help please...meal sugesstions needed

I am losing weight slowly, but I havent a clue to what I shld be eating. Can some of you share with me what you are eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner on a typical day? For various reasons I have no support I am in this alone rny post op. Thanks in advance to anyone that shares their meal plan.

Hi Renee, I'm sorry that you're struggling. I scanned through your profile and see that you've dwelling in a negative place emotionally and physically since your surgery. I'll guess that your change of medical insurance coverage is what leaves you without support from your medical/surgical team. It also sounds like your program didn't include nutritional counseling and support to begin with. If my assumptions are correct (they may not be) this is all too bad, because it set you up for the problems that you are having... Here is my blunt advice: 1. Take charge of your eating and simplify your diet if you started eating anything like your pre--surgery days. Stick to the basics and focus on the requirements, everything else goes until you are on track. If you don't achieve this level of control, you will be in trouble. Period. Your rearranged anatomy is a TOOL, not a magic bullet. You use that tool by making better food choices and letting you small pouch help control your hunger and limit the volume that you eat. Rock the tool Renee. Own it, don't try to circumvent it. 2. The basics mean 60+ grams of protein a day (roughly 9 oz of cooked meat, fish, seafood, chicken, turkey, etc.). Weigh it!! so you know how much you are actually eating. I eat 3 oz of cooked meat/fish each meal. I eat 3 sometimes 4 times per day. Some days I can't eat as much as others. I don't make myself sick, but I do have to work at it some days to eat as much as possible. 2A. Chew, chew chew, and eat slowly! This is part of my challenge. I can eat more and feel better when I take my damn time chewing thoroughly and eating slow. Those 3 oz of meat might take you 30 min to eat, and that would be just great!. 3. Drink the damn water and stop telling yourself that it's too hard. You are bull****ting yourself. Just measure out the water each and every day and stop making an issue of it. Just sip it ALL OF THE TIME until it becomes habit. 4. Get the carbs out of your diet until you are near your goal. Again, don't bull**** yourself that you can eat bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and cereals (hot and cold). Just don't fool yourself about this. If you are eating them, stop today and life will get better IMMEDIATELY. It will b easier to eat your protein and drink the water. I promise. 5. Eat low carb veggies. broccoli, celery, brussels, lettuce (all kinds) green beans, asparagus, cauliflower, etc. etc. etc. Hit atkis.com for a great list of low-carb veggies. 6. Eat fruit as a dessert, but be careful how much because the carbs (the natural sugars) in the fruit can slow down your weight loss. But do eat some fruit, just don't over-do it. 7. Don't each any other sugar even if you can tolerate it. Again, don't bull**** yourself that you can have sugar in your iced tea and it will be OK. It won't. 8. Don't worry about 'breakfast' foods, just get your protein in. I eat largely the same stuff for breakfast as any other meal. I have salmon or scrambled eggs or chicken. Today I had lamb leftover from easter dinner. Make breakfast just another meal and stay away from carbs. 9. I cycle through the protein sources constantly. I'll broil shrimp today 9and eat it over 2 or meals), I'll poach a small salmon fillet and have that for 2 or 3 meals. I'll grill some chicken thighs, enough for 2-3 meals. The secret for me is to cook small quantities, but still enough to always have some cooked food in the fridge that I can pull out and take to work for lunch or whatever. Cook small quantities so you don't get bored eating the same thing for days on end. Mix it up. 10. If you local supermarket has a decent salad bar, hit that for lunches and/or dinners. Remember, some veg, but get the protein (egg, cott cheese, cheese, chick, tuna, whatever they offer) but stay away from any sugared items or carbs (croutons) !!! ---------------------- I didn't mean to offend by my bluntness, but I am very much trying to make a point about YOU owning your post-op life, and not letting all of the BAGGAGE that we all carry own you. Don't look back. Make the changes you need to make and focus on the day to day. Does any of this help? Tell me. Mike

Hey! I am sorry you are feeling down. This is a wonderful thing we have done, and no matter how much or how slow you have lost, remember that it is gone!! FOREVER!!! I have had really slow losses the last few weeks, but I am still proud and will keep trucking on. I don't know if I am doing right, I am flying solo too. I eat Special K and Slim Fast protein bars for breakfast, skim milk, or weight control oatmeal. I also eat South Beach Diet frozen meals. They have crazy amounts of protein like 25 - 30. They also are kinda low in carbs and have fiber. I am able to eat most anything. I have cut out sweets, watch carbs, fried food, and things like that. South Beach Diet has wraps too. They are with the sandwich meats. WalMart has a good variety. I don't always get my vitamins in, but I have had my blood checked 2 times, and the dr. hasn't called me to tell me that I am low on anything. I haven't had much hair loss either. I wish you the best. Jus****ch what you eat and you can more or less join in with your friends, family, eat at restaraunts. I usually eat meat, leave the bread, and add some veggies. Good Luck. BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU HAVE LOST!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, I'm glad you're working to be pro-active & get on track with your meal plans! Losing sloooooowwwwwly is still losing, so don't give up on yourself. I work full-time, days, so I have to work my meals around my work schedule too. For breakfast, I usually have a pure protien protein bar (I get mine from Marc's or Wal*Mart. They are not expensive, come in a variety of flavors, and pack 18-20grams of protein in each nice small bar), or I will have 2% low-fat small curd cottage cheese (to switch up the flavor, I will add a spoon or two of unsweetened applesauce. I like the smaller packs that are fruit flavored). For lunch, I like the south beach diet meals. The wraps or chicken salads come with pita chips and jello. I usually only have half the chips and no jello.... also take it easy on the mayo/sauce until you know how your pouch will handle it... I got the cranberry/chicken/walnut and the first time I used almost the whole packet of mayo and it made me REAL QUEASY!!! I also go to Subway and get the bacon/chicken/ranch wrap with the shredded monteray jack cheese, lettuce, and tomato. I can only eat half, so the other half is my dinner. The new grilled chicken wrap at Wendy's is good. I can also eat a basic burger (like from a kid's meal) IF I take one half the bun off. Dinner is a serving of protein like chicken, salmon, shrimp, beef (about the size of a deck of cards... or your palm... without the fingers thrown in! ) Refried beans are good. Chili is a good protein choice. I'll add about 1/2 cup of steamed veges to any of these as a side for color and crunch. I sometimes have 1/2 an apple or some other fruit that can be eaten without the peel. You can find wrap pita-type breads that are low-carb that you can use for any type of meal... breakfast burrito, or lunch/dinner wrap for taco's, or any meat on the go! For a sweet snack, I like the Slim-A-Bear ice cream bars, or skinny cow ice cream popsicles. Jus****ch, the sugar alcohols can give you gas You can also make sugar free pudding with skim milk. I found a Trader Joe's and like their soy crisps if I want something crunchy (has more protein and less carbs than other types of chips). They also have Fage Yogurt. It's a great Greek yogurt that is high in protein and can be used in anything you would have yogurt or sour cream in (yummy AND good for you). I have a hard time drinking just plain water sometimes, so I drink lots of herbal tea (hot or cold). Celestial Seasonings is my brand of choice, and it can be found in just about any grocery store and is decaf. My favorite right now is Chai tea/decaf. I put a tsp of honey and a splash of skim milk in there and I'm good to go. If I want a bit of sweeteness, I'll add a tsp of honey to any of the flavors. You can also get the powdered drink packets, like Crystal Light, that can be dumped in a bottle of water or stirred into a glass of water. It gives it flavor, but no calories. You always want to chew thoroughly. Look for eggface on the main board or the RNY board. Click on her skillet and it will take you to her blog. She has TONS of yummy recipe ideas. I have also gone to SparkPeople.com, it is a free website, and you can do an online daily food tracker. It's great when you're trying to figure out how much protein/carbs/fat/calories you are consuming each day. They also have a link to some great recipes... jus****ch to make sure you are staying within your protien/carb/sugar limits Good luck, and I hope you find a plan that works right for you, and helps you reach your goals!