Search the Community

I don’t have an idea yet how long. Need to lose 13 pounds and then see the nutritionist, psych etc. The pre-surgery diet I was given is a 1200 calorie. 60-80 grams PRO 130 grams Carbohydrates 30-45 grams Fat Breakfast 3 PRO Servings OR 2 PRO plus 1 Yogurt 1 Starch, 1 Fruit, and 1 Fat Lunch Same as above PLUS 2 non-starchy vegetables Dinner 3 PRO 2 Non-Starchy Vegetables 1 Starch, 1 Fruit, and 1 Fat MAX of 2 Yogurts per day

We totally get the "cold" vibes for a couple of months too! 😅 And by cold, I mean we're freezing at 19-20°C—total winter mode for us! I absolutely get in the mood to eat more when it's chilly, but I try to ignore it (or at least manage it) by always having good snacks on hand. Things like beef jerky, Greek yogurt, or even some fruits help keep me from overindulging. Your plan to walk and then snuggle back into bed sounds perfect though! Nothing like getting that movement in and rewarding yourself with a cozy snuggle session. 🥰 You've got this!

Some people can just have a taste but I learned after my sleeve that I am not one of them. I can’t have one slice of pizza or one brownie. Even if I manage to have just one that day I will crave more unhealthy stuff the following days. At bedtime I have been doing the sugar free popsicles. That seems to be working. If you have actual hunger then something with protein would be a better option. Like a Greek yogurt maybe. Can you budget the calories so you can do that. I think the triple zero is only like 80 calories. That should keep you full through the night though.

I didn’t read all the replies but 800 calories doesn’t sound like a lot until you break it down and supply your diet with nutrient dense foods over energy dense ones. Here’s what I would do for an 800 calorie day- Breakfast- 6tbsp egg whites, a medium diced tomato, 2 cups of fresh spinach and 1oz reduced fat cheddar with 1/2 cups blueberries Lunch- a tuna packet mixed with 1tbsp light mayo, on one slice 35calorie keto bread with 2 cups salad greens and half a cup sliced cucumber afternoon snack- protein shake dinner- chili made with 1/2 cup canned kidney beans, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup diced onion, and 1/4 cup diced bell pepper dessert- 1/2 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt mixed with sugar free, fat free pudding mix. Total count- 803 calories, 77g carbs (24.5g fiber), 16g fat, 95g protein

I was also allowed scrambled eggs and I made pureed egg salad (that wasn’t bad). My saving grace were refried beans with a little 2% cheese and the ricotta bake. Just be sure your tomato sauce doesn’t have chunks or that you puree it if so. I got a little kitchen aid food processor. Not cheap but cute enough to leave on the counter and I use it now to make pico and guacamole so it wasn’t a waste (they do make much cheaper ones though if you have room to store it I just have a tiny kitchen). I imagine you could use a blender or nutra bullet in retrospect in a pinch but it doesn’t give you as much control over the consistency. The nutra bullet comes in handy to make drinkable yogurts and smoothies later too. The drinkable yogurt you should be able to do during the puree phase as well (i just used yogurt, fruit and almond milk).

I am sorry to say this but you will either loose hair or you won't. There is nothing you can do about it. Its a fact. Muscle is a different matter, protein does help there. I had a super fierce restriction due to swelling. I had to eat tiny meals about 8 times a day. I split my 3 meals into little pots and as a grazer this may be a way forward for you. I struggled to make my 60 gram protein quota. I survived, and eventually so did my hair. Look for protein yogurts in the supermarket. A 200 gram yogurt will have 24 grams of protein in it. They were a game changer for me.

While I absolutely do not agree that it’s likely you will GAiN weight on 800 calories, 800 Calories can be a pretty good amount of food depending on what you eat. for example this is 757 calories and it’s 100 g of protein. breakfast: Caramel “Proffee” made from a premiere protein caramel shake with iced coffee mixed in. (It’s really good and filling with the protein btw). lunch: three eggs omelette with 2% cheese (1 ounce) and tomatoes and onion (1/2 cup). dinner: grilled chicken breast (3 ounce) and zucchini and onion (1/2 cup). snack: oikos triple zero yogurt I use the Baritastic app and I always have the same breakfast but then before I have lunch I plug in my plan and an idea for dinner to make certain it’s okay macro wise. I do pay some attention to calories but protein, added sugars and fat are more important. I also pay attention to my carbs because on some days my exercise is higher and I actually need to increase them a bit. If your dietician is not asking about your activity and your food choices and inky giving you a cookie cutter plan without real guidance I would be asking more questions. These plans need to be tailored to you specifically. if you are having a difficult time finding foods you like that meet the criteria you are definitely not alone. I had to do a ton of research and trial and error with recipes to find a couple weeks worth of meals that I enjoy and I was doing 900ish calories. I scoured the web and found low calorie recipes and also ways to cut calories from things I knew I enjoyed. Basically type “healthy” in front of anything you like and you should find ways to make a more bariatric friendly version. Some days you may need to reduce calories further by having two shakes or egg whites instead to budget for a higher calorie dinner. I don’t love to cook so I make double batches of things and freeze them in individual portions. this has been my lifesaver. For the 800 calories you may have to do a lot of lower calorie lean meat and veggie type dinners unless you cut calories during lunch. For instance instead of 3 eggs you could do five 5 whites and you could even omit the cheese if you need to cut calories further. i would imagine you could still lose on a little higher calorie budget and you have more flexibility in your menu but it may not be as fast as you would like. Either way, check out Baritastic (or another calorie tracking app). It’s very helpful to see exactly what’s in different food and to play around with these meal ideas on an app because you can add and delete and adjust the measurements to figure out how to make things work to fit your plan.

This is where it can get tough. I hated the waste of products and money as everything was Blahh. TBH there are still a few things that I can't stomach. How much longer are you on liquids only? Contact your team, If they are in office at this time of year. Tell them your struggles and see if they have alternative, if not improvise if you can't stomach the shakes a day longer. You need the nutrients. Can you drink Full Skimmed milk ? This has a surprisingly a lot of protein. To add more protein add a spoon of yogurt, dried milk powder or I flavored it with PB2 powder and banana. There is also consomme, boullion and bone broths. They don't have as many calories as protein shakes or milk but you need to get food in you. Once you get a little further along it gets easier, I promise. Others who used shakes will give you other pointers but the Fairlife brand does seem to me one they advocate, so fingers crossed for you there.

Thank you so much for writing me back. I am glad to know I am doing ok. I will try the greek yogurt liquid if I can get to the store. And that's a helpful meeasurement ( protei+ carb). for future. I will try not to stress.

You’re doing fine! I am 142 days post op. I was able to walk short distances on day 4-5(about 2 mile). Around day 15, I could walk 7-10k steps daily pretty easily. There was a bit of pain like a stomach cramp but it wasn’t too much just an uncomfortable lump in the stomach while I walked hard or fast. As for the soup thing, I know this isn’t good advice but this is what I did to stay a bit sane. I used to put a small piece of something in my mouth would chew and then spit it out. To get my tastebuds out of their torture. You could try fat free Greek yogurt to alternate between your soup flavors. 1 cup of yogurt, mix with water and salt to taste and enjoy your sour yogurt. As for the carb and fat thing you’re still in the recovery phase so don’t really worry about that. Once you reach day 30 and can eat normally, the goal would be to eat a similar ratio of carbs and protein daily. Example: 100g of protein and 100g of carbs. Don’t be afraid of carbs and fats though! They fuel the body and help the organs work! You need them to have energy to do stuff!

I tried lots of pureed foods but as I had already had issues with food smells, the look of pureed food was not for me. I managed home made thick blended soups with lentils and cheese for the protein. It was an unpleasant time for me. On here I heard about protein yogurt and puddings. Life savers. Just do the best you can because it isn't the best time of year when there is so much food around.

Mostly protein shakes, yogurt and soups.

I've kind of had a breakthrough this morning. I took the meds on an empty stomach because I'm supposed to take them at least a half hour before food. About 10 minutes later, I felt like I was starving, but because I was on my bike and cycling to work, I knew I would have to wait to until I got to work in 20 minutes to eat anything. But the "starving feeling" just stopped after about 5 minutes. I think I've spent so much of life thinking "any sensation in my stomach means I need to eat". And then I had a yogurt about half an hour later and I feel completely full. So I think if I get any sensations in my stomach, I need to wait and actually see what it means and wait about 20 minutes.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply 💝 The Sugar probably from my no added sugar fruit yogurt. I stopped added sugar for 8 month now, about the same time I stopped drinking pop which was one of my biggest problems. I had GERD and i thought pop helping me when in fact it was making it worse "a fact i was told when i was admitted to hospital because of GERD". I will ask my team about the fat intake .

I wouldn’t even listen to that surgeon if you feel good and you’re still losing and you’re doing your activity honestly he’s just putting you in as if you’re a statistic. I really hate it when doctors do that. It’s like either. They think you’re lying about what you’re eating or they just assume that one thing works for everyone at the exact same rate. i’m doing OK I posted in another thread that I do have some medical stuff going on. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer so I have been juggling my weight loss and fitness along with a whole lot of doctors appointments and scans and chemo. Surprisingly I think that it is my yoga and my walking that have kept me sane. I did stop doing my cardio class because they told me that the chemotherapy is extremely dehydrating and it was important to not get myself to warm like to avoid being out in the sun for a long time or anything like that and as I already mentioned on here before I sweat quite a bit When I work out. I am fighting the urge to have carbs since Thanksgiving, but part of that I believe is the steroids I get with my chemo. They told me it wouldn’t be an issue because I would be nauseous anyways and I wouldn’t be able to eat much but I haven’t been nauseous one day so far knock on wood. The chemotherapy actually seems to have increased my metabolism to wear, even though I am eating little things off plan and exercising a bit less I am still losing weight. They assigned me an oncology dietitian who told me that she does not want me to lose more than I was losing before the chemo, which is about 2 to 3 pounds a week. At first I dropped like 6 pounds and we were pretty worried but I honestly think it was just water weight or something. anyways, it’s been a challenge as I’m sure it has been for everyone to juggle whatever life events. Everyone else is dealing with, but I’m getting through it. My habits of packing food like turkey, jerky and cheese sticks and protein shakes or yogurt smoothies, and taking with me and freezing things have been my lifesavers. I don’t always exactly want to eat that and I’m giving myself a little bit of grace right now because of my circumstance but trying not to be too forgiving at the same time. I am actually doing my walk right now because I was out of town for a doctors appointment today and then I went and did a wig fitting because I’ve lost my hair for most of it anyways and I literally just walked in the door and ate my salad that I picked up on the way home for my dinner. I’ve got to get this done and get to bed early because I have yoga first thing in the morning. I am honestly just so thankful that I started this weight loss journey when I did and that my nutrition and fitness are in such a better place because I really truly feel like that is helping me already and it will continue to help me get through all of this anyways, I really hope everyone else is doing OK as well. It’s a crazy roller coaster for sure but we’ve got this!!

I wasn’t going to discuss this on these boards since I don’t want to turn the discussion away from weight loss. I figured I would talk cancer at the cancer support group and weight related stuff here, but I am quickly realizing that it’s very much intertwined. I had my revision surgery to SADI on 8/7/2024 and I felt something on my breast in the shower in September. I went to gyno, got sent to get a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound and then biopsies and it came back as cancer 11/6/2024 (about 4 months post op). A few days later I was with the breast surgeon and was told it was triple negative and it’s very aggressive so the process is a little different for me in that it’s all very fast moving but it’s pretty much the same collection of treatments for most cancer I believe. I am currently two rounds into chemotherapy and just started immunotherapy and also doing appointments for all kinds of scans and imaging as well as meeting the rest of my doctors and setting up my future treatments which will be double mastectomy, then radiation and then maybe oral chemo. Basically I have not sat down since I learned the diagnosis and I have had to learn a tremendous amount very fast to make some pretty heavy decisions very quickly to keep the ball rolling. It’s been a whirlwind From a bariatric standpoint things have been incredibly challenging. For one my appointments are all over Florida. I have a medical oncologist, a breast surgeon, a cosmetic breast surgeon, a radiation oncologist, and a second opinion oncologist and now a gynocologist in the mix but that’s pretty specific to me. So far and I have had to have imaging done at 3 different places as well since it’s all been so rushed it’s just about who can get me in the soonest and then since these places aren’t connected I have to wait around for records and discs and carry them all to each of my appointment to make sure everyone has everything I have been traveling non stop with little time to prepare things so prioritizing my nutrition and exercise has been a huge challenge just in terms of time. There are just not enough hours in the day!! Then there is the chemo, the shot that builds up your white blood cells, and the immunotherapy infusion which also take time (2-3 different appointments depending on how it works out that week) but also all of this effects my cravings and energy. First there is the fact that I have to be on steroids which we all know are the enemy of weight loss but also the fact that eating is different. I consider myself very fortunate that food doesn’t taste bad to me and nausea is not an issue like it is for so many but it’s still not the same. I crave something very specific. I taste it and it’s good but I eat three bites and don’t want it anymore. My refrigerator is a leftover graveyard lol. In terms of energy I am on the strongest treatment regimen the oncologist says so fatigue sorta goes with the territory. I have been walking everyday still except for the biopsy day and my chemo port surgery day and I have done my yoga when my schedule permits but I have not done my cardio class because I think I sweat too much considering how dehydrating the chemo already is. Also I can’t touch community stuff for 24 hours after chemo without possibly exposing others to the chemo drug and we use balls, bars, discs, etc. Also more recently there is the fact that I have lost about 85% of my hair and I get too hot to wear a hat. I think once I’m bald it will actually look better and I am going to try really hard to just get over that but right now I don’t look like I have cancer. It just looks like a botched hair cut to me so I’m living in hats. The good news is it’s going very fast. It started falling out last week and it’s almost gone already so by next week I think I will just be bald. Well, yesterday I did totally forget to exercise with all that I had going on and I’m feeling guilty today now that I remembered but I know that’s silly. I am just hoping that as treatment goes on I am able to keep up my exercise. All the doctors say it’s good to keep pushing myself just not too hard. Exercise and good nutrition are going to make this alot easier on me. Back to food again. Not sure if it’s just the stress of the whole situation or the fact that chemo puts you into early menopause but Thursday was a particularly bad day. My moods were erratic to say the least and I had a bunch of blood drawn after having nothing but a protein shake all day so at 7pm I was pretty much famished by the time we stopped to eat. Olive Garden was the most convenient option and I planned soup and salad but when I got in there that went out the window. I went totally off plan. Again I feel guilty but these darn steroids and all the crazy emotions are making it so much harder to make the better choices when it’s staring at me tempting me I did still get my protein for the day though if there is any good in that What’s really hard about this is that even with the pasta and bread I am actually still losing weight so for my previously obese brain it’s tempting to not just enjoy that while it lasts. But I know that the processed crap is not good for my body, especially right now. I don’t feel as good since I have not been exercising as much and I’ve been eating off plan. I don’t sleep as well at night and I seem to crave more and more junk as well as have less energy throughout the day. thankfully my program has provided to me free of charge an oncology dietician, but I am her first patient who is actively still in weight loss phase undergoing chemo. She had agreed to check in with me once a week since this is new for both of us and she seems amazing so far. She suggested that I do not lose more than two to three pounds a week which was my average before the chemo. Because the chemo has apparently sped up my metabolism she says that I need to increase calories but to add healthy ones which is extremely difficult because adding calories goes against all we just learned and over 2000 calories of healthy food is a very large volume of food that my body is just not wanting right now (I was eating around 900-1000 before this and already felt like I was eating all day. And remember that most of these meals are on the road these days so I have to eat what I can fit in a cooler or stop somewhere on the side of the highway most times. Not easy to find clean healthy food on the road. Enough stating the obvious that it’s tough, here’s what I actually have to offer so far in terms of advice. First thing when I wake up in the morning I have a protein shake which is a really good head start to the day and if I am lucky enough to still be around a couple of hours later I have a second breakfast instead of waiting until there’s time to eat on whatever adventure the day brings. That helps with the protein if I don’t have time to stop at all. Although recently the shakes haven’t gone down so well so I just wake up and have scrambled eggs with 2% cheese and whatever leftover veggies are on hand.. If I know I won’t have time for that I also have some boiled eggs In the fridge that I can eat real fast or slice up with some cheese and take on the go. I carry in my cooler a high protein yogurt drink, chomps pepperoni flavored turkey jerky and baby bell light or mozzarella sticks. It helps to put the ice pack in a ziplock with these items if you live where it gets hot. I also carry a bag with high protein snacks quest protein chips, kind minis, cliff minis, pistachio nuts, nut butter packets, quest cheddar cheese crackers, granola to add to yogurt, etc Freezer meals!! Omg. I was doing these before my diagnosis and they were super convenient then and have been a lifesaver now. I have tex med chili, chicken chili, turkey meatballs, turkey taco meat, grilled chicken, meatloaf, etc in the freezer and it’s all measured and weighed out so that I can pop in the fridge the night before or even jet defrost in microwave if need be. When I have time to cook I do double batches so I can keep my freezer stock replenished. I have a note in my phone notes that it titled In freezer and I just keep adding to it what I freeze and how many portions are in there so if I’m not home I can check my freezer stock. I also do a version of meal prep with chick fila as well I like their market and southwest salads (I get the market one without the blue cheese) I buy one of each with two extra chicken fillets and take them home and I make four salads out of that. I take off all the toppings with a bit of lettuce and put into a smaller container to make a market salad and do the same with the southwest. Then I put the leftover lettuce with the chicken into another container and I have fresh shredded Parmesan in snack ziplocks and ceaser dressing also in ziplocks (sorta less pleasant looking but I figure less risk if bacteria than them tiny containers which are hard to get really clean since I am immunocompromised and infection is so dangerous right now) i cut off a corner and squeeze it out like an icing bag. I just use half of the packets of dressing with the market and southwest salads and then toss the rest. I have the ziplock containers that have the twist top lids and these are easy to toss into the cooler when they do not open at all I still log my macros in Baritastic this has really been helpful for me to be honest about what I’m eating with my oncology dietician so she can keep me on track . It also lets you log your activity, weight, inches lost and set notifications for vitamins and stuff. I added a reminder to put on my fitness watch and to take my regular meds too I also carry my water with me and I set alarms again to drink. You have to wear a mask and for me that seems to make me drink like a quarter as much as I do without one so I have to have reminders again. Vitamins need alarms too. Chemo brain is a real thing and when your days is never the same it’s hard to have a routine anyways so I actually have alarms for just about everything in life right now. I made different tones for water, vitamins and appointments and I have a checklist to go over before I leave the house to make sure I did and packed everything. My friend and family also have reminders for me in their phones for the real important stuff and they call or text to make sure I haven’t forgotten. I just found out that two of the programs I belong too offer virtual yoga sessions. I haven’t tried it yet because they are at set times as well but I added them to my calendar as recurring appts just like the live one so I can attend whichever one I have time for. Someone else suggested you tube for videos but I haven’t tried that either. Yoga by the way is my only sense of calm throughout all of this so I HIGHLY recommend it. That and meditation I know that both of these sound a little fruity before you give them a good fair try and meditation takes a lot of practice before it really Did anything for me but I swear my mind runs non stop with anxiety and worry and for that one hour I’m in yoga or the few minutes I’m meditating it is at peace. It’s amazing!! So I am a little over a month into this and I’ve got a good year and a half to go if all goes well so I’m sure I will have more to add to this but I just wanted to pop In and share what my experience has been juggling a new cancer diagnosis while pretty early out from bariatric surgery. I hope this helps someone. Even if it’s less advice and more to let you know that you are not alone in the struggle.

Hey, it sounds like you're being really honest with yourself, and that’s a huge win already. First off, give yourself some grace—holidays and steroids can make things tricky, and you're not gaining, so that’s something to celebrate. You’re right about the carb cravings; sometimes, it’s just a matter of pushing through for a few days until they’re not as strong. Maybe focus on protein-packed meals for the next few days—chicken, eggs, Greek yogurt, whatever you love—and keep some healthy snacks handy to avoid temptation when the cravings hit. Drinking a lot of water can also help curb those sneaky cravings. Also, let go of what happened yesterday. You can’t change it, but you can decide how today goes. Every choice you make now matters more than anything that happened before. Maybe plan your meals ahead for the next day or two, so you feel more in control. And girl, prioritizing fitness during a busy time? That’s major. You’re proving to yourself that you’re not the same person you used to be. Keep focusing on that consistency—you’re doing better than you think. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. You’ve got this!

I do the really lean beef with 2% cheese as a cheeseburger wrap on them low carb wraps and that doesn’t make me have any crazy cravings afterwards. They even sell really small ones if your portions are still tiny. Do you have any low carb wraps available to you? It tastes kinda dry to me so I spread a bit of avocado on the wrap but if you need a lower fat option you could also do like salsa or some pico de gallo with the lettuce to add some moisture. Or a yogurt dressing. I don’t know why I am just thinking of that. I would probably really like it with the yogurt ranch.

I'm scheduled for the 10th. I officially start my liver shrinking diet today, though in reality, I started last week. I knew there would be some minor hiccups and I wanted them out of the way so I can be 100% on track with what my dr requests starting today. He has me on a 3 week liver shrink diet as my BMI is over 50. The way he sets it up is: Breakfast - Premier Protein Shake Mid Morning Snack - 1 cup melon or berries (or 1/2 cup other fruits) Lunch - Premier Protein Shake Mid Afternoon Snack - Premier Protein Shake OR 1 of the following: 6 oz light yogurt, 1/2c cottage cheese, 4 oz tuna, 1 string cheese, or 1 oz low fat jerky Dinner - 4-6 oz lean protein + 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked non-starchy vegetables I'm finding that I do well until that mid afternoon snack, then I'm wanting something more substantial. I might be scheduled a week before you, but I'm here if you want to chat at all!

Everyone’s liver shrink diet is pretty different. Some have all shakes and others are basically just high protein/ low carb. Did your team give you any paperwork? They usually include a very specific list of foods that you are allowed to eat. Finding a couple of protein shakes you like will be a good start though, those are good for most pre op diets, immediately post surgery and even down the road they are ideal to have on hand for unexpected times. I carry a cooler full of water and at least one protein shake or yogurt drink with me whenever I am out so that if I find myself stuck out and don’t have time or can’t find anything on plan I can just have that. I also have a ziplock with a variety of protein snacks that I bring when I know it will be an unpredictable day. Don’t stock up on too many shakes of the same kind though, your tastes may change a bit after surgery. Especially for sweets stuff. Convenience stores are a good way to try singles of a variety of shakes unless you know someone who will drink the rest of the ones you don’t prefer. One tip if your allowed sugar free popsicles is that the tropical flavors are Amazing. Soooo much better than the traditional flavors I thought.

@NickelChip I do snack on nuts, sometimes use them for breakfast with non fat Greek yogurt with some fruit. Coffee I drink 1-2 times a week with non fat milk and no sugar syrup. Once a week I have a meal in restaurant and allow myself to have whatever I am craving with portion that I can tolerate. I do allow myself to indulge once in a while, so I don’t get crazy carvings, but to be honest I don’t even order unhealthy food when I eat out. I crave for more quality food now. You are so right that I do feel like I m in a size that is close to my goal weight . I feel like I look very close to my goal weight, but the scale says other wise. I never wanted to be skinny skinny, but just healthy in my own way. I keep imagine myself without the excess skin and think that I would be happy after that. 160-170lbs looking is where I want to be. I’ve been obsessed with researching for plastic surgeries. I do know it’s not something I should do now, I would want to wait for at least another 6 months and evaluate then.

Hi, Sorry you're experiencing this, but I am quite sure that it is very early out for you to be having regular food at 2.5 weeks. Every single region I have researched heavily emphasizes on waiting at least 6 weeks until you can have regular food (whatever you were able to eat prior to WLS). At 2.5 weeks blended soups and Greek yogurt felt like a brick in my stomach. If you could maybe wait a few more weeks and stay on pureed/soft foods then please do, you could harm your staples eating solids so early on.

My surgeon did not agree with protein shakes so I never had them. I drank full skim milk instead. There is a lot more protein in it than you would imagine. Make your own shakes with fruit, esp banana, peanut butter, greek yogurt. I could manage PB2 powder. Good luck.

I do like the Iceland brand (sells to n the U.S. too) Including their "yogurt" cheese!

Not that familiar with the switch surgery but I presume it would be the same for all surgeries in that after the surgery there is a new "standard" to meal sizes. If you went back to eating what would be a normal size meal pre-op you would probably make yourself ill and uncomfortable as you can't fit the food in. I am almost a year and a half out (sleeve) and if I had to have a sandwich I would have half per meal but I am trying to stay away from bread/pasta/rice as much as possible as they take up space in my smaller stomach that should have proteins as the priority. I was in the US recently and was happy to see that Pret did half portions so I just got their one half chicken and avocado to have when on the go. For me I still find that for breakfast a yogurt, for lunch and dinner 150ml/3oz of food with a small snack a while later is sufficient for me main meal wise. I think have protein drink or bar as snacks if needed. When eating out I usually just have a starter and would not always finish. If ordering a main course I usually manage 1/3, or 1/2 if it is a small one, and bring the rest home.