anyone still prefer soft protein, slider foods instead of dense ones?

I'm just curious, as a grad, do you prefer slider, soft or light protein foods as opposed to dense meat proteins?  Im almost 3 years out and while I love steak (and do eat it occasionally) I notice I eat more things like refried beans, greek yogurt, peanut butter, cashews, eggs, protein puddings, etc than steak or chicken or other heavy meats.  Anyone else like that?  Do you find it makes you eat more or years out, you still eat small portions?

thanks for your input in advance! :)

Unfortunately the slider foods are the ones I prefer and have to remember that to be successful long term I HAVE to incorporate more of the dense proteins in my diet.  I still enjoy the non fat plain yogurt with a little fruit and a splenda as my morning snack.  I still prefer cottage cheese and tomatoes for lunch.  I love my banana and peanut butter snack.  And I enjoy my protein shake for breakfast.  While I can maintain eating this way I do get hungry and then cause myself to gain because of my snacking.

I've begun to incorporate more dense protein trying to envision it sitting in my pouch telling me I'm full so I'll begin to like it.  I find when I do this I snack less because I'm not as hungry.  I've been telling myself I have to change my preference to denser foods because 'success requires it'!

Interesting to hear someone else who likes slider foods like I do.  I thought I was strange in this regard. 

I'm like you and do prefer the softer slider foods, but I have to make myself eat things like grilled chicken breast. I know I will stay full longer and be more satisfied with the more dense proteins, they just aren't as appealing to me, so I work at it. I definitely can not eat steak, but chicken, pork, high quality ground beef I can do. When I eat the slider foods I do get hungry faster and can eat WAY more of them!!!! Just something to watch and keep an eye on.

I swear I am the King of soup.  I also like stew, greek yogurt, eggs, beans, a good curry (see stew).

My wife made the best comment about the dense and hard to eat proteins:  There are days when I just do not want to fight with my food.  Meaning, eating these foods takes work, thought, increased risk of vomiting when it gets "stuck."  So, yeah, most days I just don't want to fight with my food and go for the sliders.

I eat by calories.  I know I want a 300-400 calorie breakfast and have yogurt & granola with fruit, 2 eggs & toast with peanut butter, etc.  I guess I don't eat more slider foods than I should because I decide how much is appropriate first and then eat that amount.

I can eat A LOT LESS of the dense foods which is good.  I can barely finish a Cheeseburger Happy Meal, once slice of pizza is my limit too.  Obviously these foods should be enjoyed in moderation since they aren't the healthiest.  Let's face it: nobody is going to say I got fat eating Bean soup.

I'll be 4 yrs out on Feb 8. I also eat the slider, softer protein but always make sure its protein like greek yogurt, hard boiled egg, canned salmon (recently added) or a drink with Unjury that  I am putting in my mouth.

I saw my surgeon last week and was concerned I had a problem since I didn't feel good when I tried to get chicken or shall I say any regular food....he told me I am just fine with what I have been doing. He did tell me the reason for this was because he purposely makes the stomach opening very small. Now I did have it stretched at 6 months and seems it has tighten up again but at this point it really doesn't matter to me as I recently found I had to eliminate all gluten, wheat, oats and barley....with my other food allergies, what the heck is left, back to  greek yogurt and some fish. I make sure to get all my multi vits, extra calcium and D3 along with  4 grams of Omega dailty because I could never get my Omega by foods. Still have to have iron infusions and take B12  injections 2 x week but its a small price to pay for keeping my weight at 122-124. He did however ask me to return in July and if I am still not eating any heavier he may do an endoscopy to make sure its not a return of my hiatal hernia.

Ginny

Do you mind me asking how you stretched your pouch at 6 months?

I am almost 7 months and would love to know what to avoid.

Thanks for any input.

Laura

Laura,
The surgeon had to stretch the opening a tad, I couldn't even protein drinks down. From 7 weeks to 6months I vomited several times a day, sometimes just on water. He does this pretty much on purpose. So he took me in and slightly stretched it just so I could manage to eat some yogurt and have my protein drinks. Still can't do chicken, really don't care for it anyway and I don't eat meat.

I made him promise he would keep it pretty small  as I didn't want to be able to get much down. I basically eat just what I wrote above, Fage, Greek yogurt, protein drinks with fat free milk, some days I can do  wild salmon (maybe 2oz at a time) and it must be moist. Tonight I tried a new wild fish I picked up at Whole Foods last night. It was Wild Arctic Char It's in the wild salmon family, taste like a cross between salmon & a light trout . I found a fab recipe online and was able to get 4 oz in, loaded with Omega 3. I don't eat anything unless its got benefits like  protein , Omega 3 and B vits.

Just so you are clear I did  not stretch my pouch from eating food ever and its still very small. I see him again in July and may have to have hiatal hernia repair again if still bothering me. I do feel much better  gut wise since all wheat and gluten is out of my diet.

Good luck, you are on your way. By 6 months I was finished loosing, didn't have allot to loose.  Anytime you have a question feel free to ask or send me an email.

Thank you so much for the info. You know how us newbies are, always worried about what is ahead and a sponge for the knowledge that you guys have on WLS.

My brother has the same problem with wheat he has celiac disease. I understand the headache it is to find food that you can enjoy. He buys a lot of products from the Gluten-free pantry online and his wife cooks for him.

Good luck on the hernia repair!

Thanks again,

Laura

 

Last year my Celiac was negative but I was positive several other times when I was young.
Yesterday I had a new blood test ran that show wheat and gluten sensitivity, it's different than what I had before. I believe this one was anti-glidadi*****The dr told me many times it won't pinpoint Celiac but   that doesn't mean you don't have the sensitivies. I have been trying to find foods for years and I still need to read the labels for preservatives and color as well as rice and potatoe, so  online is not an option for me. Believe I am boring myself to death but I will be healthy and thin LOL I lost 5 lbs since I stopped all gluten and wheat again these past few weeks. I kept trying to fit some in but my gut knows immediately, like 10-20 min.

My daughter buys online for her son, he is autisic and now she is able to add some foods back in for him however it was her who introduced me to Bobsredmill.com and a few others, I finally bought one of his Buckwheat cereal at Whole Foods and it was delicious, didn't need sugar at all since it is a fruit but carbs where high for me even with 1/3 cup but at least I have one more food that I didn't have a week ago.. I learn something new everyday even at 59!
~Ginny

I think I mostly prefer sliders...I eat a lot of soups and stews too like Mr Soup King before me!  I am Queen of Crock Pot Stews......yogurt, cottage cheese...But I must have a dense protein for dinner or I will want to snack all night...and I eat an early dinner and I am up late...so that can be a disaster for me if I only eat sliders at dinner...I eat A LOT of chicken...Chicken is my main dense protein...I alternate with pork now and then but eat fish 2-3 times a week too....Last night I had spicy sausage , kale and lentil soup...It's hearty and I even fell asleep watching Dateline last night so I skipped my snacks!  LOL Good for me! 

I also eat any carbs from nature...Not refined and enriched stuff but the real stuff like potatoes ,rice, whole grain products, beans, veggies and fruits...I will eat some pasta occasionally too...But I eat starchy foods moderately because they do fill me or give me that "Stuck" feeling and then I am hungry too fast...So  I do those 2 times a week if that WITH dense protein so I CAN'T eat a lot of them if I wanted to!  I only take a serving size...Sometimes I fini****sometimes I don't.

I can eat 6 ounces of chicken (but not much of anything else)...but often I will only eat 3-4 ounces and some veggies and a small salad...It's that difference between "no longer hungry" and "feeling a little fullness/tightness"  I try NOT to feel fullness..but there are times I just over eat to get that feeling (which I regret as soon as I feel it!) ...and that often happens with dense protein or starchy foods...Since I don't LIKE that feeling...I tend to eat sliders during the day or small snacks so I don't get full but just satisfy hunger...I am not carb phobic...but I do choose complex carbs though as my main choices...I look for fiber specifically...If it has high carbs and fiber and protein...I don't care what the carb number is...I don't concern myself with watching carbs and I never really did, unless I am actively trying to lose weight...Then I am a little more carb conscious...But a small amount of complex carbs (a suggessted serving or less) satisfies me as well as dense protein for a nice long time.  ( I do look for low or no sugar though)

And lastly!  I eat dense proteins very slowly and chew them to mush...and that helps me get them down so much better...If I don;t chew and accidently swallow without chewing really well, the meat will hit my pouch like a rock and just ache!  Beef often does that to me...I have to chew it very well and that helps a lot! Plus I eat a little fruit, salad or papaya enzymes after beef to break it down faster...That really helps too!  (paypaya is the main ingredient in meat tenderizer and it literally shreds protein)