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Here are some food ideas I've been enjoying this summer, along with some tips to make the prep super fast. I call these "recipes" (in quotes) because they don't include measurements (except the last one). They're more meant to serve as inspiration. My first tip is that, I've been buying pre-cooked quinoa and brown rice recently and keeping it in the freezer until I'm ready to use it. Brown rice (or your favorite grain, farro would be lovely) can be swapped for quinoa in any of these "recipes", though quinoa has the least carbs and highest Protein of the bunch (since it's a seed, not a grain). Quinoa is really easy to cook, and if you make a big batch you can portion and freeze the left overs. But the pre-cooked version is great when you're too tired to even boil Water. Cheesy Quinoa: - Mix prepared quinoa with skim milk, or fat free yogurt, and your favorite sharp melting cheese. Pop in the microwave and stir regularly. I like to add some veg for Fiber and Vitamins too. Chopped tomato, broccoli, or zucchini are my favs. For an extra boost of vegetarian protein throw in some canned black Beans. -- I like to keep frozen veg on hand for times like this, and I buy pre-shredded extra sharp cheddar (a small grating of fresh, real, Parmesan cheese adds a nice nutty saltiness too) Summer Caprese - Fill your (small) plate with really good fresh mozzarella cheese (tear it from the ball, don't slice, for a rustic feel), the best summer tomatoes you can find, and fresh summer corn. Top with olive oil, course salt, fresh ground pepper, and your favorite fresh herbs if you have them on hand. You'll get protein from the cheese, healthy fat from the olive oil, and fiber and nutrition from the veg. Yum! - I love to have fresh corn in the summer - I throw them in the oven with husks still on right on the oven grates, then store in the fridge in gallon size bags. Frozen, defrosted corn would work fine too though Quinoa Kale Pesto with Shrimp - Some time many months ago I was feeling ambitious and made a kale pesto, and froze the left overs in an ice cube tray, that now sit in a baggie in my freezer (to be inspired, the "recipe" included kale, bacon fat, pecans and Parmesan cheese). Recently I broke out a few cubes, mixed with pre-cooked quinoa, pre-cooked frozen/defrosted shrimp, and some pieces of frozen kale. You can sub a store-bought or fresh pesto of your choosing. I heated it up (microwave) with some anchovy slices for an extra Omega hit and salty kick. I was able to split one small bowl between Breakfast and lunch because it filled me up so much Quinoa Chickpea Sardine salad - in this case I'm using salad as in "tuna salad" or "egg salad", not as in lettuce salad - This one packs a macro-nutrient punch, though it doesn't have any veg the way I made it (celery, or tomato would be good though) - Mix canned chickpeas with quinoa, and a tin of sardines (I used the kind packed in olive oil, but don't pour all the oil in). I then mixed well with some all-natural mayo, and seasoned with salt, pepper, celery seed, and dried thyme. I'm trying to work seafood into my diet more, so this was a great way to get some in. The quinoa, sardines and chickpeas all have protein, and the sardines, oil, and chickpeas have healthy fat. And the mayo, in moderation, is just there because it tastes good! (The brand I bought actually has 25% DV of Vitamin E per serving - so that is slightly redeeming) And finally, last but not least, one of my favorite things I ever learned how to cook: Cheese Sauce. It comes out so creamy and delicious I promise skim milk works great. This sauce is amazing mixed with spaghetti squash which...you can cook whole in the microwave (just be sure to pierce it with a knife to avoid explosion)! Yum. I swear you will not miss the pasta! It goes great on anything you want cheesy. Cheese Sauce (this is an actual recipe - scale up or down using the proportions below) - Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil or butter, 1 tbsp flour, 1 cup skim milk, 1 oz grated sharp melting cheese, salt to taste - Heat the oil/butter in a pot, and add the flour and cook slightly until the flour is fully incorporated and a light caramel color. - Slowly whisk in the milk, ensuring the flour mixture dissolves - Keep whisking over med-low heat until the mixture becomes thick and creamy (this is a bechamel!) - Add your cheese until it melts and salt to taste - This recipe take some actual work unlike the others, but it's so tasty it's hard to pass up I hope these ideas can serve as inspiration! Meal prep doesn't have to be hard. The freezer and microwave can be your friend, without reaching for processed meals.

9/25 was my same surgery date. I added canned chicken to cream soups. Some other things I'm eating now: tuna salad, egg salad, mashed avocado on liquid egg whites, vegetarian refried beans, cream of wheat with skim milk and protein power, sugar free jello with protein powder, chicken salad (canned not just cooked), I've blended vegetable beef soup, mashed sweet potato, cottage cheese, pureed baked eggplant with marinara.

If you're still on liquids, realize it will be over soon. It's a little easier to get enough Protein on mushies - just make the highest protein choices. And once you're on solids it's very straightforward! My typical solids day would include an egg and a (veggie) sausage patty, a roll-up sandwich with 2-4 oz meat or fish, and a dinner meal with 2-4 oz solid vegetarian/meat/fish/shellfish entree. Hope that helps!

Would you all be interested in a forum where you could discuss vegetarian and vegan options without any pressure? We'd of course have an emphasis on getting in as much B12, Protein, etc. as possible but without the pressure thrown at us to have meat. I know I felt uncomfortable with my surgeon who always pushed those things or just Beans at me when I couldn't do them.

I use Ensure Max on ice. It doesn't taste great but if I drink 2 per day I get all my protein. As I'm only 30 days out I can't eat my protein at 1/3 cup of food. Ice seems to make it taste better. I've also used vegetarian protein and that seems to be better. It is hard to get 60g of protein a day. Unfortunately I don't know of any protein pill.

Hello you all! I see a few faces out there that I knew many years ago here. I used to be a host, and even got an award for most followed post! Its been a while. I first joined this forum in 2010. My pic shows me with red hair… its white now! I had a VSG in January of 2011. I entered this plan as a vegetarian, and maintained that status until about a year ago when I upped my game to Vegan eating (Did you know you can drink Coke and eat Oreos and still be vegan?). 7 weeks ago I upped it again and I follow a Whole Food Plant Based diet. It is also vegan eating, but cuts out not only meat and dairy, but any highly refined product including oils, refined sugar, white flour and rice, you get the picture. It is high Carb and low fat. It took me about two years after surgery to get about 65 pounds off (I only had 80-90 to lose) and then started to gain. I gained about 20, trying different diet changes along the way… then started using the 5/2 semi fasting method, and lost the rest in the following year eating an average of 1000 cal a day. So it took me three years to get to goal. Loved it. At last, I felt like the person in the mirror was me. That didn't last long. Slowly,over years, I gained much of the weight back. Eating less didn’t work like it had. I did eat more crap, but much of the time was on calorie counting staying under 1200 cals without much success. I got up to between 20-30 pounds under my highest weight, and managed to keep that much off for the last 8 years. This is a success. I have never been able to do that before. I can eat less, my stomach allows for much more food than it did the two years after surgery, but it still can give me a full signal faster than before surgery. This is a win. I am not sorry I got the surgery. In April of this year (2019) I found out I had breast cancer. In a whirlwind, I went to a ton of appointments and ended up quickly in surgery for a lumpectomy with 2 nodes removed, then a month of daily radiation. I am lucky to have caught it early, and my prognosis is good. Nothing like a kick in the ass to get you back on board a more healthy lifestyle. I was recommended to go to a “survival coach” appointment with Kaiser. I was told they would talk to me about lifestyle changes that would amend my other treatments. So, I found myself in the office at the appointment.(July 19th 2019). I met one on one with Dr. Earnie Bodai and a Nutritionist. He went through my prognosis, not just for Cancer but heart disease, stroke and diabetes. He gave me statistics, and suggestions, and told me I was much more likely to die from other things before I died from breast cancer. He said I would most benefit from eating a Whole Food Plant Based diet. He gave me the research to support it. He handed me over to the nutritionist who filled me in on the details. I had heard about this type of lifestyle before, but didn’t think I could follow it. Nothing like Cancer and a convincing bunch of information to make change easier! I switched to the WFPB diet imdeiately. Thats been just 2 months now. I have done a ton of research to back up what he told me. I ate a ton of food. I didn’t count calories. I traveled for two weeks over seas and managed to stay on plan. I watched ‘forks over knifes’ and ‘What the health’, I went and had labs done after following the plan for a month. My labs came back drastically better… in just one month. I had been a vegan before the labs, but the new small changes in my diet made a HUGE difference. My glucose dropped from 123 to 108… and should continue to drop as time goes by. My total cholesterol dropped 47 points. In one month of eating this way. I have been trying to control my cholesterol for years by other dietary changes. My LDL dropped from 175 to 139…. And yes, at almost two months on plan, eating so much delicious food, I have lost 15 pounds. Just saying. Im doing this with my older sleeve. Its working well. I don’t think I could have done this when my sleeve was newer, as you have to really EAT to have this plan work. I told my nutritionist that I had the sleeve and wondered if I could eat the TWO pounds of veg a day the plan recommended… She said “Start Eating, Eat often if necessary, Don’t worry about protein, your health will improve.” Thats what I have been doing and it works. If any of you out there are at the point where you can eat a lot more than early on in the sleeve process, this plan may work for you too. I am not a DR.. Do your research. I looked up my Survival Dr, Earnie Bodai on line, he said he had some medical papers published on breast cancer and diet, almong other topics, and found out the man is more than just a Dr. He is the Dr. that single handedly got the Breast Cancer stamp approved in the United States and now its being approved by other countries as well. He may well have saved hundreds of thousands of peoples lives through his many good works. I trust his research and recommendations to me. Here is his story if you are interested. https://youtu.be/KlToZUJg4kg Here is the plan I am following now. There are many others that are similar out there. Just look up Whole Food Plant Based diet. The success stories are legion. http://www.kphealthyme.com/Healthy-Eating-Active-Living-Programs/Education-libraries/Plant-Based-Diet.aspx

Thanks, Keepinfaith and New Diva 2008. The water and protein shake sound like it might be my best bet. I have found several vegetarian/vegan protein drinks and thought about mixing them with soymilk (which isn't real portable if you want it cold) but water would work with some of them. I also found a self stirring mug that I hope will be a great portable alternative to a blender.

I have read on the boards of some people doing a mini restart for their sleeve...doing 1 day of Water, 2 days of Protein shakes & then on to other foods. I think lets your sleeve rest & reset a little bit. I also have a hard time getting in my protein, but that is because I am a vegetarian. I too have a greak yogurt every day. Instead of regular Peanut Butter I use PB2. It is a powdered peanut butter that has 85% less fat & calories than peanut butter but a full 5 grams of protein. I also use the PB2 in a shake that I make with almond milk, chocolate Protein powder, frozen banana & PB2. It is so delicious with lots of protein that doesn't taste like a Protein Shake. Another good tip I got from my NUT is eating lightly salted edamame (roasted soy beans). You only need 70 eat 1/4 of a cup for a full 14 grams of protein. Low fat string cheese too. So my average menu looks something like this for protein: Breakfast: 1 cup almond milk 2g 1 scoop protein powder 15g 2 tbsp. PB2 5g Lunch: Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt 16g 2tbsp. PB2 5g Snack: 1/4 cup edamame 14g Dinner: Veggies - no protein Snack: 2 Polly-O sting cheese 2% 16g That menu is a total of 73 grams of protein with absolutely no meat, very little carbs or sodium. My NUT is looking for 60-70 g of protein per day. Everything I have eaten, she has approved. Even when the day comes to 73 she said it's okay, but not to push it too much higher. I don't eat the exact same thing every day. Sometimes, for example, I substitute carrots & roasted red pepper hummus for the string cheese. That gives me 61 g per day. I know that this a long reply, but I am hoping that maybe even 1 of these things might help. I think that they are all fairly easy on the stomach & also for digestion. Meat is much harder to break down. You are doing awesome with your loss so far! Congratulations.

Welcome to the site Many of us have experienced a weight gain. Its great that you have reached out and working on getting it back down. Pouch reset is going back to liquids and progressing back out to real food stage. (It does not shrink your pouch) It may help you feel your restriction a bit. Its one way to help get back to healthy behaviors. Another option is to start at real food stage if you feel reset is too restrictive. Some choose to change diet plans Keto, paleo, vegetarian,IF, whole 30 etc. Only my opinion. Whatever diet you choose, The key is logging your food in an app and staying with in your weight loss calories/macros. Basics: Food plan, exercise, hydrate You know what to do but it may be difficult to get your head back in the game. A few threads on the site that may help. https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/425354-the-importance-of-doing-the-head-work/?tab=comments#comment-4776743 https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/428113-🍁-oct-2019-challenge-🍁/?tab=comments#comment-4815439

I am not a fan of the restrictions of being a vegan but have considered being a vegetarian. Time will only tell. And for the time being I have found some "milk" options. I just have to look at every label of everything I buy. Grocery trip are going to take a bit longer lol Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

Trust me - you don't have to like meat --- I was 'born' to be a vegetarian - I never liked meat as a child - always had a hard time eating it - the 'only' meat I eat now is turkey and chicken. The one concern I see you might have is making sure you get protein into your body with the band - you are absolutely right about that - carbs gone is a good thing! I am not banded, as I've said before, but I read 'everything' in LBT --- if you haven't already you will want to consult with a dietician about healthy vegetarian choices when you can eat regular food after a few weeks. Best wishes - I'm so excited for you - 4 days wow!

:hungry: I really wish I could eat meat, I really do. I'm so scared of it. It repulses me. Sometimes it smells good, but I just can't. I feel if I did eat it then it would kick start my metabolism and I would eat so many less carbs. I am still on pre-op diet but I'm reflecting on what got me here. I am really looking forward to the band and not being able to eat bread and pasta anymore, due to what I here about the dreaded PB's. I think that alone would keep me from doing it, but who knows what the dreadful mind will do? Well, 4 days to LB surgery...I wish I would wake up and tomorrow would be the day...

One of the biggest downfalls of the standard American diet is that most of what we eat now is processed in a factory, and we have no recall of what real food tastes like. It just takes a while to get used to real food in it's natural state. Macaroni, bread, and crackers don't grow on vines. You may need to find some Youtube cooking videos or monitor some Paleo or Primal sites like Mark's Daily Apple. Eggface is a good site and is mentioned here often. I was 54 before I ever tasted an avocado, sunchoke, artichoke, asparagus, olive oil, hummus, pomegranate, squash, zuchinni, quinoa, cayenne, coconut milk, almond milk, Greek yogurt, ricotta, asiago cheese, gouda cheese, feta cheese, mascarpone, muenster, neufechatel, dill, pesto, tahini, green tea, kale, eggplant, jicama, tomatillos, shitake mushrooms, capers, tofu, basmati rice, black eyed peas, cannellini Beans, endamame, and prosciutto. This does not include casseroles and Entrees that I was used to, but had never been made from scratch with fresh ingredients. How did that happen? I grew up on TV dinners, Pop Tarts, hot dogs and Kraft macaroni and Cheese because my mother did not enjoy cooking. Eight years ago I met my boyfriend who is a Maltese citizen. He has intoduced me to the Mediterranean style of cooking. Between him and my daughter who became a vegetarian, I have been exposed to all of those foods that I had only heard of but had never tried. Nope, I did not like them all, and I still think tofu is disgusting, but almost everything else is delicious - and I had no idea. So, be brave. Try new stuff and get adventurous in the kitchen. You aren't doomed a life of boiled chicken and unsalted geen beans. I wish you good luck and good health.

Wow it sounds like you have a lot going on and are stuck in a rough patch. Your weight loss is AMAZING so it makes me sad that you are obsessing over food. But I get it. I too have been treated for anxiety and depression for years but don't think weight loss is going to magically make it go away (my doctor suggested same thing- kinda scary how they glaze right over the head stuff part huh?) and I'm trying very hard to keep my little brain busy. I'm a huge reader and wow, does that help!!! I'm reading an author by the name of Jen Lamcaster. She has several books starting with Bright Lights, Big Ass. I literally cry tears when reading it because she's got so many issues (weight being one of them) and her approach to life is so different than mine it kinda wakes me up, ya know? She has a huge ego and mouth to match and rises to the top of her career when she comes crashing down and learns a whole heap of humility. I don't know, the Jen Books just take my mind off my stuff even for a moment and I can get a better perspective of what's what. I've recommended her to bunches of women and they all say the same thing. Gosh girl... 139 down and still dealing with obsession- it just goes to show how hard we are on ourselves don't you think? I do and it makes me so sad and frustrated!! And I've noticed sometimes instead of just a kind word people want to turn everything INTO something huge. Ugh. So other than the Jen Books have you ever taken a yoga class? They are everywhere and sometimes you can find a teacher who is good enough to teach the basics (not all this crazy gym yoga) breathing, being mindful, stretching they can all be super empowering. For the past 10 years i go to an ashram in the Bahamas for a few days by myself and hit the reset button. It's great because there are people there from all over the world and no one judges, they are just there to take a step back from their crazy lives and prioritize. Plus it's stunning and relatively inexpensive! And there are only 2 meals a day and they are yummy vegetarian which i normally don't go for but there, it's amazing!!! I always come back a few pounds down and leave something that's been bothering me (maybe a bad habit) there on the beautiful beach on Paradise island. I trust the waves to take care of it. . Keep in touch and let me know how you are feeling, ok? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

And in some ways I feel that I am not tight enough. I haven't tried bread, but a bit of rice and a few bites of zuchinni bread hasn't bother me like I think it should. But the Proteins..... salmon or tuna with mayo - hard time............. steamed or broiled fish, salmon and halibut - hard time chicken - hard time.............. certainly beef (which I expected) - hard time................ meatloaf - hard time In fact, I might consider moving to Mexico, chili is the only thing that doesn't seem to bother me. Either that or embrace my inner vegetarian and eat tofu......... Yes, I might be taking too big of bites, and yeeeeeeeeeeeeeees I might not be chewing enough. So will watch that. Anyone else experience this?

I'm about 4 months post op and my biggest challenge has been my inability to eat meat. It just doesn't sit well with me anymore & it makes me sad:(. Let's face it, I'm a southern born black girl and we will fry up, smother or sautee anything with 4 legs:). I can't do steak at all & only dark chicken, which I'm not a huge fan of. It's frustrating. I think I may have to just stick to seafood & vegetarian style dishes. My fav go to snack is chex mix cereal, wheat or cinnamon. I put it in a plastic bag & through it in my purse. Buying the cereal is cheaper than the pre-made snack bags, plus you can add your own goodies if you like. I also eat a ton of Luch meat as a snack. I'm sorta a rebel when it comes to drinking, I still drink during my meal & it doesn't seem to effect me. I don't drink as much but I do take a few sips.

this is one of the hardest things that i have to deal with as well . for bfast i have a small black coffee first.. .and five minutes after i have some Protein. other meals i have to wait for a drink.. thats hard.on monday just gone i had the worst episode of being stuck i could imagine. my tummy wasnt feeling all that great over that weekend... i should have known what was going to come.. gastritis has been going around here. anyway, i ate a piece of steak which was well cooked and moist. i must have eaten too quickly because it soon became apparent that i had to stop eating. this was about 6pm. there after, for at least four hours, i vomited continually. my pouch was so inflamed i couldnt even tolerate my saliva. it was just awful. i was sore for days afterwoods. i mentioned it to my surgeon yesterday when having a very small fill. He said it wasnt good at all and perhaps i should look at going vegetarian? i dont think i could handle just being vegetarian. so.. i have to look very carefully at how small the pieces of meat are BEFORE I SIT DOWN TO EAT. just like i would cut up my small childrens meat on their place... im going to have to do the same. for me the issues are still eating too quickly if running a bit later than four hours with a meal.. and being distracted. I have to have a good solution for both these if im going to be free of being stuck. Has anyone had vomiting for four hours without stopping? it was bad. i felt so ill. im wondering about some gastritis as well as i said. Anyone had gastritis? how did the pouch cope with it all??

Maybe I will start tracking just to see exactly where I am on macros. I've downloaded myfitnesspal to see if it'll help. Thank you for that suggestion. I was vegetarian for some time when I was younger but I wasn't preop. My surgeon basically prescribed a vegetarian/vegan diet due to the studies that have been done. He's part of Garth Davis' clinic here in Houston. I'll throw my stats out there since I was a low bmi to qualify. preop: 230 surgery:217 current: 170. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi Pollywogg - this is what I read about hair loss / Protein. I'm not putting you in any of the judgemental categories they identify ... but given that it's harder to eat Proteins now ... maybe the cause? ++++++++++++++++++++ Inadequate protein in diet. Some vegetarians, people who go on diets that exclude protein, and those with severely abnormal eating habits, may develop protein malnutrition. When this happens, a person's body will help to save protein by shifting growing hairs into the resting phase. Massive hair shedding can occur two to three months later. Hair can then be pulled out by the roots. This condition can be reversed by eating the proper amount of protein

I just found his website a few days ago when doing research for my own blog. He's got some great info on there. I am the official blogger for my doc, Dr. Titus Duncan in Atlanta so shhhh, don't tell him I'm secretly getting info from other docs. Dr. Duncan is still my favorite though. I liked Dr. Simpson's informtion on sous vide cooking. I am a vegetarian now but my husband is in the meat industry and he says that thismethod of cooking, when done right, yields very flavorful and ultra tender meat. I try to understand as much as I can about the band for my sake and for the sake of my readers. All information is helpful.

In the beginning, I was having trouble with meat also....my Surgeon said that is not unusual... Since all my Dr.'s have been preaching to me about cutting back on Red Meat to once a week at least, and MANY of my friends have gone vegetarian....I figured it was as good as time as any since this is to be a all out life changing event... So I have been without red meat for 1 1/2 years now..... I'm not fanatical about it....I'm not picky if meat is in chili, etc,. you just won't see me ordering a steak, roast or pork chops.....fir instance. Plus I'm sure it will not go down anyway..... Again, one of the best decisions I've made...I can definitely tell the difference....

I actually want to become a vegetarian but I'm afraid of the iron level. I don't wanna take iron pills which I don't but did before surgery (had a bleeding issue with period) so if I don't eat steak not daily I might need iron pills. I also want to just e healthy & avoid fatty food

As a vegetarian its really important, many vegetarians are B12 deficient...

Oh man...I have many times. Essentially, I follow the Mayo Clinic Diet at 1200 calories. I lean vegetarian, but do eat meat on occasion. You can read a ton about it online. Here's the general feel for it, though:

Has it really been 4 years? It's hard to believe we've come so far from each of our starting points. Each of us has had setbacks and success in this journey. We've shared our stories and have gotten support and given support to each other. Although we may not come back as often as we would like, but when we do it's as if we didn't miss a beat. I too am 20lbs from goal right now. I still sabortage myself when I get within 5 - 10 lbs of goal. But I have not given up hope that one day I'll get there and so have you. Ms. Husker, go to this website, Eat Right 4 Your Type. com. And if you can get the book, by Peter D'Adamo from the library. This book is about health by your blood type. I started reading it after reading his Geno-Type Diet. I find both were very helpful in relation to some of my health issues. I'm going to get his cookbook although there are a lot, and I mean alot of recipes on his website. My testimony to his book was when I wanted to go vegetarian for the new year. I started eating bean for morning snack and eating the alternative meat products. 2/3 weeks into this and I was having trouble raising my left arm. I had already began cutting out the Beans and meat alternatives. But in reading his book and reviewing my history of foods I've eaten, I saw a pattern I had set for myself. I'll stop here, but try and get the Eat Right 4 Your Type and incorporate some of your blood type into your daily living. By reading his book, I realized I am wheat and gluten intolerant. Not that I can't eat it, but should eliminate, avoid and or limit it in my diet. Along with some foods that has been causing my health problems. It's too early to tell if I see and feel a difference, but I'm going to give it a 30 day trial according to his cookbook. Well, I'll stop here this is a long winded one. Let me know if you decided to get the book. This goes also to others as well.