Soft foods vs protein guidelines

[SParkle 4]

I'm now 4 weeks out and have moved onto soft foods.... my restriction is quite severe and tonight I had chicken breast, of which I managed to eat about one third.....couldn't fit anything else in at all.

Please tell me how you manage to fit in your Protein and make the transition over to foods rather than Protein drinks, as at the moment I have been having 2 Protein Drinks a day and one 'meal' (maybe with a snack or two depending how I feel).

But I don't think I can eat enough to get in 60g protein....if I scramble an egg I can't finish a whole egg.....

[texashopeful 0]

You are not alone! I am having the same issues, and for some reason gained back 2 lbs! I think it is because I haven't been walking as much cause I feel too full all day long. Its starting to cause headaches too, so I think I may go back to shakes for a couple of days to see if it improves. I have started adding unflavored Protein to the Protein Shakes. I use the Optifast ones I have leftover, and can get about 28g protein total in it... tried doing a whole scoop of unflavored with the 14g drink, but that was a little much and didn't turn out right. One think I have found is that I can do chicken salad if I make it liquid enough, and then add some boiled egg for thickness to make it feel like I'm actually eating. I can do about 1/4 cup that way, and just do it several times a day. You would think with the amount we are eating, the weight would just drop off...weird. I can't believe I gained! We'll see on Monday I suppose! Sorry for the rant, hope it helped! It helps me to know I'm not alone.

[Tiffykins 673]

I stayed on mushy food/soft foods for a long time, and my staples were chili, chicken salad, tuna salad and egg salad. If the meat is tender and with some sort of condiment, it definitely makes it easier. I truly burned myself out on those staples, but it got me through until I get in my solid foods.

I did 4 meals a day with 15gr of Protein per meal. I think that's why it was so easy for me to adhere to low carb. What little carbs I did eat came from dairy and the Condiments that I added to food.

I would throw in a string cheese, or chunk of cheese for extra Protein. With chicken salad, and a chunk of cheese I could get in 15-17gr of carbs per meal. Egg whites seem to work better for me, the yolk is bulky, it tastes the best, but it's really fatty. 2 egg whites gives you almost 8gr of protein, toss in a chunk of cheese, and you're at roughly 14grams of protein.

I couldn't do protein drinks so I had to get creative, and really eat slow, soft/mushy stuff to hit my protein goal. Another trick is to mix the chicken, tuna, egg salad with greek yogurt instead of mayo/miracle whip. I used the dry ranch dressing mixes to flavor the salads. It added more protein, and gave a smooth texture.

Hang in there, it gets better.

[SarahD. 0]

I too am having trouble getting in the Protein. I am able to drink two Protein Drinks a day, but the meals are tough, because I eat so little right now. I am a little worried, because often I don't have the room for Vitamins even. I called my nut to talk about it, but she felt like I was doing ok, but I am worried. I too am now having headaches. I thought it was from the heat, but perhaps its not. I am going to try your ideas Tiffikins! Thanks!

[SParkle 4]

I did 4 meals a day with 15gr of Protein per meal. I think that's why it was so easy for me to adhere to low carb. What little carbs I did eat came from dairy and the Condiments that I added to food.

I would throw in a string cheese, or chunk of cheese for extra Protein. With chicken salad, and a chunk of cheese I could get in 15-17gr of carbs per meal. Egg whites seem to work better for me, the yolk is bulky, it tastes the best, but it's really fatty. 2 egg whites gives you almost 8gr of protein, toss in a chunk of cheese, and you're at roughly 14grams of protein.

Thanks Tiffykins.... I think the small meals thru the day might help... and will try adding another egg white to scrambled egg or omelette tomorrow. I had ham and eggs today and gave the yolks away but could only manage about 1 white and 1 slice of ham.

I think I was really shocked at the amount of restriction.... but also relief that I don't feel hungry with it!

[NtvTxn 1,262]

I too am having trouble getting in the Protein. I am able to drink two Protein drinks a day, but the meals are tough, because I eat so little right now. I am a little worried, because often I don't have the room for Vitamins even. I called my nut to talk about it, but she felt like I was doing ok, but I am worried. I too am now having headaches. I thought it was from the heat, but perhaps its not. I am going to try your ideas Tiffikins! Thanks!

Your post caught my attention. All of a sudden, the past four days I am having migraines...every day. I am a Migraine sufferer, but ever since my surgery I had NOT HAD A HEADACHE. It's been wonderful, not one until four days ago. We had thought I'd be able to add one food at a time back, I'm keeping a log and then I could find any food triggers, but then here we go, headaches without any new foods. What do you think is causing your headaches??!!! I'm at a loss. HELP!!!