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Yes. Musclegen makes an unflavored powder called GENEPRO which one tablespoon equals 30g of protein. You can mix it with yogurt, pudding, uncarbonated drinks (I tried it in diet coke one day and it was like a neverending fountain of foam. NOT a good idea...). It's great in coffee and sweet tea, I do it all the time. You can search for Genepro on Amazon.com and if you're a prime member you don't have to pay for the shipping.

I'm over 2 years out and even when I'm being careful I can get stuck. I am pretty tight, but I can eat something one week and get stuck on it the next. I've even gotten stuck on Wendy's chili. I've gotten better at figuring portion sizes, and have figured out that I do better when I eat 5 small meals a day (some of them just one item, like Greek yogurt).

I actually tried the plain Greek yogurt dannon oki and I had si jello pudding cups. I added one SF pudding to the yogurt wasn't that bad

My fav is palak paneer, but I also grill veg and paneer like you grill chicken after marinating it. You can use green/red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, paneer cubes, tomatoes, eggplant, asparagues etc. You can marinate with yogurt and spices or currry paste for an hour or 2 and grill and enjoy them.

I use to hate yogurts before surgery n I was also having trouble with the flavor until I started using sugar free jellies in it true I had to get use to a little tartness but now I can't live without it

I just started liking Greek yogurt for the non fat and high Protein I kept trying to find one I can tolerate... I found the oikos ones and can actually eat it. I never put them in a shake.... Will have to try Surgery 7/25/12

Greek yogurt is mixed not fruit on the bottom . Those are high in sugar.

Did your doctor not give you much guidance in what you should be eating? If you aren't hitting protein & water goals your focus should change to that immediately. We were told to get 60g of protein in minimum a day. The target should be between 60-80g of protein, keep carbs low, and don't stress about calories at this point. In addition try your best to get 64oz of water in. At 3 weeks out most people are in the pureed stage. Things like cottage cheese (blend a small portion of fruit up to add to the flavor) and Greek yogurts are good to have in your diet. The Oikos triple zero yogurts are 15g of protein in a serving. Cottage cheese is typically at least 10g in 5oz. Compare that to the 1-2g of protein you're getting from an entire banana. If you're struggling with water try mixing things up. Do Powerade Zero, Propel waters, Crystal Light, etc. I would mix a small amount of diet cranberry juice (the 5 calorie kind) in with my Crystal Light drinks to give them a bit more flavor. I keep a 32oz Powerade bottle as my measuring cup so to speak. I fill that up with my Crystal Light and as long as I get two of those down a day I know I'm hitting my water goals (your protein drinks do count towards water intake as well). I honestly think if you change those things up you'll see things kick into gear more.

As for recipes that are easy, I'm with the deli meats, cheeses. Yogurts, things you don't have to cook. Good luck.

Tracey, that's awesome! What an exciting time this is for you! I'm so glad you're able to move forward now in the direction you want to go in! Since you asked for suggestions, might I suggest making sure your food tastes good? This is important before surgery, but even more important afterwards. You'll be eating much less than you did before, so you can afford to add a pinch of garlic, some lemon zest, some herbs and spices, whatever you're hankering for! If all you eat is chicken broth and yogurt smoothies, that gets old kinda fast. Might I also suggest that you test drive some non-flavored Protein powders? You can literally put them in anything, and most post-op bariatric diets that I've seen rely on Protein Powder pretty heavily. Even people who can get their protein from other sources, and have gone on to a solid diet sometimes can benefit from using protein powder in sauces, Soups, beverages, etc. I'm so excited for you! You're going to do great!

I had to do 14 days of liquid diet. I got to drink one Slim fast and 5 cans of Ensure each day with two Dannon lite yogurts. I paced it like one item every two hours and that keep the hunger pains away. I started dropping weight right away and lost 20 pounds oin the pre-op diet. SO that helped me along. Plus I got to really like the Ensures and now can't wait to get to senior citizen statis so I can have them again..lol Was on liquid diet for 4 weeks after surgery but got to add things to it and I did this whole liquid diet without cheating once and it went a long way in helping me adjust to new habits. Good luck with your surgery and keep us posted

pre op diet was high protein shakes, broths sugar fee jello, sugar free pudding, sugar free yogurt. diet soda, koolade etc skim milk. It actually made me full but became monotonous after 10 days. I lost 10 lbs. The anesthesia went fine. the whole surgery went fine. I was sore for a couple of days .I was driving within 24 hours.I walked at the mall but became easily tired and had to go home right away. Day five I was no longer sore. I did discover Im allergic to the steri strips that they close the incision with. I broke out and had to remove them. It is day 6 and I am now eating pureed food. I "never" got nauseous before or after surgery. My surgery so far has been textbook. I alswo have lost another pound

Victor, welcome. . first off let me congratulate you on your decision to have the VSG. . second off i'm glad you found us, we are always here for you if you need us. . . well victor, let me tell you. . in 7 short weeks after my surgery i have lost 53 lbs. . . so you see it is dueable. . however, you get what you put into it. . . as a medical person you understand that. . . the first week or so after surgery it's feels really weird, can't explain it, but it does . . . you will have to relearn to eat, and drink again. . . in the beginning i hated my sleeve but then got used to doing what i was supposed to do. . . the sleeve doesn't allow you to gulp fluids anymore, you will be full (turkey dinner full) after a few mouthfuls . . . for example here is what my day menu for today consists of. . . Breakfast Protein shake and a baby teaspoon of flaxseed sugar free, low fat Peanut Butter. (200 calories) Lunch: 3 slices of 98% fat free ham (60 calories) Dinner: 2 oz extra lean ground hamburger, made into tiny little meatballs soaked with teriyaki sauce 3 small brusselsprouts (165 calories) Evening Snack: 4 oz Dannon Light N Fit yogurt frozen (60 calories) Total calories for the day 485 . . . I drink alot of Water along with decaff coffee. . . I try to keep my calories anywhere from 500 - 600 per day no more. . . You will do great as long as you follow the doctor orders and ignore the head hunger. . . once you get over that you will just fly through the weight loss. . . they say it takes 30 days to change a habit. . . well this overeating thing has been a bad habit of ours for a long time, takes alot of work to change it. . . but it can be done.! Good luck:biggrin0:

Until I saw my log. I only got 35grams. Crap. Now I need to drink milk and have a yogurt before bed.

The method that music describes is probably the one most often used. But there is another alternative that may help in some cases. I'll use green Beans as an example. Open MFP, go to your diary and then enter "green beans" in the search field. The first option that comes us is "Beans - Green (8oz.)(226g)". Tap on that entry. The first field on that screen is "Serving Size" and is showing 226g. But if you look immediately to the right of 226g you will see an arrow. Tap the arrow or really anywhere in the "Serving Size" field and it will open to show you serving size options. In this case, you have two options - 226g which is the default (as noted by the check mark in that field) or 1g. Those are your options. But the options you have will depend on the food you search for. For example, if you search for "Yogurt", choose the first entry, and then tap anywhere in the "Serving Size" field, you will see options for 6oz or 1oz. Many of us are more comfortable with those measurements as opposed to metric. If you play around with searches for different foods, you'll find that still other options are available for different foods. One I'm looking at right now has options for "0.5 cups", "1 cup", or "1 container (1.8 cups ea.)". Finally, if you do a search for a food and there are any number of options for essentially the same food (usually the case), different ones may have different serving size options. It's a little tedious to check several options to hopefully find one that has the serving size you want. But in many cases you only have to do it once - especially if it's something you eat frequently. Hope that helps!

I eat string cheese, yogurt (i have that for Breakfast and also for a snack when needed), cottage cheese, nuts, sugar free pudding, tbsp Peanut Butter, tbsp low fat cream cheese, laughing cow cheese...for some reason, cheese goes down easily for me. I have started to eat blueberries and have had watermelon in the past which I love. Apples I struggle with but I peel the skin off and then eat them. I cant seem to eat salads..it hurts a lot. I am 12 weeks out...3 months out. So I am still struggling with food. Oh I also have Protein shakes for my snack too. I also eat 5-6 small portions through out the date. Cant seem to eat denser meals.

Important topic, and I'm a filthy liar! (Wink!). I've indulged in all sorts of crap since being sleeved, but I do realize that there are significant psychological and nutritional factors that make each person's journey different. I'm six months out and remain very much in the learning phase with my new tool! Here are some of the tips that I need to stay on track: 1. I write down what I eat as well as calorie content. 2. I drink Protein on waking, as an afternoon snack and before bed, for a total of 340 calories per day. 3. I eat 40-50 calories worth of dark chocolate after lunch, or as a snack. 4. I only eat fruit once per day, and always with Greek yogurt, and limit to 2-3 oz fruit. I don't eat bananas. 5. My meals are tasty, because I feel deprived with boring food. They are half protein, half veggies. Rarely cheese, it just slows me down. Beans are great! 6. No white stuff. I don't even bother with brown rice, but may add it back when I reach goal. 7. Sometimes I have to look away from store shelves or advertisements for food. I also have to mute the TV during commercials. 8. I get my fluids! Sometimes my fluids include a Light sugar free decaf Starbucks caramel frappucino, and that is the biggest treat ever! But it only puts me back 100 calories. Awesome! 9. I started working out before surgery, and I will not stop. I can see my biceps, and that makes me proud and happy regardless of whether I continue to wear half sleeves to cover the bat wings. 10. I keep healthy Snacks available always, especially for my car ride home from work when the siren song of the beautiful cheese croissants from the super market next door used to seduce me so regularly. Even while grocery shopping I have to walk around the bakery area. 11. 50 ways to So I the Yourself Without Food is a wonderful book on mindful eating. Its heavy stuff, but its real. It takes effort to do something as big as overcoming a food addiction. But it can be done. You get the idea. These are MY ways of dealing with my imperfect mind. But they do help. May you find your path to success and a more peaceful mind, too!

A lot of great advice here but you have to do your part and make the decision to change TODAY---get rid of all the processed, refined crap you are eating. You do not need it, your dogs don't need it and it is so bad for you. You need lean protein, fresh or frozen vegetables and a liberal amount of healthy fat. I do not think pureeing the meats in a blender and adding broth and plain yogurt to make them doable would be wrong. Curious what you are drinking instead of water. Crystal Light and others are okay but juices and sodas are not. 64 ounces per day minimum and actually more is better. Make sure your protein shakes are low carb and IMHO smoothies loaded with bananas and berries are not appropriate. Commit to 7 days of no sugar, no fruit, no processed junk food and veggie carbs, protein and healthy fat only and you will feel less hungry. I would stop the insulin for now since being a bit high is much safer than low with Type II diabetes and continue to monitor. It will be rough for a few days but you can do it. All kinds of exercise on YouTube or tapes/discs that do not require leaving the house. Post on here several times a day for support and encouragement.

Still looking for others at this stage...WHAT ARE YOU EATING? I'm definitely in a rut, but I just wanna get thru this next two weeks without breaking any bandster rules. I'm supposed to be eating mushie baby-food type things, with the exception of fish, eggs and well-cooked vegetables. I will just give you a list of things I've been eating: 1) Cottage cheese - every day - sometimes 2x a day. I puree 4 strawberries or canned pears, 1/2 c cot. cheese, 3 pkts of splenda...mix together. YUM 2) 1 c. Broccoli cheese soup from Quizno's or Jason's. I also enjoy the Campbell's "Select Gold" soups (or whatever they're called...come in a box container) but I make them a bit richer by adding some half & half and a bit of butter. 3) Vegetable tofu & egg drop soup mixed together from my fav. chinese restaurant. Generally I don't like tofu, but I don't mind it in soups and it adds protein. 4) Homemade smoothies - berries, 1/3 banana, yogurt, scoop of unflavored protein, raspberry ice Crystal Light for added flavor & ice. Whirred around in my magic bullet. 5) Baked tilapia, mashed potatoes and canned green beans (about once every 3 days) 6) 2 scrambled eggs made with half-n-half and butter fills me up like crazy. I love 'em for a quick dinner. 7) Today I brought a beautiful, ripe avocado to have as a snack. Just sprinkle w/ salt! Very good for you. 8) Cream of wheat (cooked, not instant) with butter, cinnamon and DaVinci SF praline syrup. Also add some unflavored protein to this. I track what I eat on on www.fitday.com and transfer the data to my journal here on LBT if you want to see what kind of calories I'm eating. Sounds to me like you aren't getting very many! I'm supposed to be shooting for 1000-1200 but I haven't made it yet. __________________

Sounds like you have pretty good restriction already! That's great! Or your stomach can be a bit swollen from the fill. Maybe try liquids, yogurt or pudding for a day and then try again. Eggs should be a food that go down fairly well. Try to wait a minute or two between bites and see if that helps. Sometimes it's not just small bites and chewing well but giving your stomach a little time for it to register. I doubt if 1 egg was too much, you should be fine with that.

Avo would be because of the fat. It is fine to eat so long as it is only a small portion and not the whole avo. I didn't eat a lot of fruit before being banded and eat even less now. I think it has something to do with the slippery texture, it makes it hard to chew and it is too easy to swallow a big bit. Melon and mango(which I love) definitelly slips past without being chewed. Kiwi fruits have all those pips in the centre which make me uncomfortable. Other stone fruits need to be peeled as there is nothing worse for me than having bits of skin stuck. These days if i do eat fruit it is usually tinned or cooked in some way. Strawberries lightly poached over greek yogurt are great. With veg I can eat most veg but being a Brit I prefer my veg soft! I cannot stand it when you go to a restaurant and they serve you green Beans and carrots which are still hard. Raw carrots are good though in salad or on sandwiches - the easiest way to eat them is to grate them or cut very thin pieces using a potato peeler.

My number one recommendation for beginners is 1) get a 4 quart crock pot, crock pot liners(found in the aluminum foil aisle of stores) and check out allrecipes.com crock pot recipe section 2) Get a George Foreman grill (I have the GF 360), get the one with removable plates for easier, effortless clean up The easiest recipes for the GFG are meats marinated in either a dry rub, or Italian dressing. I use Italian dressing A LOT for chicken breasts. I slice the chicken breast (boneless skinless) into strips like chicken tenders, toss it in a big gallon size ziploc baggy with italian dressing, let it marinade for up to 24 hours. Heat up the GF grill, slap the chicken on the grill, cook for 7-8 minutes, remove and VOILA super moist, easy to eat, tender chicken. I make kabobs with red/green pepper chunks, red potato chunks, beef sausage links and chicken breast chunks. I marinade the peppers, chicken and sausage in the Robusto Italian dressing my WishBone. Take 3-4 size B red potatoes and quarter them, rinse, and fill a microwave safe bowl with Water, microwave for 8 minutes until the potatoes are semi-soft. I skewer the meat, peppers and potatoes on bamboo skewers, and cook them on the GFG for 8-10 minutes rotating once during that time to ensure even cooking. You can use any veggie you like squash and zucchini hold up in the marinade mix as do mushrooms, I just do not like any of those, but will make them for my family occasionally. Ground beef/turkey recipes are super easy depending on your taste, and again, I highly recommend allrecipes.com for recipe searching. I've posted several easy to make recipes that are more sleeve friendly that I've prepared for my family in the "food"/recipe section of the forum. With the crock pot recipes, you can toss everything in, FROZEN chicken breast work great and the meat doesn't turn to absolute mush, set it on low for 8-10 hours and when y'all get home, throw a side dish together, and your dinner is ready in less than 10-20 minutes. I buy a lot of the Green Giant Steamables like the broccoli with cheese sauce, and the mixed veggies with rosemary butter sauce are staples in my home. Any of the recipes that you find that call for sour cream, substitute non-fat plain flavored Greek yogurt, you cut carbs, increase Protein, and it doesn't change the taste of the recipe. Greek yogurt actually makes things more creamy in my opinion. If you like barbque, get a small 2-4lbs roast (pork or beef) work well. Trim all the visible fat from the roast, toss it in the crock pot with barbque sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, a little worchestershire sauce, set the crock pot on low for 8-10 hours, the fat that cooks out of the meat will be on top, strain it off with a ladle, pull the roast out of the crock pot and shred it with 2 forks, then toss it back in the crock pot to mix with the sauce. Any leftovers can be frozen for up to 6 months in a freezer bag, and up to one year in a vacuum sealed, freezer bag. I go through probably 20 cans of various creamy Soups per month. I buy all the reduced fat/reduced sodium soups, and these make great gravies, and makes meat super tender.

Avoid any food advertised on TV? I think that one's a little harsh... I eat greek yogurt, cheeses, beef, pork, chicken... they're all advertised on tv.

so is that when we are at the sweet spot? Whan I get full on a cheese stick? or a cup of yogurt? But eating fast or the wrong foods makes you vomit? Just wondering if I need an unfiill or make better choices? Help!

My meeting was by phone, so she said she would send out the package today. I am just ancious to know. She told me all about the pre op diet because I have to start on Tuesday. Yogurt and cottage cheese, and if I really need it a chicken breast. I also read today that SF Jello was alright too. Yasmina