the right place to ask.

My doc says no, too, but I tried and found that it doesn't bother me at all. I'm three weeks out and it seems that I get more air when I sip directly from a cup than when using a straw, but I also hold straws pretty far back in my mouth so that may be the difference.

Candyman, you have a huge "family" here that will support you all the way! I didn't find this site until two weeks after my surgery, but I wish I'd found it sooner. My husband really fought me over this for a long time, insisting that I do this the "natural" way even though he'd watched me struggle for two decades. I had cancer several years ago and went through a lot, and after all my surgeries, he was really upset that I'd choose to have an "unnecessary" procedure. He finally resigned himself to it, and everyone else in my family has been supportive. Now that I've lost enough weight that he can tell, and I'm not in pain anymore, my husband has really come around. He's no longer worried and has become excited for me, and is talking about the things we'll be able to do that I was unable to do before. Your loved ones may surprise you the same way, so come here for support and just wait to see how many positive improvements will come about once your life starts changing for the better. After all, if you're a happier person, the people around you will change, too. Good luck!!

chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge 1 package sugar free Chocolate pudding 2 tablespoons Splenda 1/2 cup fat-free half & half 1 tablespoon creme de cacoa 3 heaping tablespoons peanut butter Spray a small baking pan. A loaf pan is good, but an 8x8" square pan will work. Mix all ingredients together except for the peanut butter in a saucepan. Place over low flame and quickly add the peanut butter. Heat until the peanut butter melts thoroughly. Stir until well blended. Spoon and spread mixture into pan. Refrigerate until firm, then slice into at least 15 squares. Note: I've made substitutions, like DaVinci peanut butter syrup or amaretto for the creme de cacao. This is a really forgiving recipe, so have fun with the flavors. It keeps about a week in the refrigerator, and can be frozen.

Miralax powder is really good. My doctor prescribed it right after my cancer surgery years ago, and it's over the counter now. You can stir it into anything and it's clear and tasteless so soup, pudding, tea, whatever, can be used as the delivery vehicle. You can also use Benefiber. These are two things that my NUT recommended, and I always keep Miralax on hand, so I was happy not to have to buy anything else. Good luck, and don't get discouraged! I'm just past 3 weeks myself, and I keep telling myself that each day is going to be that little bit better: optimism helps a lot.

oatmeal Raisin Protein Bars Ingredients 2 C Rolled Oats 8 Scoops Keto vanilla Protein shake Mix* 1 C Raisins ¼ C Flax Meal ½ C Splenda ¼ C Benefiber 2 t Cinnamon 1 t Salt 1-½ C Unsweetened Applesauce** 1 T Flax or Olive Oil 1 t Vanilla Extract * You can add any vanilla-flavoured protein/whey powder you like, but this is the one I used so be aware that the nutrition information can vary widely. The scoop in this is roughly 2T, which is fairly standard, but this is another thing to keep in mind if you use a different product. ** You can use fresh apples if you like – just wash and core them (you don’t even have to peel them unless they’re waxed), then put them into the food processor after Step 2 in the instructions. Be sure to process them until they’re a fine consistency and use whatever is left quickly. Instructions Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Process one cup of oats in a clean, dry food processor for about one minute until it's the consistency of flour. Add the remaining oats and pulse a few times just to grind them a bit. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients except the Splenda and mix well; stir in the applesauce and vanilla. Taste, then add Splenda as desired; baking won't alter the level of sweetness. Pour into a foil-lined 9x13” pan and spread evenly. The batter will be the consistency of thick cookie dough, so use a heavy spatula. Bake for 16-20 minutes until it’s a light golden brown around the edges. Cool and cut. The bars can be refrigerated for a week or so, or frozen for several months. Notes I’ve used dried blackberries and cranberries instead of raisins, chocolate Protein Powder with dried cherries minus the cinnamon and raisins, and made similar substitutions. I’ve also made a variation using pumpkin puree instead of applesauce and, when the bars are almost done, topping them with a thin layer of low-fat cream cheese whipped with Splenda and egg whites then returning them to the oven for the last five minutes or so of baking time. Nutrition Information - Recipe as written cut into 12 meal bars Calories 202 Carbohydrates 26 g Sugar 10 g Fiber 6 g Sodium 290 mg Fat 7 g Saturated Fat 1 g Protein 11 g Nutrition Information - Recipe with 1/2 Cup Raisins cut into 12 meal bars Calories 185 Carbohydrates 21 g Sugar 6 g Fiber 6 g Sodium 288 mg Fat 7 g Saturated Fat 1 g Protein 11 g

I started out as a chef with my own place years ago before I gave it up for art, and I know that some of these recipes can be remade to be WLS-compatible. Here's an example: 1 whole Jalapeno, 1 Tablespoon Philadelphia Light Cream cheese, and 1 slice of Oscar Mayer turkey bacon to make 2 poppers: Calories: 45.7 / Fat: 3.0g / Sugar: 1.0g / Protein: 1.7g 1 whole Jalapeno, 1 wedge of Laughing Cow Light Swiss Original Cheese, and 1 slice of Oscar Mayer turkey bacon to make 2 poppers: Calories: 50.7 / Fat: 2.5g / Sugar: 1.0g / Protein: 2.7g I don't know about you, but that looks like an acceptable substitution to me! The cream cheese didn't sound that great so I wanted to look at the Laughing Cow wedges, since they've got great flavor and have the same consistency. They up the Protein quotient, too. I've halved the bacon because turkey doesn't shrink as much as regular, so you don't need as much. I've made something similar with turkey bacon, so this works. For the twice-baked potatoes, I make these on a regular basis and freeze them to bake when we have steak. I've always scooped the insides out first and baked the shells separately to make them crisper, boiling the insides then using fat-free sour cream to mash them, but the new way I plan to make them is like this: Separate the insides and shells as mentioned above, baking the shells as you would baked potatoes until they're browned and crisp. Boil the insides until tender, then drain. Mash the insides with Greek-style yogurt, Butter Buds, and fresh herbs like chopped parsley and chives Mix in some cooked, crumbled turkey bacon Season with smoked salt to taste; this should enhance the flavor of the bacon significantly Stir in some cottage cheese or low-fat ricotta for added bulk and protein Mix in some shredded cheese Fill the shells Bake at 350F until it's browned and looks done, about 20 minutes. You may have extra filling, so throw it in the 'fridge and, when you're ready to make some mixed vegetables or something similar, just crumble this over the top and pop it in the oven until everything is brown and bubbly.

I recommend stage 1 baby food meats for one reason during the early stage: they provide real food Protein and are pureed more smoothly than is practical/possible with most home appliances without waste. I used Bragg's liquid Aminos to flavor them, because it's just like a more nutritious soy sauce, but you can use soy sauce or any other seasoning that your NUT approves. They also come in exactly the right portion size, and you get a nifty, little container for dishing up other things later. Baby food pears and mangoes are delicious, too, without added sugars. Again, my NUT approved them, and I still add them to my Greek-style yogurt. There was a great sale right before my surgery so I stocked up on the things I tried and liked, and was fortunate that my taste didn't change afterwards.

The sugar-free (SF) Baskin Robbins ice cream-flavored candies are really good, and I don't think I've ever had a bad SF butterscotch or starlight mint. The SF Jell-O Delights come in chocolate and creme brulee and taste really decadent. They're like a pudding mousse and are in the dairy section. I've also seen them at costco. I like SF puddings, from the shelf-stable to the refrigerated, to the instant to the cooked. Custards are good, too, if you like to cook, because you can use fat-free half & half instead of whole milk and Splenda holds up to heat. You can even make a true creme brulee with these substitutions because it only takes a tiny sprinkling of sugar or fructose on top to caramelize. For cakes, Cookies and other things, look up high-Protein recipes online and play around with the fat and sugar content by making reasonable substitutions. I'll be posting some of my recipes when I find the article where they belong, and I have a good one for chocolate Peanut Butter fudge as well as delicious Protein Bars. Oh! One more thing that's easy - make meringue cookies! Just heat the oven to 350F, whip 2 egg whites until they're at the soft peak stage, add a pinch of salt, 1 t real vanilla and 1/2 C Splenda and beat to the hard peak stage. Pipe onto a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet, place in the oven, turn it off and walk away for 2-3 hours or until the cookies are crisp. Do it on a dry day or they'll never turn out right. Egg whites are the purest protein, the one against which all others are judged, so this one has to be good for you!

I posted an article on this here. Basically, though, what I do is to mix my Protein powder with milk in a saucepan with a whisk, heat until simmering while stirring constantly, then remove from heat and add flavorings as desired. If you use peppermint or spearmint extract, use sparingly because they're strong. Candy oils, like LorAnns, are very strong, so use a dropper that you can buy from a candy supply shop. Orange oil is great, and I love marshmallow, blackberry, English toffee, creme brulee, and several others. You can mix and match, but you might want to double the Protein Drink because it can get strong really fast. If it's too hot when you pour it, add a bit of milk to cool it off. There's not a lot of lactose in skim milk, and there's protein, so it's not that bad. I usually make it too dense if I'm going to drink it right away and cool it down with the rest of the milk when I pour it, and it always goes down even when solids won't.

My NUT gave me the following list: Soft-cooked carrots, squash, green Beans, broccoli, cauliflower. All other vegetables should be pureed. I found that some things, like baby food peas, have 4g Protein and are better-tasting and a much smoother puree than anything I could make. It's relatively expensive, but there's no clean-up and comes in a container that's the right size for exactly two portions, so it makes a great side for my "real" protein.

I have this problem too, and use the following tricks: 1. Have more liquids in your food. Soups are a great option, especially if you add nutrition by thinning them with evaporated milk (more protein!) or tomato juice instead of Water. 2. Make a hot Protein drink, pack it in a thermos, and sip it throughout the day. Make it taste like whatever you want using extracts or candy oil flavorings. Mint chocolate is amazing, but so many flavors are available that you can find whatever suits you. 3. Buy a pretty, large glass mug or tea pot and get some flowering teas. When they bloom in hot water they're so pretty that you'll be tempted to look at it throughout the day, and remember to drink. 4. Make "Jell-O water" by following the directions on the box of your favorite flavor of Jell-O and drinking it warm instead of letting it set up in the 'fridge. This was how my Mom enticed me to stay hydrated when I was home sick as a kid. 5. Make it a ritual to take a drink every single time you get up to go somewhere. Mailroom? Drink. Bathroom? Drink. Meeting? Take your drink with you! 6. You know the "BS Bingo" game that went around a few years ago? I plan to take a copy into meetings when I go back to my office and, whenever one of the words is said (synergy, paradigm, etc.), I'll take a drink. We should come up with something similar, so who here is really creative? Two hints for tea drinkers: 1. If you're like me and are used to keeping a pitcher in the 'fridge, you can make a double-strength batch and add hot water to bring it to the right temperature if you need it warm. 2. If you'd like to try a variety of different flavors, e-mail companies like Tazo, Yogi Tea, Republic of Tea, etc., and ask if they have samples of their decaf items. They're very likely to send a nice package, especially if you explain that you're switching to decaf as a medical necessity and that a friend recommended them...and I do, because there are about 50 boxes of tea in my pantry and I drink them all.

I use a dropper to add a drop at a time until I get the flavor right. Each person's taste is unique, so start with the minimum amount and work up. Some flavors, like mints and wintergreen, are much more assertive than others, in extracts as well as oils. If I want to mix and match, say, caramel with marshmallow, I'll make double the Protein drink and save half for later so I can get the right flavor combination. I agree with Catracks, Torani is great. Davinci is a good line, too, if you can find them in coffee shops; otherwise, their shipping charges are kind of expensive if you order online. I use fruit, too, but only baby food so it's a smooth puree. My nutritionist approved it for Phase II, and I love the mango puree with vanilla protein and coconut extract. Who says the mushy stage has to be boring?

I'd tried everything from the time I started gaining weight in my late teens, with diets ranging from vegetarian to macrobiotic to Atkins to Dukan, counting calories and obsessing over every nutrient I consumed. I also ran, lifted weights, worked with personal trainers, shifted to working with medically-supervised weight loss, tried Weight Watchers, you name it. I had no serious health issues, but nothing would shift more than about 10-15 pounds no matter how long I stayed on it or how hard I tried. I'm two weeks post-op now and have already lost 23 pounds. It's been a bit painful, and it's hard to get down enough fluids and Protein, but each day gets easier. I did this for my health so that I'll live long enough to see my grandchildren grow up when I have them someday, and I'll also have the energy to have fun with them. Being thinner and better-looking will just be a bonus. Short-term inconvenience for long-term gain is well-worth it in my opinion!

One thing I can recommend strongly is anti-nausea suppositories and, since you're probably dehydrated, ask your surgeon if electrolyte ice pops would be okay for you. They're like a super-sweet Gatorade version of the ice pops we had as kids, but they tend to stay down when nothing else will, especially if you suck them slowly and let your mouth heat the liquid before you swallow. I'm only two weeks into my sleeve surgery and haven't had severe nausea like yours from this, but I had cancer years ago and this regimen saved my sanity. I only had one trip to the ER for dehydration back then when it probably would've been more like a weekly occurrence. Good luck, don't give up, and trust your instincts! You're your own best advocate, so keep after your doctor until you've figures this out between you and you're feeling better. One day this will be a distant memory.

I started gaining weight in my late teens and was never able to control it no matter what I did. My PCP had encouraged me to have bariatric surgery for the last five years or so, and I finally decided that I'd done everything else I could possibly do. The sleeve seemed like the best option for me, so I went to Dr. Alexander Abkin in Florham Park, NJ, who's one of the best doctors in the NJ-NY-CT area. After months of classes, tests, etc., I finally had my procedure two weeks ago. It's been a struggle to get down enough Protein, and Clear liquids have to be within a very narrow temperature range not to upset my stomach (the gurgling is loud enough to be heard from across the room if my drink is two degrees too warm or too cool), so I've had to be creative. I was told to go to full liquids as soon as full digestive function had returned, so the third day after surgery heralded the return of milk, yogurt. farina and Soups. Nine days post-op when I had my check-up I was told to progress to Phase III, and I've been adding cheese, fish and other items gradually. My highest weight was 304, and it was 295 the morning of my surgery. Shifting those few pounds was sheer misery, even though I never really ate much nor had much of an appetite. After the surgery the weight has truly fallen off: this morning the scale read 272, a drop of 23 pounds in 14 days. It will be great to lose weight and look better, but I'm really looking forward to being healthy enough to be able to see my grandchildren grow up. My son and his wife just told us that they're trying for their first, so by this time next year we may have a little one and his or her future is of vital importance to me.

You might want to try making the Cream of Wheat with Water, and thin it with something like Rice Dream or almond milk. They're very good substitutes in cereals, though I don't care to drink them or use them in coffee. This will get around the lactose intolerance, if that's your problem, and they're a bit cheaper than the lactose-free dairy milks. This is supposed to be one of the best Phase II foods after Greek-style yogurt, so I hope you can enjoy it. You might also try using only true artificial sweetener, too, to be safe - nothing like Splenda's half real brown sugar/half artificial sweetener. I'm only 2 weeks post-op but they really stressed to me how much of an irritant sugar is in the early weeks, so I wouldn't chance it. Good luck!