Let's talk about protein...

So I went and searched "protein" in the forum search and omg there was a lot and I did grab a few tidbits from the posts, but I'd love to hear what your favorite ways to get your protein, and any recipes/tips/tricks.

I'm entering the "soft food" phase after my dietician appointment on Monday and yall have no idea how much I've been craving chicken and shrimp and just...meat in general after the last couple near week of full liquids. I've been mixing 4oz of fairlife milk with a full scoop of optum nutrition whey protein, and usually will grab a Greek yogurt around lunch time which may or may not be picked at for awhile (yogurt still goes down a little harsh, even when eaten with a small spoon and just dipping it in the yogurt). Eggs are another thing I'm looking forward to but ugh, need some shrimp or at least a slice of turkey breast. The cravings are real when I know it's in my fridge for my roommate to make sandwiches with.

Ahem, sorry...I'm definitely not vegetarian material.

So! Lay the protein goodness on me! Things other than shakes. I tried protein mix in jello...that came out as some horrid abomination and...we just won't speak of it again. I've found mixing powders into anything other than milk or water (I've tried oatmeal...it didn't go well) winds up leaving it incredibly gritty and not well incorporated at all.

Thank you in advance!

My puree/soft food stage included things like: soft scrambled egg, canned chicken mixed with plenty of mayo, white fish, cottage cheese, Babybel cheese, string cheese, smoked salmon. I eventually moved on to crock pot meats. I did 'fish tacos' a lot - tilapia topped with a sprinkle of shredded cheese and sour cream/plain Greek yogurt. A lot of people eat those single-serve packets of seasoned tuna (I'd say they are more than a serving though at first, so watch that).

I did not stir powder into anything except shakes. I stuck with 2+ shakes per day at first and then eventually moved to one Premier Protein at the end of the day to bulk my protein. At first, I drank it warmed up like hot chocolate (but my surgery was in January!) and then I moved on to mixing it with coffee (decaf at first).

Protein powder in jello? Blech. Its pretty good in FFSF pudding.

Take it slow. Moving too fast at first will leave you feeling horrible. I wasnt eating any of the things you mentioned until 8 weeks.

This is just a tiny blip, and it will be over soon.

I did try the unflavored in some FFSF pudding, mixed it up really well then ate it immediately because I was afraid if I let it sit it'd get gritty. Yeah, the jell-o was definitely not one of my better ideas. I'd hoped the ho****er would dissolve it enough to mix well with everything but it wound up separating in the fridge and was...awful.

It does seem like my nutritionist is moving me through the weeks pretty quickly. I didn't have much of a pre-op diet (except for the day before...only clear liquids after 10am and nothing after midnight), and was on a clear liquid post-op for three days before advancing to full liquids. The whole plan has me on a regular diet by the 24th, which would be one month post-op. I see her on Monday, though, so I may clarify the whole plan with her and talk over a few things.

Your RNY food progression plan may differ from a VSG plan. I was able to eat everything she mentioned at 4wks.

A) Many, many surgeons use the same progression for RNY and VSG. Plans are more likely to differ surgeon to surgeon.

B) When things don't sit well, regardless of what your plan says you should be able to eat, the best advice is usually always to slow down. Plans are one size fits all - people are not.

You're right. But many isn't "all". And for point B, amen to that. One food at a time. One tiny, tiny bite at a time. Sometimes the foods you think will be the most gentle end up disruptive.

Which is, of course, exactly the advice Grim gave - yet you chose to disparage his advice because he had the RNY.

There is zero difference between a good eating plan for either surgery. As Gwen said, tg e only difference is in program plans, not real-life eating.

Everyone wants to skip ahead. If the plan says 2 weeks, they want to do it in 1. If it says 10 days, they want to make it 7. You know why? Because we were morbidly obese, and want more food, sooner.

Instead of 2 weeks, make it 3. Instead of 3 days of full liquid, make it 7, or 10. Do more, not less.

But that's not how our brains are wired.

I'm talking about the diet progression (not a good eating plan post-surgery). Just because we arrive at the same guidelines, does not mean the diet progression is same (across surgeons, across surgeries). Sorry, and who is "everyone"? I am moving exactly according to my diet progression plan laid out by my expert team. In fact, even when the calendar said I could proceed, I always checked in with my nutritionist first. Sounds like Descend is following her plan, too. You implied that she should be careful because you yourself weren't able to eat certain things until Week 8. In my case, I'm allowed to eat those very things at Week 4. Obviously, there is variation between the food progression plan for me and you. She should obviously defer to her health team, but it's possible that she and I (both VSG patients) might have different progression schedules than you (a RNY patient, yes?)