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It sounds like you are off to a great start! You could try things like poached eggs, tofu, seedless yogurt, applesauce. HTH!

You do not say when you had surgery. At 6 months post op my husband and I eat 1 boiled egg or 1 scrambled egg and cannot add anything extra because that fills us up. I would never make a casserole for the two of us and we steer clear of any kind of potato or pasta, and bread, because we do not want to go back to gaining weight. At 5 weeks post op I choked terribly on a small piece of soft crockpot chicken (thought I was having a heart attack), so went two more weeks on soft foods. We have kept our meals simple. No fuss. Tonight we shared ONE Chic-Fil-A asian salad, and could only eat half. I recommend eating a slow, small amount of anything, and see how full you get really fast. I would eat about 2-3 level T. refried beans, with melted Laughing Cow cheese melted, very filling. At 3 months I was told I was eating too much protein and I started substituting more soft veggies, especially zucchini. I did try the turkey meatballs, with a little sauce (barbecue) because dry meats might tend to stick in your chest. You could add a little mushroom soup to simmer them in, with some Worcestershire sauce or spices you like. I relied on a small yogurt every day for breakfast (less than 13 grams of sugar), no lunch, and dinner has always been very light and uncomplicated. BTW, I think my first favorite "food" was a lowfat turkey chili I made for Christmas, as I was craving something a little spicy. Had no problem with that. Best of luck!

Do you ever use Greek yogurt for the dip instead, I'm not up on cals. Does sour cream have less? Also, have you ever tried the 100 cal packs of wholly guacamole ( I actually like the walmart brand better). It is excellent for dipping veggies in and a good fat. Yeah, I do the lower cal lean cuisine or smart one meals a few times a week too. Like 230 cals or so since I'm 3 plus years out. I eat Special K Protein cereal with soy or skim milk ( just enough to "wet" it. some mornings I love mini babybel light cheeses. 50 cals. And sometimes just grab a couple of these for breakfast.

style="margin:0;padding:0;background-color:#d8dde8;color:#5a5a5a;font:normal 13px helvetica, arial, sans-serif;position:relative;"> Hey BariatricPal Members! Happy Mother’s Day from BariatricPal! For everyone who is a mother or is a mother figure, thank you for all that you do! For everyone else, I hope you will take this opportunity to thank your mom and any other mother figure in your life. You moms out there do a lot for us! This newsletter is all about treating yourself, treating yourself, enjoying your family, and becoming healthier together. Here’s what you’ll find: A Mother’s Day Meal to Celebrate Be a Great Mother: Be Good to Yourself Time-Savers for a Healthy Family Have a great Mother’s Day, and enjoy the newsletter. Then spend some time with your family, and don’t forget to logon to BariatricPal and discuss family, recipes, and whatever else is on your mind. See you on the boards! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Be a Great Mother: Be Good to Yourself Mothers often find themselves putting everyone else first. You might feel so busy you can’t squeeze in a quick workout. You might cook your family their favorite meals while you depend on nothing but canned tuna and hard-boiled eggs to stick to your WLS diet. You might skimp on sleep so you can take care of the house and get the kids ready for school. And the idea of losing yourself in a good book or spending a few hours at a day spa? Those may be distant dreams. Are You Putting Yourself Last? Too many mothers feel they need to put others first. After all, taking care of your children and maybe your spouse and parents is your job, right? Add that to possible duties of housekeeping and holding down a job, and your time and energy are easily accounted for. Weight loss surgery magnifies the problem. You may feel guilty about surgery, especially if it was expensive for your family. You may worry that WLS pulls you apart from your family, since you need to eat a new way and set aside time to prepare food and work out. You may fight the guilty feelings by trying to put everyone else’s needs and wants behind yours – and that just doesn’t work. The trouble is, you can only give so much for so long without taking care of yourself. You need to make the time to recharge regularly and to keep up with your own emotional and physical health habits. If not, sooner or later, you will not be able to give your best to the ones you love. You’re Not Selfish; You’re Smart What happens when you think about putting yourself first? What feelings come up when you think about making your own meals before you make your family’s, or going to the gym in the evening instead of coming directly home from work, or postponing the housecleaning so you can meditate? If you’re like many weight loss surgery patients, you may feel guilty. That’s not fair or productive. When you take care of yourself, you are in a better position to take care of others. You will be stronger, happier, and more cheerful when you are healthy. Take some time to identify what you would ideally do if you did not have family responsibilities: which foods would you eat, what kind of workouts would you do, and which hobbies or relaxation activities would you pursue? Then figure out which ones are necessary for your long-term stability and work them into your life – even if it means making some of them a priority over less important things. Really, it’s okay to skip the dusting for now if you need that time to plan a few healthy meals. Take Care, Mother or Not By the way, being good to yourself so you can be at your best is not just for moms. No matter who you are, you can give your best if you are at your best. You’ll be better father, friend, son or daughter, and coworker. You’re not being selfish when you take care of yourself. You’re putting yourself in a position to give your best to the world. A Mother’s Day Meal to Celebrate After weight loss surgery, holidays are about more than just food. You can focus on family and on other fun activities besides eating. But the truth is, you’re likely to end up around the table at some point if you’re celebrating Mother’s Day. Almost all family gatherings tend to revolve around food, so instead of fighting it, you might as well make the best of it. Mother’s Day Breakfast in Bed If your Mother’s Day includes a little pampering at home…lucky you! Fresh fruit salad, cottage cheese with raw veggies, and Greek yogurt pops with fruit are some of the easy and healthy options you might want to ask your little helpers to serve you. You can also enjoy breakfast in bed or a more luxurious brunch at home with the help of The BariatricPal Store. We suggest whipping up a batch of instant Protein pancakes in chocolate chip, golden delicious, or blueberry flavors. Serve them plain or with fruit or Greek yogurt for yourself, and let your children make their own feasts with toppings such as whipped cream, syrup, Peanut Butter, and fruit. For an early morning or mid-morning treat while hanging out with your kids or spouse, everyone might enjoy a cup of hot cocoa or cappuccino – protein included! Mother’s Day Brunch Out Are you going out for Mother’s Day? Lucky you! While that buffet or 12-course menu may look like a disaster at first glance, there’s a good chance there are plenty of healthy choices for you. Look past the breakfast pastries such as muffins, danishes, and doughnuts, doughy options like bagels, pancakes, and waffles, and fatty options like bacon and breakfast sausage. Think that doesn’t leave you with much? Think again! Check for any of the following. Omelets and egg white omelets with add-ins such as vegetable and natural ham. Fresh fruit. Seasonal fresh vegetables. Simple protein items such as cottage cheese and yogurt. Smoked salmon. Freshly carved turkey breast. The rules of your weight loss surgery diet hold here, too. Keep portions small, eat slowly, and You’ll have even more to celebrate than Mother’s Day when you realize you just got through Mother’s Day brunch without losing control. A Time to Reflect and Be Grateful We know not everyone celebrates Mother’s Day or approaches this day in the same way. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t take the time to reflect and be grateful. Any opportunity is a good one for realizing all that you have, even though life can get tough sometimes. You may be grateful for the opportunity weight loss surgery has given you to get healthy and have a new lease on life. Maybe you’re thankful for your family and friends who support you and make life worth living. Maybe you’re happy to have a job that puts (healthy) food on the table and a roof over your head. These things are simple and basic, but remembering to be grateful for them can truly make you appreciate them and be a happier person. So, have a wonderful Mother’s Day, and keep working towards those goals for weight loss and health! BariatricPal is there for you at every step of the way, so we hope you will keep contributing to the forums. Thanks for all of your support!

Congrats on the amount of meds you take now! That is great!As far as the foods, it was alot of figuring out on my part. But, just try different things...Like...Beans and sour cream, with cheese and maybe some salsa or sugar free and fat free frozen yogurt with some fat free whipped topping. yum! Or you can try any of the sugar free and fat free puddings, jell-o and add the whipped topping, great snack! Grits, eggs, oatmeal, cream of wheat and applesauce are good too. Mashed potatos, soup-at-hand soups are great! Just play with it a little, you are doing great so far!

Plain Greek Yogurt flavored with dry Jello crystals .... or .... 1 Poached egg and Johnsonville maple flavored sausage links (2-3) ....or.... 1 egg scrambled with grated cheese. These are things i eat post-op .... I ate the same pre-op, just more of it...lol

I totally agree - I tried about 5 different kinds of protein shakes prior to surgery and the ones from Costco were by far my favorite! Haven't tried the vanilla ones, I'm happy with the chocolate I also mix in a 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt to my shakes to get an additional 11.5g of protein. Plus a half banana just because I love bananas! Yummy!

I've had similar issues. I have to get a grip and start somewhere so I'm going to find as much healthy snacks/foods to keep in my house and doing a clean out of all the bad stuff. That's a first step because out of sight, out of mind. I'm going to have a heart to heart with my family about supporting me. I've got a seperate post where I have gotten advice and I'm passing this on to you. We are our own responsibility so we have to just put our foot down. If you find you are snacking mostly at night, have some special treats that are healthy waiting on you when you get home so you know you are going to treat yourself to something..if you know what it is you are more likely to pay attention to what you are putting in your mouth rather than junk it up for the night. For instance if you are having ice cream, have some low fat yogurt instead...jerky for chips,,you get the idea. Night eating is a killer and I've struggled with it my whole life. You have to start somewhere, if you are going to eat at night,,make it healthy. I hope this helps. Good luck!

How far along are you on your weight loss? If you've pretty much just started the journey, it will loosen as you lose weight. Sip liquids slowly, eat greek yogurt (for extra protein), and don't eat for at least 4 hours before you go to bed........but, if you are close to you weight lose goal (I was within 20 pounds when I had the last fill) it may not get better until you have some removed.

for the last 8 months i have not been eating fried foods,or spicy food. i lost 85 lbs before i had the surgery.i talked to my dr. and he told me to double up on the prilosac,and to try mylanta or something like that.i took a little bit of greek yogurt and it seemed to help. still having hard time getting in all my fluids,but im working on it

This recipe looks delicious! I will have to try it soon my husband just went codfishing over this last weekend. What about plain fat free yogurt to substitute for the mayo?

a lot of nonfat greek yogurt - just make sure it doesn't have fruit bits in it. refried Beans with a little cheese melted on it tuna, chicken, or salmon (the flavored pouches of tuna and salmon are great for this) pureed with a tablespoon or so of plain nonfat greek yogurt. ricotta bake (the recipe is on the blog "the world according to eggface" - she also has a whole post dedicated to what to have on the puree phase, and later when cleared for "all food" she does posts called "A day in my pouch")

New Month, and new goals! This month, I WILL get back to the gym, not tomorrow, but TODAY. I have got to get back to exercising!!!!! On a good note, we had our District Convention (religion) this weekend - three day, and I ate great! I packed my lunch everyday and had hummus and carrot sticks, very filling. I would also throw in a yogurt or piece of fruit. Dinner consited of grilled, or smoked chicken. yum. When I left (Thursday I was at 159, this morning I am at 161). But my body bounces around until it decides what weight it wants to stay at. Also, traveling always makes me hold more fluid. I am upping my water today, and we'll see how tonights weigh in at weight watchers goes. I can't believe I'm getting so close to goal!!!!

Eating has been good, exercise on the other hand, not so good. I don't know what in the world is my problem, just seems I have lost my mojo! I gotta get my mind right, make no more excuses and get my butt moving! Weighed in at weight watchers and lost another .8 lbs. Thats a total of 9.8 lbs since joing weight watchers. It has taken my 3 months to lose it, but hey, I'm losing right? I know its slow, but I'll take anything right now. My weight keeps bouncing around from 158 to 162, I wish it would dip down into the 150's and stay. Maybe if I would exercise it would! I really gotta get to the gym! Menu today: Bfast 1/4 cantelop (1 pt) 1 ww yogurt (1 pt) Dark chocolate (organic) - (2 pts) Lunch talapia, 3 oz (3 pts) Broccoli (steamed) 2/3 cup (1 pt) Snack few almonds, humus (4 pts) Dinner 3 oz grilled chicken - (3 pts) green beans - ( zero pts) WW sugar free ice cream bar (2 pts) Wt - AM - 161.1

Yay, I did it! I got my happy fat butt up and went to the gym at 5:00 am this morning and did my cardio. Per the BFL challenge, I am to do my cardio 3x's per week first thing in the morning. So, today was cardio day, I sure didn't want to get up, but I forced myself up and did it. Feels so good to have won this morning! I didn't let my evil twin talk me into staying in bed, lol. Usually I get this little voice in my head and that says "oh, come on, you don't have to get up, you can work out tonight". But this time, I just got up and did it. Yay! Menu today: Bfast cottage cheese mixed with yogurt Meal 2 hummus (2 TBSP) carrots/tomatoes Meal 3 Turkey meatloaf edamame beans Meal 4 peach string cheese Meal 5 Stuffed Bell Pepper Wt - Didnt weigh this morning.

Okay - didn't make it to the gym.....too much going on last night. I will say, last night was a beneficial meeting and I think we can progress form here. I plan on going to the gym tonight, ABSOLUTELY NO exceptions!!!! I stepped on the scale this morning and saw another drop so I was quite pleased by that. Menu today: Weight Wise Oatmeal snack a few pretzles TBSP hummus Lunch Slice of my Low Fat Meatloaf green beans Snack Low Carb yogurt a handfull of granola thrown in Dinner grilled talapia baby spinach WT - 163.8

Protein shakes at breakfast and lunch. Then a snack of nonfat greek yogurt for 5 days. A simple small dinner. You will get back on track and drop 4 pounds. If you exercise ssome, maybe 5 pounds in a week.

I never crushed, though I know of others who have and then mixed the bits into sugar-free applesauce, Greek yogurt, or mashed potatoes. I cut my larger Vitamins (multi, calcium). Post-op meds were liquid (Vicodin) and very small tablets (Pepcid). For what it's worth, a too-large pill that gets "stuck" is uncomfortable, but with time and drinking fluids it WILL go down.

We're leaving for a 7 day Alaskan cruise on Monday! Already have my snack bag packed for the 8 hr drive to Seattle (almonds, Cheerios, jerky and a cooler for yogurt and water). Our last 3 cruises, I was banded and never gained any weight. This time tho I'm totally unfilled (slipped last month, awaiting a revision to sleeve in late June) and I've gained a few lbs since being unfilled. I've noticed tho that my stomach hurts really bad for about 24 hrs and I have to be on liquids for 2-3 days when I overdo (like I did 1 day last week) so I'm hoping that will deter me from eating too much. Anyone who's been on a cruise probably know what I'm talking about! Access to food 24 hrs a day. I plan on going to the gym everyday tho! And walking around in all the ports. Hoping that I don't gain. If I come back to my drs appt on May 22nd without having gained 10 lbs since the last time I was at the drs a few months ago, I'll be happy! Being totally unfilled for months and having gained only 10 lbs is a feat in itself, I think! Wish me luck! Marci

It's official I'm addicted to yogurt and granola ( a certain brand ). I'm not banded yet but I've been on a high protein low carb diet. I've been measuring it out so I could allot for it in my caloric intake, but tonight before I could stop myself I so binged on it. I don't think I will be able to incorporate it into by diet with the band. I've tried changing brands but I just won't it at all. Do you think I have to give it up all together? Has anyone had or have a food that they are addicted to and what have you done about it? Thanks for any advice.

I am getting my protein in by shakes, I also have Fage Greek yogurt. It has the most protein. I was concerned about weakness as well (2weeks out) and the surgeon said it may be the rapid weight loss that is causing that. For me cold smoothies or shakes go down better and also the sf carnation instant breakfast.

@gary. Thank you. I was thinking abt 60 but was not sure. All these isdues come up as u go along. I was not exercising much, i was too weak. I was only eating abt 500 cals. This week im a bit stronger n will hit the gym w a friend. Today i did Zumba. Im drinking the liquid yogurts, 5 gr Protein, premier shake 30 grs n w some real good i shd b fine. Stomach is doing a lot better. I miss bread and carbs in general. Thanks a lot for u responses. Everyday i learn new things. Sent from my SM-N900T using the BariatricPal App

I also freeze yogurt for my kids. They think GoGurt is supposed to be frozen once you get it home - they don't like it 'squishy' = ) However, I have also frozen trix yogurt and it does change the consistency. My kids will still eat it - but not like they would before it was frozen...... I guess it depends on what type of yogurt it is and how hungry you get once you move on to the mushies = ))

Hi everyone! I was banded on 03/10/08 and im down about 60lbs but the scale hasnt moved in weeks and im at one of my lowest points. I eat PERFECT, exercise 3 times a week (spin 2x week and run) and im GAINING weight. Does anyone know what a typical calorie intake of a 200lb 5'5 women should consume with the amount I exercise? Here is my typical day of eating: B- oatmeal with scoop of Protein or egg beaters with spinach, with that 70 calorie LF yogurt. coffee with creamer (i figured my creamer is about 100 calories) L- salad with chicken, MEASURED 3T dressing, 10 olives, 15 seseme sticks (80 calories) S- small apple with 2T Peanut Butter (on gym days) D- 4oz of either steak, fish, chicken and veggie- normally spinach or aspargas Liquids- 64+ a day I feel that i am eating great and people get on me about my creamer, 10 olives and 15 small seseme sticks with my salad but look at what i eat in a day and to me, that doesnt seem like much. Espicially since when I go spinning, I burn about 600 in an hour (wear heart rate monitor). I go to my nutritionist and alls they say is eat healthy and exercise. Ok I DO and HAVE for a year now and the scale is now going up??? Am i eating to much? not enough? Im so frustrated and not sure what to do. Does anyone incorporate South Beach or Body for Life? Any help or words of encouragment is appreciated :thumbup:

I am 7 monthds out and I have been able to eat white meat chicken and canned chicken just fine from the time I was allowed soft food but I cannot eat dark meat chicken. apparently its too greasy. I find I I do not like tuna and it was one of my favorites before surgery. Also, can't tolerate raw onion at all and I used to love thick slices of onion on almost any kind of sandwich. Love salad and tolerate it very well in much smaller quantities than before. Angus beef hamburgers taste nasty too. When I just don't want anything I have in the house, I eat yogurt. I do drink 2 30g Protein shakes everyday, though. I am going thru the thin hair, sore scalp stage now. I take Biotin with keratin everyday and have since 8 weeks. My hair is not falling out it just appears to be thinner and my head feels like someone has been yanking on my hair.