Can't seem to get meal planning down

do any of you have tips for this? I track my food but seem to fly by the seat of my pants. Some things I do plan on end up making me feel sick so I don't eat anymore.

just looking for tips on meal planning at this stage. Meat is really hard for me even shredded & puréed. I'm thinking of trying tiny turkey meatloafs. Just afraid to make lots of something as my mom usually doesn't like what I like.

a bonus nsv though. In a little less than 30 days my A1c went down one whole point!

WOW amazing progress on your A1C!

Meal planning can be really hard at first. Every pouch accepts different things and until you can figure out what settles well and what you have to stay away from, it takes alot of experimentation. Try to make small batches of things that you can freeze in small portions. And yes, you may need to either find a friend you can give the food that doesn't settle well or just throw things away (I hate that!).

If you have a Trader Joe's close, I was able to eat the frozen tuna & salmon burgers early on (high in protein, individually wrapped & only 3 min in the microwave). I also got their frozen grilled chicken breast and would just break out a few strips at a time. Also the Chicken of the Sea pouches of tuna and salmon and cans of chicken. All are very moist, in small portions, high in protein and easy to grab and eat.

Also different people's pouches react differently to eggs, but try hard boiled and soft scrambled. Again small portions, good protein and easy to fix.

As for the meatloaves, that isn't a bad idea but I had/have a bad reaction with the bread in most meatloaves and some meatballs. They may contain a variety of ingredients and you have no way of know which of them you might have a reaction to. Just my experience.

I think at first, the best thing to do is try making small portions of anything new...
think about portioning out meat when you buy it into smaller containers and freezing...just cooking enough for one or 2 meals until you know it's something your pouch can tolerate.

look for low cal/sugar free sauces or condiments you can use to keep meats moist...maybe try seafood if you're not al.ergic. especially light flaky fish like flounder or tilapia. you can get the fillets in the freezer section already vaccuum packed individually so you can thaw as you need.

If it's just you cooking for yourself, don't worry too much about prepping ahead too far until you know you can eat something comfortably or if you will even like it.

Everyone is different after surgery-lots of people have issues with meats and eggs early on.

I'd say buy a few small items to try and if you find out they work well for you, go ahead and prepare a few meals and freeze them but don't over do it. remember, one of your old meals is probably equivalent to about 4 now...so you don't want to prepare 20 extra meals that will end up getting thrown away.

It took me a few months to figure out how to cook for 2 bariatric patients and a 4 year old instead of a family of 8 (or 2 obese adults). I cut most recipes in half and plan for enough leftovers for DH and I to have for lunches the next day but it has definitely cut back on our grocery bills.

And congrats on your A1c!

Great job on your A1c drop. Early out I was lucky and could do eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, refried beans with melted cheese, eggfaces ricotta bake, and things like that without difficulty.

Thanks so much for the replies!

eggs have made me throw up, which was super disappointing! Even puréed they sat like a brick. So far the only meat that doesn't make me feel ill is fajita seasoned steak that's been chopped up in a food processor. I added some sour cream and a touch of very mild salsa. So i'll Be doing more of that. i loved the ricotta bake after my vsg but this time around it's not sitting to well.

thanks for the tips! Going to go on a Pinterest binge to look for recipes to try for bariatrics.

In 11 years post op - I don't remember making meal plan and be able to stick with it. I know I would need proteins, and fat, and some carbs if I can. But: what, when, how much - I could never predict in advance. Some days my pouch was more picky than others, plus nausea on or off, never allows me to just plan it and eat it. I had days when I started getting nausea just looking at eggs, or chicken. The same thing about any seafood. I had days, I made it, and I could not handle the fish smell. Or taste.

That's why I have so many RTE (ready to eat) choices in my fridges and freezers (most - cooked or prepared by me, then portioned and freeze). And if nothing solid appeals to me, I may have an protein shake, a protein ice cream, or egg drop soup.

I actually subscribe to a bariatric weight loss meal planning service. All the meals and snacks are planned out along with recipes and shopping lists. She also offers fitness help and one on one coaching. I love it! Send me a private message if your interested in it.