Getting in all the protien! HOW?!?

100g or more. This is, apparently the amount of protien I'm supposed to be getting. On a good day, I can get in about 75g.I drink the drinks (3 a day when I can) I eat protien bars (when I get good ones I can tolerate- which is rare) I eat. Not much, I'm afraid, my little pouch is still VERY selective. SO! Since the solid protiens (especially beef products) are difficult to get much of- how else am I supposed to fit in the protien?  Too many protien shakes make me nausious- and I'll loose weight (NOT something I want to do at this point, I'm HAPPY!)  SO!  Should I just push the shakes? Up the protien bars? Eat tofu? (I don't currently -it's so icky!) HOW oh how do I get my protien in line?  I'm starting the plastics route, and I KNOW I need to be in better physical shape before I go under.  SO, please? Someone? Any advice?

Suggestions that are usually pouch friendly: - fish and shellfish are less dense than beef, chicken, or pork, but still an excellent source of protein.   - low-fat dairy products - yogurt (Fage greek yogurt is a great source of protein and very pouch friendly), cottage cheese, string cheese, etc. - eggs in whatever form you like - egg salad is often an easy option if you like it - Boca "burgers" or other Boca/Morningstar farm products - I tend to find these meat-substitutes less dense than real meat, which may make them more pouch friendly - canned chicken (similar to canned tuna) - it's usually very moist and makes a great chicken salad w/ a little mayo, diced celery, onion if you want, maybe a splash of lemon juice, salt and pepper - great on a few crackers, on top of  salad, wrapped in leaf lettuce, etc.   - nuts - decent source of protein, but high in fat so be careful in terms of portion control.  some nuts are also good sources of omega-3 fatty acids... Would your pouch tolerate denser proteins better if you ate them at the same time as some softer foods, such as cooked carrots, sweet potatos, green beans, etc.?  It might change the overall density of what's going into your pouch, and make it easier to tolerate.  Just a suggestion - From what I've read, you definitely want to get your protein intake up before plastics - it should help you heal much faster and lead to a smoother recovery.   Good luck finding some ways to add more protein to your diet!!! Kellie

Kellie,  Thanks for the advice. I can indeed handle fish better I'm resurching recipies now so I can add more. I keep forgetting how well I tolerate fi****'s not something that falls easily into my food routine.  I do currently use the canned chicken, and other "potted meats". I'm planning on trying the greek yogurt, I've heard good things about it and I KNOW my trader joes carries it. I also do use nuts, but yeah due to the fats (and my desire to stay here in my coomfort zone) I don't use them enough for them to be a significant source of protien. I don't know about the mixing. It DOES indeed work with mashed potatoes (oooh yuuuuuum) but due to the fact the carbs in potatos make me sleeeeeeeepy I only have them once a week with my meals. Carrots and my pouch don't get along even if I boil and smash them- but I'll try other veggies- maybe squash.   Again thanks for your help, you have reminded me of things I forgot.  Especially the fish, being Southwestern (and raised by  beef lovers****ep forgetting how wonderful fishies are!

You may want to check out eggface's blog for things to do with Fage yogurt.  (I think it's something like theworldaccordingtoeggface - you should be able to find her posts on the main forum.)  I eat it by adding a couple packets of Splenda, a splash of vanilla, some fresh berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries - whatever's cheapest at the grocery store), and either a little granola or a whole-grain Mueslix cereal from the Bob's Red Mill line.  That's one of my favorite snacks and it's so good it seems like it can't be good for me, but it is!!!  Eggface has lots of other suggestions on what to do with Fage -

For fish recipes, you may want to check out cookinglight.com, linked below.  I've made several of their recipes using tilapia and loved every one of them.  Most of their recipes are pretty well-balanced and healthy, so I usually start there when I'm looking for ideas.  http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/ Good luck on getting those protein numbers up!!! Kellie

Fry's sells carb-master yogart that has 12 gms of protein and only 4 gms of carbs. It comes in several flavors, I eat it just like it is or sometimes put it in the blender with a scoop of protein powder, some reduced sugar juice or ff milk some ice and drink it as a smoothy. Can't help with real food ideas as I have not yet gotten to eat real food. Just had my VSG procedure done last Friday