Dense protein expectations

Tomorrow I will hit 12 weeks out and I am confused about a couple of things.

First off, I have been thinking of dense proteins as dead animal/fish only; is that accurate? I was just now searching the boards and a lot of people seemed to also include cheese, beans, eggs, and even Greek yogurt. Are those dense protein? What about Quest protein bars?

i am asking because I can still only eat about an ounce of dead animal, maybe a little more for fish, although I can get down two ounces of tuna. I know it is important to focus on dense protein, but there is no way I can meet my protein goal right now without mostly eating Greek yogurt, cheese, and protein bars; all of which go down easily. Is that ok at this point? Beans don't seem to offer enough protein given my limited space and eggs are still not sitting well.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Dense protein comes from animals. It's preferred as it stays in your stomach longer, leaving you fuller and reducing the urge to snack because it's there digesting and leaving you satiated.

Non-dense proteins tend to have a "looser" consistency (sorry, can't think of a better word) and are broken down in your stomach more rapidly, or they may slide through as they are somewhat liquid. Scrambled eggs, Greek yogurt, and protein bars fall into this category, as does most fish.

Protein bars are a great "quick fix," but many people treat them, emotionally, in a similar way to cookies or candy bars. As you get further on and your capacity increases, you can find yourself physically able to eat more than one in a single sitting, which is a recipe for trouble.

While you may have the problem of capacity right now, many folks find they're able to eat quite a bit more by six months out, when the sleeve/pouch has matured to its full capacity of 3 - 4oz dense protein. So it's important to establish good mental habits now, go protein first, and supplement with things like dairy and shakes when four small meals don't get you to 60g protein.

Thank you so much! This was a very helpful answer and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to write it!

I can understand the confusion. If you google dense proteins you get suggestions of almonds, dairy and broccoli. Ditto on what SparkleKitty said

i do understand where you are coming from. eggs bothered me and even 6 months post op i still can't eat boiled eggs but i take eggs and put them in a muffin tin with turkey bacon and a tsp of fat free cheese on top. in the beginning i took skinless boneless chicken, cooked it and put it in a food processor and then i put fresh salsa on it and microwaved it for a few seconds. that was pretty good. i have tried protein water which i can't stand. have you tried low fat cottage cheese? it is pretty good.

It's actually pretty common to have a hard time with eggs! I know I've seen a lot of posters over the years who've said they didn't sit well. I don't think I could eat any eggs until about six months as they made me queasy.

Your suspicion is correct - dense protein is dead animal protein, as you put it. I prefer to call it "delicious animal protein" myself.

It is usually harder to eat the same capacity as something like beans or even cheese, but it also doesn't have hidden carbs or processed chemicals like protein bars and beans. My preference is knowing what I'm eating, so I stick to whole foods whenever possible and cook most from scratch.

Being new, stick to slow cooked fork-tender meats, like pot roast or rotisserie chicken. You don't have to process it at all - just want it tender and juicy to eat more. If you feel compelled for chicken breast try pounding it first to break up the fibers and let it cook a little longer at a low temp for tenderness. Ground beef for me was difficult, because even though it's ground, the little bits were still pretty fiberous depending on the type of meat was ground in. Also, if the meat is lean, it can be horribly dry which makes it difficult to eat much of.