Healthy, Simple, Meal Ideas

First of all, Happy 4th everyone!! I'm in the process of going through everything to get approved for surgery. So far I have had my inital consult with the surgeon, and met with, and passed, the psych eval. I meet the dietian on Tuesday... I started a new job a few months ago, and since then, my eatting habits have gone south. I work at a job located next to a Holiday gas station where it is easy to go and grab something to snack on. There is a microwave and a fridge available that I can use, and I want to seriously make an effort to lose weight before surgery so I can have a better chance at not having the complications. I am really bad at getting meals in though, and can sometimes go a long time without eatting, and then binge. These are things I will of course work on before surgery, but what are some ideas of things that I can take with me? I'm not much of a cook, and I know planning will be involved. But what are some of your must haves that help you get through your work day. Thanks so much!

Good Morning........I also had Dr. Glass....what a wonderful doctor!! Kristin is so helpful.....one of the nicest Nutritionists I have ever worked with. She will have great ideas for you to. Here are a few ideas..... String cheese or cheese of any kind hard boiled eggs (plain or make egg salad) Tuna (individual size packets) Ham or turkey to make roll ups w/cream cheese refried beans w/ cheese fruit...banana, apple, berries, melons salads....lots of veggies, cheese, sunflower seeds, egg, and meat               whatever sounds good carrots, celery, brocolli, cauliflower w/ ranch dip Any kind of veggie The more protein the better.....get into the habit of protein first. Don't forget to get in plenty of water!!  I use Crystal Light in mine and love it!! Good luck....hope things work out well for you!! Hugs, connie d            

Welcome to the board! If you go out on the main board, there is a poster there named Eggface.  Her site has TONS of wonderful food ideas on it.  I go out there and get ideas often. Like Connie said, lots of water, drink as much as you can stand - then drink more.  Don't drink 1/2 hour before a meal, during a meal, or a 1/2 hour after a meal-this helps you to get full, feel full longer.  I started doing that prior to surgery.  And like Connie said, protein FIRST. Good luck on your journey and I look forward to more posts from you, Debi

Hello Amanda..... I love, love, love the recipes on this woman's website.  Try to see if you can find something here..... www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com Otherwise, since there is a microwave and frig, get some of the frozen meals and micro them with some veggies for your lunch.   I think planning your meals will be key so pack your food for the next day the night before work (so if you are rushed, your choices won't rushed too).  But you also have to plan your snacks -- even after surgery you eat between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner.  So plan something healthy  -- like a baggie of fruit --- this is the time of year for fruit.  Also, drinking milk in between breakfast and lunch and for an afternoon snack will also help weight loss. Anything you do now to change your eating habits will only HELP you later. Good luck and keep us posted!!!!

On a side note, my doctor won't actually be Dr. Glass, I am going to have surgery with his partner, Bettendorf, but his name wasn' t on the list. Thank you for the website suggestion, I am going to go have a look right now. Thank you for all the welcoming words.

I also have a convenience store close to my work and to be honest, I've never been one to go in & grab snacks from there but I did start to enjoy that convenience last year for some reason. So, what I did to break it was I always paid for gas at the pump. I never went inside because I knew if I did, it would mean about $5 in unnecessary junk food and/or beverage. If I needed a pack of gum for instance, I always had it on my Target list and I buy the multipacks so I don't run out. Next, at work I always have the following: In my desk drawer = dry roasted peanuts, granola, water flavorings, tuna or salmon in the foil pouch, Wasa bread, a light syrup fruit cup, and some beef jerky. In our work refrigerator = my lunch for the day (which is usually leftover dinner from the night before's meal because it always has a good protein source), skim milk, string cheese, cream cheese, Laughing Cow cheese wedges (I like the garlic & herb flavored one & I love to have one with a hamburger patty, chicken breast, or on the wasa break), SF applesauce or pudding, and usually a bottle of water or a SlimFast shake. In our work freezer = a Weigh****chers meal just in case! Good luck but definitely take baby steps and start by going to the Holiday 1 less day per week and moving forward from there! You can do this!