istytehcrawk

I'm in a rut with food -- sick of things I've been eating, but not sure where to begin with finding other things that I'll like, are healthy, and will agree with my stomach. I'm cleared for all foods as long as my stomach agrees with them, but I'm trying to avoid white carbs like pasta, rice, and bread (though I will do 100% whole wheat toast now, since it no longer makes me sick, and I've been using FlatOut Light wraps ocassionally). Haven't tried 100%WW pasta yet, because pasta was one of my go-to foods for overeating before, so I'm trying to avoid it as long as I can (though I'm craving it something fierce). The main problem is that I'm a picky eater. Always have been. Things I like (among others): chicken, bacon, sausage, turkey, ground beef, ham, tuna, catfish, most fruit, many veggies, corn, potatoes, pasta, sweets (also avoiding other than SF stuff like pudding or protein cheesecakes) Things I don't (the part that makes this difficult): eggs, steak, most other fish/seafood, mushrooms, onions (I don't mind them if they're cooked in something), peppers, peas Another problem is money/food waste. I'm on a tight budget, so I'm hesitant to make something new and end up not liking it, thereby wasting money and ingredients on it. I also don't want to make huge batches of things; our deep freezer is already jam-packed full (of mostly things I can't eat -- I live with my mother and sister, who don't eat healthily at all), so I don't really have a lot of room to freeze/save extras. It's also a pain to put a ton of time and effort into making something elaborate when I can only eat a tiny bit of it (though I would do it if it was something I wanted badly enough), especially if it's not something that is good leftover. As it is, I've been eating a lot of chicken prepared various ways and relying on protein shakes/drinks/bars to get in a good chunk of my protein, which I know is far from ideal. Any suggestions for recipes that only make a little bit (or are easily scaleable), are fairly easy and inexpensive, and don't rely on eggs? I can eat up to 3/4 of a cup at this stage (in theory, though usually it's closer to 1/2 cup).

To follow up: they were good the first time cooked, but not as leftovers (they became gummy).

An elephant's heart since surgery and an elephant's penis since my high weight. Poor elephant!

Stats first: HW 427.4 (Jan. 2) SW: 413 (Feb. 15) Last week: 369.2 Today: 366.4 So, down 2.8 since last week, 46.6 since surgery, and 61 overall. Wish I were moving a bit faster in terms of weight loss (I miss those first three weeks of averaging 10 pounds a week, but I know that was mostly water weight), but it's still going down more steadily than I ever have before, so I can't really complain. Still using the elliptical for a few minutes a few times a day. When you're as out of shape as I am, even just a few minutes makes for noodle-y legs! Working on building up my time. Have been working on expanding the types of foods I eat because variety = less boredom = success. Am borrowing my mom's boyfriend's MASSIVE air fryer this week to see if I like it. Any suggestions? Tried a wrap from Subway for supper the other night and it was GREAT. So much texture. I got the spinach wrap but only actually ate half the whole thing and the bare minimum of the wrap needed to hold it together (so less than a quarter of the spinach wrap in one sitting). Turkey, bacon, spinach, cucumber, tomato, and light mayo = YUM and CRUNCH (that was always my favorite combo before surgery, but in a footlong on the wheat bread). Ate the second half of the wrap for lunch yesterday. Went out to eat at Cheddar's with a friend on Sunday and had lemon pepper chicken, corn, and broccoli. It came with rice, but I didn't bother with that. $12 (including tip) for about four meals of food. Only downside was I forgot my debit card in the receipt folder, so I had to go back (an hour drive each way) last night to get it! Another good texture/flavor combo: stacks of hint of salt NutThins, garlic & herb Laughing Cow cheese wedge, and turkey pepperoni. That's what I have packed for my lunch today, along with a clementine. Oh, an NSV: I realized yesterday (when getting out my ID to get my debit card back) that I am more than 30 pounds below the weight on my driver's license. I hadn't looked at it in so long, I couldn't remember what it said. It expires in December, so I'll be able to get a new pic and new weight listed on it!

For some reason, my brain misread "grilled chicken salad" as "grilled cheese sandwich" and I was like, "That doesn't seem right..." and had to reread. I wonder if this is the post-op equivalent of seeing people turn into food when you're really hungry. Real food = awesome. I had half a wrap from Subway (minus most of the actual wrap) with turkey, bacon, cucumber, spinach, tomato, and light mayo on a spinach wrap for supper last night and the other half for lunch today, and it was gloriously textural and flavorful. Definitely recommend for once you're able to handle more foods!

I find it rather amusing that we had exactly opposite experiences with the two programs, since I switched from Memorial to Barnes.

I've found good options at both Bob Evans and Cheddar's so far, but those are the only restaurants I've been to post-op (I'm only two months out).

I take the Bariatric Advantage chocolate peanut butter chews. They're roughly $30 for 90 chews, which lasts me about a month. More expensive than I'd like, but it's the only expensive medicine/vitamin I'm taking now (as opposed to before surgery), so it's a trade-off.

I haven't had a case of them since surgery, but in my family we call them hic-a-burps. (Hiccuburps? Not sure how I'd spell it, actually.)

We're right about the same stage (my surgery was Feb. 15), and pretty close to each other, location-wise. (I'm an hour northeast of STL). I like your ideas for the teriyaki and pizza. So far, my best/most satisfying meal has been mini crustless Hawaiian pizzas with roasted veggies and a clementine -- variety of textures and tastes, so it hits all my buttons for a good meal.

Possibly unconventional but works for me: when I'm craving something from a specific junk food place, such as McDonald's or pizza or whatever, I just go look at their menu online and look at the nutrition stats for whatever I am in the mood to order, and most of the time the combination of looking at the pic/stats is enough to get me past my craving.

To those who are replying to my comment about protein shakes: the person I quote-replied to (who is not the OP) SPECIFICALLY said she’s is on CLEAR liquids right now, not FULL liquids. Of course protein shakes are allowed in the liquid stage, but typically not in the CLEAR liquid stage, because the they are not CLEAR (protein water =/= protein shake).

All plans are different, and some advance to the next stages more quickly, but if your doctor only has you on clear liquids right now, then no, you probably can't have Premier Protein (or any other) shakes at this point.

I had RNY and was back to work 3.5 weeks later (three weeks exactly would've been a Thursday, so I just waited until the following Monday to give myself a few extra days), but I have a desk job.

I'm trying to focus on that, as well, because even though these "small" loss weeks are super frustrating, it's still better than I ever did before surgery.

I just bought wonton wrappers at the store like two hours ago because I keep seeing so many bariatric-friendly recipes using them. Tonight, though, I'm making crustless ham/pineapple pizzas with roasted broccoli/cauliflower/carrots. Both are in the oven right now. https://www.ellaclaireinspired.com/no-crust-pizza-bites/

Yes, it hurts. For me, at least, it's a lot of pressure and a kind of burning sensation (kind of like heartburn but not quite) in the chest. It sometimes passes after 10-30 minutes, or sometimes it lingers until I vomit (but usually it's only a little bit of clear fluid/phleghm, not the actual food, that comes up). It's happened to me a few times, and typically I feel better IMMEDIATELY after I vomit, if that happens.

I'm eight weeks out today, and this morning I got curious and decided to look back and see what my loss has been week-by-week, and lo and behold, I spot a pattern! Surgery: 413 Week 1: 403.4 - down 9.6 Week 2: 387.6 - down 15.8 since Week 1, 25.4 overall Week 3: 381.6 - down 6 since Week 2, 31.4 overall Week 4: 379.8 - down 1.8 since Week 3, 33.2 overall Week 5: 378 - down 1.8 since Week 4, 35 overall Week 6: 372.8 - down 5.2 since Week 5, 40.2 overall Week 7: 371 - down 1.8 since Week 6, 42 overall Week 8: 368.6 - down 2.4 since Week 7, 44.4 overall I would MUCH prefer to have two good weeks followed by one slow week than the reverse, but at least it's still on a downward trend. These less-than-two-pounds weeks are really frustrating!

I really like the flavors I've had, but they do have a strong aftertaste that might turn some people off. I have found individual bottles at Hy-Vee, and you can buy a case of 12 (either all one flavor or a variety pack with three flavors - tropical coconut, grape, and mixed berry) at walmart.com (but not in-store). https://www.walmart.com/ip/Protein2o-Protein-Infused-Water-Variety-Pack-16-9-Fl-Oz-12-Count/54393878

I'll have to try it again next time I go to Springfield.