High protein meal/snack ideas, Hair loss, overeating

[Erin18 143]

Hey people!

4 months and 3 days post RNY.

What meal and snack ideas can you give me that are high in Protein? I'm still not hitting my goals and currently thinking about drinking protein, turns my stomach. This happened in the beginning aftrr surgery as well. Any good recipes? I know there are recipes on here somewhere, but what are your top high protein foods? I need to start planning my foods ahead again.

How long did everyone's Hair loss last? When I had lapband in 2009, my hair loss wasn't as bad as it is this time. My hair gets SO tangled! Probably because this time my hair is lightened and colored with fashion colors. But, when did the hair loss start to ease up for you?

I feel like im overeating. I feel like I could have lost a lot more weight by now. If it's not overeating then it's high calorie foods. For example, I can eat almost a who bagel with a serving of cream cheese and a 1/2 to a cup of cherries for Breakfast. A lot of the times I skip lunch because I eat whatever I have at breakfast at that time. Then if I have a snack yes I'll eat a junk food item like a serving of chips or a cheesestick and then at dinner I'd have the 3 ounce of chicken, with 1/2 cup veggies and spoonful (the ones you cook with) of rice. Of course I'd have regular BBQ Sauce or chic fil a sauce (a serving) and a serving of butter on my rice. Then awhile later before I get in the shower I'll have one or two of the following; a popsicle, another serving of chips, popcorn, yogurt, ice cream sandwich (yep I shouldn't be eating this. No, it hasn't made me sick and no I don't have it often), a cheesestick, etc. Or sometimes I'd eat some Cereal if I know it doesn't make me feel sick. When I write it out, it doesn't look like I'm overeating, but when I track it, it comes out to be around 1200 calories. I shouldn't stress, but I need to make better choices and maybe make schedule for Water intake and food intake.

PLEASE, no rude/mean replies. Please be helpful. I want to succeed, and right now I feel like I'm not gonna succeed eventhough I'm not gaining, I'm still slowly losing.

Thanks for your time!

[Arabesque 7,245]

Hair loss usually lasts 3-4 months. You just have to ride it out until your accelerated hair loss cycle reverts to its usual rate. Those who spend money taking extra supplements using special shampoos, etc. find their accelerated hair loss slows at about 3 or 4 months so I say save your money. Your new hair is still growing just at its usual rate. Many of us cut our hair shorter if it was long so the new growth will reach your shorter length more quickly. And shorter hair is usually bouncier so can look thicker.

May be get in contact with your dietician to review your food choices & suggest healthier alternatives because based on what you’ve said it seems you are eating too much & not making the best choices. Your dietician will also be able to advise on caloric goals that you need (we have different needs & are often given different goals), number of Snacks each day & recommendations for intake of other macros (fats, carbs, sugars, etc.) & food groups. You just need to start implementing those better habits & routines. Start by making one or two changes & then next week make another change or two. Always easier to adapt to a couple of changes at a time than a total dramatic overhaul that can be too confronting & difficult to manage & stick to.

A couple of tips. Avoid popcorn. It is a slider food & goes through you very quickly so it’s easy to eat too much. Usually rice, Pasta, breads & bread alternatives (bagels, wraps, tortillas, etc.) are off the menu. They are considered high processed, nutrient poor simple carbs. They are too filling in your tiny tummy reducing your ability to eat more essential nutrient dense foods like your protein.h Get rid of the junk food out of your house so you won’t be tempted. If you have family, store their snacks in a separate area. Try not to skip your three meals - it only slows your metabolism. I eat later in the day because it works for me: breakfast at about 9am, snack at about 1pm, lunch at about 4, dinner at about 6pm.

[BabySpoons 616]

One of my favorite high Protein Snacks are hard boiled deviled eggs. Just mix yolk with light mayo, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.

[Fred in Pa 234]

Oikos Pro yogurt. 20g of Protein per cup. vanilla and Peach are my favorites.

Mix with fruit serving or a bit of granola for crunch.

edited to add: I also have used the 3 ounce Proteins shots. The taste isn’t so good but it’s only 3 ounces and gives you I believe 20 to 30 g of protein.

Edited June 25, 2023 by Fred in Pa

[Fred in Pa 234]

In regards to your diet, I would count the calories tightly. There are a lot of empty calories in what you described, specifically carbs. Go online and determine what your BMR is and then compare to calorie intake. Make changes as necessary to obtain a calorie deficit.

You’d surprised at what adds up and how easy it may be to remove a few small items to get to negative.

Count every dollop of sauce, every Vitamin ( yes, Vitamins add calories), powders, etc.

Are you exercising? That helps your metabolism as well.

Finally, losing slow is still losing and succeeding but really try to eat clean and lose some of those empty calories.

Edited June 25, 2023 by Fred in Pa

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,605]

When I had my sleeve, my Hair loss lasted from months 3-9. It's growing back now and I have about 2 inches of regrowth, but I go in for my revision on the 28th, and I'm nervous about how thin my hair is gonna get now.

[LindsayT 594]

I like roasted edamame and chickpeas for a crunchy snack once and a while. They are a bit calorie dense but healthier than chips. They also give you a boost of Protein (especially the edamame) and Fiber. Low fat/ fat-free high protein yogurt is a great choice. Low fat cheese (I like the babybel). Raw veggies with dip. The dip you'll make is fat-free plain Greek yogurt and dry ranch dressing powder to taste. Great snake and another source of protein.
For a treat, bryers ice cream makes a carb smart version that's pretty tasty, i get the fudge bars, which are around 60 calories, but limit that. sugar-free pudding, Jello, and popsicles are better. Another tasty treat is sugar-free redi whip with strawberries. eggs are great for breakfast and so versatile: add a bit of reduced fat cheese or turjey sausage or low fat ham, make a crustless quiche, or boil; the ideas are endless. Tuna/chicken/egg salads are great for lunch or a quick dinner; just mix with low-fat mayo and whatever else you like. When I make them, I do enough for a few days and have lunch already made for the next day or two.
If you do decide to eat Pasta or rice, opt for whole wheat or protein pasta and brown rice on occasion. We had Italian the other night, and I literally only had 1/4 a cup of whole wheat rigatoni with my protein and sauce, and that was way more than enough. I ended up only eating half of my dinner (about a third to a half cup and finishing it a couple hours later for a snack). Leftovers are a great option for lunches and sometimes breakfast. I find that I plan those better/healthier than my other meals.
I agree with some of the other suggestions, such as talking to your dietitian. They can offer you specific guidance and support. Another idea to try is therapy to understand why you are making the choices you are. It may only be 1200 calories, but the choices are poor with poor nutrients. Us RNY folks need to be on top of our nutritional game between food choices and Vitamins and supplements. The habits you are building now will stick with you and may lead to an undesirable outcome in the future.
I wish you all the best moving forward.

[BabySpoons 616]

2 hours ago, LindsayT said:

If you do decide to eat Pasta or rice, opt for whole wheat or Protein Pasta

I have been mind craving pasta so I bought some Banza chickpea spaghetti noodles. Haven't tried them yet but the protein content is 11g for a 2oz serving and 190 calories. Have you tried these anyone?

I also bought a handheld spiralizer to try making noodles from veggies. I see so many recipes on YouTube that look soooo good, but the real question is do these alternatives really taste good???

[Tomo 1,191]

No Hair loss with the sleeve. Post revision to RNY (for gerd), I experience quite a bit, about 6 months of it. Started late too like 5 months in.

If you aren't meeting your Protein requirement, just swap some of your junk food for something healthy with protein. If that is too difficult, then try to have a little protein with each meal to help fill you up. For example, if you eat chips, add a string cheese to that meal.

I think a bariatric therapist may be able to help with the junkfood cravings if you have access to it. Since you are still in the honeymoon stage, that may help you for the future when the appetite comes roaring back.

[WanderingLass 39]

11 hours ago, BabySpoons said:

I have been mind craving Pasta so I bought some Banza chickpea spaghetti noodles. Haven't tried them yet but the Protein content is 11g for a 2oz serving and 190 calories. Have you tried these anyone?

I also bought a handheld spiralizer to try making noodles from veggies. I see so many recipes on YouTube that look soooo good, but the real question is do these alternatives really taste good???

I love zoodles! Cook them just enough to heat them so they retain texture without getting smooshy and they're great!

[Brandiwine77 55]

10 hours ago, WanderingLass said:

I love zoodles! Cook them just enough to heat them so they retain texture without getting smooshy and they're great!

Yes!! This! I love them too, but it was a bit of a learning curve at first. You really only want to get them scalded and hot, and not cook them or they are absolute mush. I actually like raw zucchini too, with a little ranch dip.

[ms.sss 15,588]

snacks: crunchy veggies, cheese, beef Jerky?

hair loss: mine started at 3 months post and stopped around 6 months post. at around 18 months post, all the "new" hair that started sprouting up when Hair loss stopped were the same length as my "old" almost-shoulder length hair (i had cut off all my hair into a pixie around 3 months). by 3 years post op my hair was about under-boob length and u would've never known i suffered serious hair loss. in fact i actually think its thicker and healthier now (plus it grew in kinda wavy, which i love).

over-eating: now based on your description of the kinds of foods and amounts if it u eat in a typical day in your post, i kinda think you may be underestimating the cals you note u are consuming? without seeing the amounts and actual food, what you describe seems like it would add up to much more than 1200 cals a day? maybe you can go over your food logs with your nutritionist and see if they can help you identify areas to re-visit?

[Erin18 143]

On 6/25/2023 at 1:46 PM, BabySpoons said:

I have been mind craving Pasta so I bought some Banza chickpea spaghetti noodles. Haven't tried them yet but the Protein content is 11g for a 2oz serving and 190 calories. Have you tried these anyone?

I also bought a handheld spiralizer to try making noodles from veggies. I see so many recipes on YouTube that look soooo good, but the real question is do these alternatives really taste good???

I tried Barilla protein pasta and it's pretty good. I also made zucchini noodles before and it is good. Totally gave me the idea to make zoodles again, I forgot about those lol

[Erin18 143]

I see my dietician in August along with my surgeon and I also will be getting bloodwork done.

Thank you for the tips/suggestions.

The 1200 calories was a day that I had. The example wasn't the 1200 calorie day.

I'm gonna take out bread or if I want bread/bread type products, just have half. I don't eat bread related foods every day. I try to stay away from junkfood. Alot of the times it's always in my face and I live with family, I've mentioned before to put it in a place where it's not in my face. It's always usually on the counter.

Right now, yogurt is still turning my stomach just of the thought about it, but hopefully I can add it back in my diet. I love cheesesticks, Protein Drinks with 20g of Protein, Jello I need to make some, been loving cherries lately and apples. Have to pick up some strawberries.

Does anyone eat and then at the 15 minute mark they get sick of what they're eating? So you stop?

I have some recipes for bariatric meals, I need to whip that back out and make a grocery list. Plus I also follow a lot of people on tik tok and youtube. I also need to get back to eating egg, tuna or chicken salad again. What do you eat it with? Vegetables?

[LindsayT 594]

5 hours ago, Erin18 said:

I see my dietician in August along with my surgeon and I also will be getting bloodwork done.

Thank you for the tips/suggestions.

The 1200 calories was a day that I had. The example wasn't the 1200 calorie day.

I'm gonna take out bread or if I want bread/bread type products, just have half. I don't eat bread related foods every day. I try to stay away from junkfood. Alot of the times it's always in my face and I live with family, I've mentioned before to put it in a place where it's not in my face. It's always usually on the counter.

Right now, yogurt is still turning my stomach just of the thought about it, but hopefully I can add it back in my diet. I love cheesesticks, Protein Drinks with 20g of Protein, Jello I need to make some, been loving cherries lately and apples. Have to pick up some strawberries.

Does anyone eat and then at the 15 minute mark they get sick of what they're eating? So you stop?

I have some recipes for bariatric meals, I need to whip that back out and make a grocery list. Plus I also follow a lot of people on tik tok and youtube. I also need to get back to eating egg, tuna or chicken salad again. What do you eat it with? Vegetables?

Pinterest is a great place for recipes as well.

When eating tuna/chicken/or egg salad, I don't normally eat it with anything. I want to keep the room in my stomach for the Protein. To get fiber (and a little extra protein) with it, I like to add thawed frozen peas to my chicken or tuna salad.

Maybe talk with your family about keeping Snacks and other foods more hidden so they're not so tempting to get into.

Another option is to make up your own snack boxes, so you can just pull them out. Maybe some reduced fat cheese and veggies, hummus and veggies, or whatever else you like.

Meal planning (even out to eat planning) is so important for us. I have noticed that foods are way more unhealthy than we think. For example, our regular brand of Pasta Sauce has 16g of added sugar per serving (not to mention the added surger in a lot of food in the US), a small burger patty from a fast food place (no bun or condiments) is 280 calories, and carbs and salt are lerking everywhere in prepackaged and restaurant foods. For example, I got a cup of Soup at Penara the other day and just looked at the calories when I ordered, once I tracked it in my app, it had over 2,000mg of sodium. Yikes! (Remember, track first) And I'm not scared of carbs, they just need to be the right carbs; however, they all add up. I try and stay under 60 carbs per day. So, I've learned to track before I put anything in my mouth, unless I know it meets the criteria that my dietitian has put me on. Sometimes, life happens and it's not always possible and none of us are perfect; it's really the effort we put in. Gosh, it's hard though.

None of this is easy, I totally get that. And whoever said this was easy....well, I have a few words for them. I look at the surgery as a tool to help us fight back to get healthy and get our lives back, but it's still up to us to use it properly. (Not saying your not, it's more of a reminder for all of us).

Again, I wish you all the best.