Question:
Having trouble eating, need ideas, please help.
I had Lap RNY on January 2, 2007 and am having problems remembering to eat. I forget about my protein supplements too (though I remember my vitamins). When I do remember to eat and go to find something I look all over my house and can't find anything that I want to eat, so I don't. I've been sick with a fever and bad cold for 2 weeks and think the reason it won't go away is because I'm not getting something in my diet though my PCP doesn't agree. Does anyone have any suggestions of interesting and easy and inexpensive (high protein) foods to have on hand so that I can have something new to get me interested in eating again? I'm still working on finding the right protein supplement for me and don't think I'll have a problem taking it once I find the right product. Thank you very much. — posprudence (posted on April 1, 2007)
April 1, 2007
I am still Pre Op so i don't have the answers to all of your questions. But
let me see if i can be of any help........ ;O)
For the last few months i have been tring different types of protein
drinks. Here are the ones that i really like. Zero Carb Isopure ready to
drink, Micellar's Milk, Unjury, and also Any whey unflavored.
I think you should really concentrate on getting in that protein. Try
starting your day off w/ a protein drink to get you started. The Isopure
that i get is like fruit punch type drink available in lots of flavors. Not
milk based and has no after taste. Or try putting Any Whey in hot tea.
Something to get your pouch warmed up.
I would also suggest planning out your day ahead of time. I know that has
worked for me great in the past on previous diets. That way your not
rummaging around looking for something.
This site as well as others have great recipes. Have a look around.
I wish you all the best of luck and I hope you start feeling better.
Michele
— michelemcd
April 1, 2007
I've eaten Hormels Chili - not the hot and today I tried Busch's Chilic and
Beans and its GREAT! I was hesitant about trying it but I had this strong
urge for some beans. Smooth peanut butter -- I think it's 2 teaspoons a
day is the limit. Since you've been sick I'd tried getting some chicken
soup down. Also I've tried the Marie Callendars slow crock dinners that
you cook in the crock pot for 8-10 hours -- leave out the potatoes all
together and that was good.
The only thing that is stressing me is that I can't have any spicy foods
and being from Louisiana -- that is the hardest part for me.
— the7thdean
April 1, 2007
Dinty Moore Beef Stew in the individual portion sizes (Walmart has them),
cans of tuna, salmon and chicken (add mayo) on Wasa Lite & Crisp
Crackers, High protein soups, cottage cheese, wendy's chili, dark meat
chicken from boston market. As for protein powders, Walker is good
(vitacost has them).
— Sheri A.
April 1, 2007
Cassandra, you are only going on 3 months post op and you have another
month before you can really start trying some different type foods. Right
now you need to fill up on chicken soup as much as you can to get rid of
your cold. I didn't like the protein drinks at all and I ended up with the
powdered egg whites for my protein, it didn't have that awful after taste
like Whey. I also had a receipe for freezing the protein mixture made with
lemon or strawberry crystal lite and with it being a little frozen it was
much easier to get down. Try some different spices on your food and see if
they agree with you. The baby food is pretty bland and I craved Mexican
food. I didn't have any trouble with the refried beans and most anything
cooked with the Mexican flavor, tortellia soup, etc. Be patient, your time
is coming and then you will want to eat! It all comes back like before and
then you have to be watchful of what you are eating so that you don't stop
loosing weight.
— Virginia M.
April 1, 2007
Hi... you are playing with fire, not eating. So, you don't have an
appetite and nothing sounds good. Well, you will have to force yourself to
eat. When you don't eat, there are some immediate consequences and some
that you won't see for 3 mos or more. There is an energy issue at this
time and the nutrition that your body needs to fight infection (ahem!) and
then the long term effects - nalnutrition. Just remember that you need to
eat healthy foods as the nutrients, vitamins and minerals are better
absorbed through food than with the supplements, even though the
supplements are a must. Are you getting all of your fluids in? Go to the
forum of the recipes... there are 1000s of protein shake recipes and you
can put your ? out there and get an answer. I, too, at times forget to
eat, as there is very little appetite any longer, even 6mos out, but you
will have to FORCE yourself to eat.
Now here is probably your biggest motivator, if the health issue isn't
a big enough one. You are probably not having the weight loss that you
could now vs the weight loss that you could have if you were getting all of
your protein in. Plus if you don't eat regular, you are setting yourself
up for an ulcer and intolerance to food later. Good luck to you....
Someone very wise on this website said that Obesity is a head issue with a
body consequence. The food still is and the consequence is still the safe.
Be healthy, you went though major abdominal surgery and have altered your
anatomy for a reason, now be healthy as you are losing your weight. Good
luck to you and God bless.....
— Kari_K
April 1, 2007
Any of these are what I use:
1.) Champion ProScore 100 choco + 8 oz water + ice, blended (hand blender
or Magic Bullet).
2.) Champion Pure Whey Stack choco + 6-8 oz water, shaken.
3.) IDS vanilla-cinnamon + "glop" of DaVinci sugar free caramel
sauce + 8 oz water + ice, blended.
4.) the PWS chco + the van-cin (50/50) in about 10 oz hot water, stirred or
hand blender.
Lately I've been adding a shake of cinnamon to my hot ones since cinnamon
fights belly fat.
I always put 1 scoop of UpCal D powder in (500mg calcium citrate, 250 IU of
vit D3).
When in doubt, I eat veggies. I like veggies and I get plenty of protein
from my supplements (180g). Your vitamin regimen may be lacking as well.
Many programs do not keep up to date on what "we" need, so our
ppl will slide down into deficiency fairly quickly. A label saying
"bariatric" doesn't always make it so.
— vitalady
April 1, 2007
I like the EAS protein drink (chocolet). It comes in either 17 or 25g
protein. It's not a heavy thick shake and you can get the "carb
sense" EAS and it has hardly any carbs in it. You can get EAS at
either GNC or King Soopers too. Good luck!
— Gayelene
April 1, 2007
chicken noodle
— tenriver152
April 1, 2007
How about string cheese? I ate a lot of those when I first had my surgery.
I also ate lots of canned tuna. Now I eat a lot of protein bars when I'm on
the go or simply don't feel like eating, but I have to watch the sugar and
calorie count since some of them are not much better than candy bars. I
like the pure protein smores and the joyride coconut bars and they aren't
bad. With the protein bars, though, you just have to try them and see what
you like. Some of them, to me, seemed as palatable as the cardboard box
they came in. Talk to your doctor and/or dietician about ways to get enough
protein. I haven't found any drinks or shakes I like, but you may. Keep
trying to get that protein in since it is important. Protein is a building
block of life. Best wishes for health and happiness always.
— djfoz
April 1, 2007
I had lap band,so I'm nost sure if this will work for you, but I really
like the South Beach high protein bars, some of the Kashi cereals also have
very high protein ocntent. Sometimes the protein bar is very satisfying
because they taste pretty good are low in calories and satisfy my sweet
tooth. That might be a good place to start, but make sure you start
somewhere. Good luck.
— Debra R.
April 1, 2007
Have to chime in with the others - you need to eat your protein. Yes, you
will have no interest in eating -- that is the whole point of the surgery.
But if you don't eat, your body will not heal properly, you risk having
complications with malnutrition, you will have low energy, the lists goes
on. Oh, yeah, and if you are worried about hair loss? Now is the time to
eat protein or it will come back to bite you in 3-6 months when your hair
starts falling out. Nothing usually prevents some hair loss, but not
getting your protein at this critical stage will greatly increase it.
At your point, I was eating a lot of cottage cheese (which I don't like),
string cheese, scrambled eggs, and tons of protein drinks. Nectar Roadside
Lemonade and Nuwhey Anywhey are my favorites post-surgery. Some of the
foods suggested won't work for you so you just have to try differenet
things, but you do have to eat something. Remember to start out with only
a tablespoon or two, and chew chew chew. Good luck.
— KC
April 2, 2007
Hi Cassandra. You have a very regular problem for wls patients after
surgery. Remembering to eat, finding that something that will sound good,
being ill and deciding to not eat, maybe for the first time in your life.
Milk is a great source of protein, and I will be honest, I didn't like
shakes and artificial types of protein, so I stick with milk, cottage
cheese, yogurt and I make my own chicken or beef or ham salad. These help
me. You have to find something though, and you can't forget to eat all the
time. You will pay too high a price for that decision. Sip milk, ice
cold, and you can put cottage cheese through a food processor with some
fruit, it makes a nice smooth treat. You may have to graze to get in all
your protein, but in your case, you need to eat. Please don't neglect your
protein. You need it, so be careful! Take care, Patricia P.
— Patricia P
April 3, 2007
To solve the forgetting to eat thing: Make a schedule and go by it.
Breakfast at at 8am snack at 10am lunch at noon, etc. Get a watch with an
alarm or whatever you need to remind yourself when it is time to eat.
A meal plan might be helpful as well.... you won't have to worry about
deciding and finding food for each meal.
protein supplements:
For me, whey protein is the most palatable. I just simply cannot drink any
thing with soy protein--the smell, taste, and texture get to me.
I drink "Carnation Instant Breakfast, No sugar Added" when I am
unable to eat. I make it with skim milk and sometimes I add non-fat dry
milk to add even more protein. Low fat, low sugar, 25% of RDA for a ton
of vitamins and minerals. I swear I don't work for them--but they've been
very helpful for me. :)
Best wishes.
— mrsidknee
April 3, 2007
Hello,
I am 3 months, almost 4 months out and still do not feel any real hunger. I
do realize how important it is to eat and more importantly, eat your
protein. I insist on eating 3 meals a day, and drinking at least 70 ounces
of water every day. Take your vitamins twice a day, and get your bloodwork
done regularly to check for deficiencies. What I find easiest is for
breakfast, I drink an Achievone protein drink-its like a frappuchino, I
ordered from bariatriceating.com. I will eat a "real" meal for
lunch and dinner. I eat fajitas (you probably cant eat those yet), well
maybe you can, just chew really well. I eat a lot of beans, I eat chicken
(moist chicken), I eat ribs, bacon, ground beef. I take the south beach
wrap kits to work for a quick lunch that I can eat at my desk. Also,
starkist has the tuna kits that are good, and the chicken salad kit is good
and light too. I do have protein powder and will make a protein shake in
the morning sometimes. I just do everything I can to get it all in. I
eat fruit sometimes, not too much, and try to stay away from carbs all the
time--I will eat broccoli with ranch dressing, I don't snack, but if I want
something sweet, I will eat a sugar free fudge ice cream bar or no sugar
added bluebell ice cream--only about 1/2 cup is all I can stand. I like
plain graham crackers--2 sheets is all that I usually can stand to eat. I
occasionally eat rice and will eat potatoes. I love shrimp, I will saute
some shrimp with veggies and eat that plain. Also crabmeat, tilapia-pan
broiled or baked. I like chinese food-I can eat 1 eggroll and usually eat
spicy kung pao chicken. There's lots of choices, you just have to
experiment with things to find what works for you. You have to work the
plan to make it work for you. I made the mistake of getting too busy at
work last Monday and didnt eat until 8pm. I felt very bad and will never
do that again. Good luck to you and remember to get your bloodwork done
once its time and get it checked regularly so that you will notice any
deficiencies and can act on them quickly because they can be just as bad as
not eating. Let us know if you need anymore help. Angela
— A Q.
April 3, 2007
you know, it's so funny that I read this question today because all day my
tummy was hurting and it didn't occur to me until late afternoon that it
was because I hadn't eaten all day! It's the first time I've literally just
"forgotten" to eat. I was busy at work and just forgot. Usually I
start my day with a Isopur powder protein drink with nf milk and
strawberries blended into it with 2 splenda. Lately, though, I've been
getting tired of the protein drinks so I have been trying various protein
bars because I have this craving for peaunut butter but will not allow
myself to eat it. Anyway, after a little research I have found that the
Special K protein bars are pretty tasty and not TOO bad for you... the
sugar makes my stomach hurt just a little, but it's so worth it for me to
have a change. They have 10 grams of protein and fill me up and come in a
variety of flavors-- including chocolate peanut butter. Man, they taste
sooo good compared to what I usually eat. Anyway, just thought I'd let you
know to mabye try that--- but keep in mind that everyone's different and
what might work for some won't for others--- I can't tolerate chicken, but
can eat steak if I chew, chew, chew. weird. Best of luck!! Aaryn ( 3 1/2
month post op RNY and down 105 lbs!!)
— airbear762000
April 5, 2007
I have been using Slim Fast Low Carb. There are 20 g of
protein per shake and they taste pretty good. IMO.
— suegrayson
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