Menus

I've said before that these message boards need a SEARCH button. I can't find one if it exists. Can anyone who has had RNY in the past 2 - 8 months post their weekly menu please. I am pre-op and I have a weekly menu that I pretty much follow every day. I am a creature of habit so I like to each similiar foods daily plus it helps with financial planning since I follow a strict budget. For instance my current diet is;

GROCERIES
Breakfast:   Instant low sugar or weight control oatmeal, 1 box of slow cooked oats   OJ w/ calcium and pulp	0
	$6
	$4
Snacks:   sugar free peanut butter   5 - Oranges, 5 - apples   5 - Cliff Bars	0
	$3
	$7.50
	$5
Lunch:   5 salads from Trader Joes   Spinach	0
	$20
	$3
Dinner:   Leftovers whatever Grandma cooks	0
Bottled water	$4
TOTAL WEEKLY GROCERY BILL IS LESS THAN =>	$52.50

Thank you so much if you can post one to help me pre-plan.

I second that -- the search button, that is!

I'm further out than you, so my menu plan wouldn't be much help.  But I wanted to suggest that you may find it helpful to repost this in the forum that's associated with the month/year that you had your surgery.  Since those folks are in a similar place as you in terms of capacity, etc., they may be able to offer some helpful suggestions.   Good luck on your continuing journey! Kellie

I havent had the surgery yet, just trying to plan ahead of time and also plan some menus so that I can get a idea of how much my weekly food budget will be. I need a precise number since I am on a strict financial plan.

Ah, I misunderstood your post - sorry about that.  It's a good idea to look ahead and make sure you go into things with a good plan.  Try to keep in mind that everyone's pouch progresses somewhat differently, so you may not be able to tolerate things that other people can early out, and vice versa.  The thing I can offer based on your original post is that it looks too light on proteins.  Early out, I ate a lot more cottage cheese, low-fat cheese, yogurt, milk, refried beans, fish, etc. because those were the proteins my pouch tolerated well.  I did not eat a lot of fresh fruits or fresh vegetables, nor did I eat a lot of dense proteins (beef, chicken, pork, etc.); they are harder to digest and it sometimes takes longer for your pouch to be able to handle them.   That all being said, it may be hard to come up with a precise number until you've had surgery and know what your pouch will tolerate.  But if you can gather some information now and work up a few different scenarios, I think you'll do fine!! Good luck on your continuing journey -  Kellie

thank you so much for taking the time to reply to this Kelly. I am going to implement your suggestions for more protein into my diet right now.

The way I search is to use that long search bar at the top of each page.  You have to click OH first though.  It will give you a mix of information pages from OH as well as message board discussions.  You can tell the discussions be reading the small preview under each result.  HTH