Baked Beans and other foods...

[Sojourner 2,446]

There has been a lot of excellent information already shared on this thread, and I agree with most of it. What I wanted to add is that carbs are the enemy of the person who is trying to lose weight. This is a direct quote from my bariatric surgeon, and validated by my experience on my weight loss journey.

We do need some carbs in our diet for it to be all inclusive and healthy. What type of carbs you choose makes the difference. "Produce" carbs, such as berries, melons, some varieties of Beans, and vegetables provide Fiber which contributes to feeling full longer and avoiding Constipation. They also don't trigger the cravings often seen when the refined and unhealthy carbs we commonly become addicted to are eaten, such as the ones found in pastas and breads.

To this day my husband is unhappy that I no longer eat some of the same meals that he does. The other evening I had part of a grilled chicken breast and green Beans, while he had a salad, grilled chicken simmered in spaghetti sauce, and a dinner size plate of pasta(he still has a 34" waist). The point is we had almost the same meal, just different carb choices. It has to be that way if I am to have any hope of maintaining my weight loss. My health is my priority.

WLS brings a new lifestyle. it can be more of a challenge with a hectic schedule and a family to cook for, but it is not mission impossible.

Good luck and best wishes...

Edited June 22, 2014 by ♥ Sojourner ♥

[jacileggs 402]

As far as Peanut Butter toast. I found this great quinoa bread. High Protein. And yummy.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

hello to all the post-op folks on this forum! my surgery is in 2 days and I have many questions about the success/failures of eating certain foods afterwards...I hope you will help me with a few insights!

1. Baked Beans- my family and I love Bush's baked Beans and the Protein count in them is great. But do they give anybody problems due to the sugar content (brown sugar, molasses, etc)??

2. Kraft Mac/Cheese- another fave in my house. We have small kids AND live on a tight budget so every couple of weeks when the bank account is dry we have Kraft spirals for dinner with some ground beef mixed in...

3. Peanut Butter toast- a staple Breakfast. I know eggs are great for me post-op but I'm sure I will only be able to eat SO many days of eggs before I need a break...

4. Spaghetti- a weeknight staple for my family- I assume I would be able to have a very small amount of the Pasta with a nice serving of sauce (which I also put some sort of ground meat into for protein)

Now...I KNOW that the purpose of this surgery is to re-start my eating habits and essentially give me a restart button. I absolutely believe that and I fully intent to eat very well 90% of the time. However, there are times when the budget, time or travel will play a big role and I may need to turn to one of these options. I would appreciate any feedback about these foods or any other 'typical' foods. I thank you all in advance!

I get cheap meals.

1. Refried Beans for you. Or, if not, navy beans without the sauce while your family eats baked beans. Far too much sugar.

2. Nope, nope, nope. Eat a hot dog.

3. PB on spoon or an apple slice. One tablespoon is OK. I licked many a PB spoon for flavor.

4. Spaghetti squash with sauce. Or sauce with meat and cheese no "noodles", baked.

[NMJG 1,266]

I second what Lips said.

For cheap, I look for the meats at the store that are on deep discount because they are about to expire. Save 30-50%.

I make my own bean dishes that cost a couple of bucks for the family. No sugary Beans, instead I make cassoulet or chili or lentils or split pea Soup or refried pintos or black Beans.< /p>

Don't forget tuna salad for a cheap, wls friendly meal.

Eggplant lasagna is much better than Pasta lasagna. Slice your eggplant very thin, then sauté it in olive oil. Use the eggplant slices instead of noodle layers. Add in Italian sausage, mozzarella, ricotta, mushrooms, etc. delish. Bake until bubbly and brown on the top cheese layer, 45 min. Be sure to use a low carb Pasta Sauce, though, you would be surprised how many brands use high fructose corn Syrup. Read the label for carb count per half cup.

Have Johnsonville Brats night with sauerkraut and some sugarfree coleslaw. My kids love that.

Most stores have large bags of boneless chicken thighs in the freezer section. Excellent source of Protein that is easy to get down with wls, too. This is a very cost effective Protein choice.

Edited June 22, 2014 by NMJG

[mi75 1,235]

thanks to everyone for the great info. it is much appreciated!

[terry1118 1,274]

hello to all the post-op folks on this forum! my surgery is in 2 days and I have many questions about the success/failures of eating certain foods afterwards...I hope you will help me with a few insights!

1. Baked Beans- my family and I love Bush's baked Beans and the Protein count in them is great. But do they give anybody problems due to the sugar content (brown sugar, molasses, etc)??

2. Kraft Mac/Cheese- another fave in my house. We have small kids AND live on a tight budget so every couple of weeks when the bank account is dry we have Kraft spirals for dinner with some ground beef mixed in...

3. Peanut Butter toast- a staple Breakfast. I know eggs are great for me post-op but I'm sure I will only be able to eat SO many days of eggs before I need a break...

4. Spaghetti- a weeknight staple for my family- I assume I would be able to have a very small amount of the Pasta with a nice serving of sauce (which I also put some sort of ground meat into for protein)

Now...I KNOW that the purpose of this surgery is to re-start my eating habits and essentially give me a restart button. I absolutely believe that and I fully intent to eat very well 90% of the time. However, there are times when the budget, time or travel will play a big role and I may need to turn to one of these options. I would appreciate any feedback about these foods or any other 'typical' foods. I thank you all in advance!

Be careful w/the baked Beans. I'm over a year out and had my very first dumping experience with B&M Baked Beans (one of the sweet ones - brown sugar or maple). I didn't check the label before eating them but after it happened I looked and it had 13gr of sugar. 1/2 cup of delicious beans was NOT worth a painful, miserable hour in the bathroom (heart racing, shaking, abdominal pain, cold sweats, lightheadedness, diarrhea), followed by another two hours of shaky weakness. It was the first time I ever had that much sugar since my surgery on 5/30/13. On the plus side, I now know that I dump. It reinforces the need to be diligent about label reading.

macaroni and cheese from a box has absolutely nothing in it you should be eating. Homemade may still be too high in calories but at least it's a healthier option than a box meal, especially if you use wheat Pasta. I have had baked cauliflower and cheese or spaghetti squash and cheese as a substitute when I'm craving something hot and cheesy. I love ricotta bake, too. It's delicious and safe for early stages following surgery. For later stages you can add meat and/or vegetables to it. Even my husband loves it. Google the recipe.

I don't eat bread of any kind, ever. Some people can tolerate toasted bread (from what I've heard soft doughy bread is much more likely to bother people). If you choose to try it use a whole grain or high Protein bread and choose a natural, low or no sugar Peanut Butter. I wouldn't eat it every day - while peanut butter does have some protein it is VERY high fat.

For spaghetti you can use spaghetti squash or wheat pasta. I very rarely eat pasta but when I do it's wheat and I eat very little of it. I haven't had a problem tolerating it. I do make spaghetti squash far more often. I make it with a ground chicken meat sauce, heavy on the meat for the protein.

[terry1118 1,274]

One more tip for the Peanut Butter. Mix in a scoop of vanilla Protein Powder for added Protein and a little sweetness. My husband is a body builder and always adds protein to his natural peanut butter. :-)

[katonaboat 44]

Zucchini lasagna is a great substitute for spaghetti. Replace the noodles in your favorite lasagna recipe with thin slices of zucchini. Even my Pasta loving husband doesn't mind the substitution. On my pre-op diet, I discovered that cauliflower chopped fine in the food processor makes a decent substitute for rice (I made a delicious and inexpensive spanish rice with ground beef). It also makes a good base for many saucy dishes (I used it under beef stroganoff and while it wasn't as delicious as egg noodles, it was satisfying). I stock up on bags of frozen cauliflower when it is on sale.

[esskay77 785]

A lot of great advice. Forgive me for restating some of it:

I have heard that baked Beans have caused dumping syndrome in many people so it's probably best to just stay away.

Instead of mac and cheese, use the cauliflower and cheese instead of the noodles. I heard this is really good, even if you think you don't like cauliflower. People also use the cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes, too. Just mash the cauliflower. I've even seen it on a few restaurant menus now! I always put tuna in my mac and cheese for some Protein (well, my mom always did to stretch out the box of mac and cheese!)

Bread--I don't seem to have a problem with multi-grain bread though I limit how much I have. There is also Ezekial bread from Whole Foods in the freezer section. Absolutely no flour in it. It's not the most amazing bread but when you want a sandwich, it works in a pinch: http://www.foodforlife.com/about_us/ezekiel-49

Pasta--if you have a Whole Foods near you (or find something online) it's amazing to see what they are making "pasta" out of these days instead of flour. I've seen some made of kelp! lol It looked good but I haven't tried it. But take a look through their ailes because they had all kinds! Sometimes the best part of a Pasta meal is the sauce, not the noodles so find ways (such as the ricotta bake) to have the meal, just no noodles. Actually, you could put in some chicken to make it like a chicken parm (no breading of course).

Peanut Butter works, just don't have too much. Organic would probably be even better. Or some people like almond butter. I prefer Jif or Teddy's which is organic. Oddly, you should store it upside down so the oil mixes in. I read that somewhere and it really works.

Just had to get some of those thoughts out of my head!

Best of luck!

[windfaerie 41]

Ricotta cheese and Protein powder pancakes are a great low carb alternative to bread. A lot of recipes call for a couple tablespoons of pancake mix I used soy flour and coconut meal instead for a little added Protein. All you have to do is add baking powder and soda to help it be fluffy.

I made these the first time the other day so that I could send my husband to work with a tuna sandwich. One small pancake had 14 grams protein.

I used two pancakes smeared on some tuna. Cut it into quarters. Half was his half was mine. A quarter of a sandwich filled me up. I ate the other quarter later as a snack.< /p>

[InfiniteButterfly 438]

Ricotta cheese and Protein powder pancakes are a great low carb alternative to bread. A lot of recipes call for a couple tablespoons of pancake mix I used soy flour and coconut meal instead for a little added Protein. All you have to do is add baking powder and soda to help it be fluffy.

I made these the first time the other day so that I could send my husband to work with a tuna sandwich. One small pancake had 14 grams protein.

I used two pancakes smeared on some tuna. Cut it into quarters. Half was his half was mine. A quarter of a sandwich filled me up. I ate the other quarter later as a snack.< /p>

Hmm...I may have to try this. Even though I'm okay to try bread now, I don't want to have anything at this point that doesn't have protein (I barely eat enough to make my protein amounts, so empty carb calories are no good for me). This sounds like a good option.

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

I can totally put the tuna in a lettuce leaf and be happy. bread no longer lives in my house. I try not to think about it. Out of sight out of mind lol!

[windfaerie 41]

I can totally put the tuna in a lettuce leaf and be happy. bread no longer lives in my house. I try not to think about it. Out of sight out of mind lol!

I wish I could eat lettuce but not yet. Lettuce and lunch meat or anything dry is a no go still.

[InfiniteButterfly 438]

I've got another month or two before I'm clear for lettuce. I can easily see myself eating meat wrapped in a leaf of romaine lettuce.

[esskay77 785]

I used to LOVE lettuce and now it doesn't appeal as much to me. I still eat a "salad" everyday at lunch but I put in everything BUT lettuce right now! lol. I just fill it with a bit of chicken, green and red peppers, radishes, cukes, tomatoes, sometimes shredded carrots and use balsamic vinegar. Mmmm.

I was at a restaurant recently where they had lettuce-wrapped hamburgers instead of a bun! So nice! I didn't get it--stuck with the chili but nice to know of that option. The restaurant is expanding to many locations--it's called Wahlburger's.