Question:
what should I be eating at 5 1/2 mths out

   — sadiebelle (posted on July 16, 2009)

July 16, 2009
I'm 6 months out and I eat a lot of chicken in all sorts of different ways. It may just be a plain chicken breast or chicken ontop of a salad or in a low fat casserole. I also eat a lot of yogurt, cottage cheese, string cheese, and vegetables. I snack on beef or turkey jerky, and rice cakes. I also eat cod, and egg salad made with low fat mayo. I was told that I can pretty much eat anything I want that's healthy for me and low in fat and calories and carbs but high in protein. I'm down 98 lbs and my surgeon says I'm doing great, so I must be going down the right path with my choices! I will say though that I eat a lot of the same things over and over again, so I don't have a lot of variety which gets frustrating at times. I crave carbs, but I try and stay away unless they are whole grain because I know they are not good for me. I hope this helps you some.
   — iowamom

July 17, 2009
Well, let's see.... I am 19 weeks out, and I have been eating sushi fillings since about 2 weeks out - that's finely chopped scallops with about a half teaspoon of mayo, and finely chopped raw salmon with about a half teaspoon of mayo and some finely diced lemon and about a tablespoon of fat free cream cheese. I also eat most kinds of fish, cooked in a pan with a little olive oil spray and garlic salt...I eat chicken in a variety of ways - first grilled, then cut up fine for chicken salad with Best Foods light mayo, or cut up with kitchen shears and sprayed with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and some garlic salt and then microwaved with a piece of fat free cheese melted on top, or diced up and mixed with Egg Beaters and diced onions for an omelet. I eat sliced turkey, and I don't ignore the gravy, I just serve it on the side and dip only the corner of a bite into it. I usually have EggBeaters with fat free turkey lunchmeat diced up and a little bit of Weight Watchers reduced fat Mexican Blend shredded cheese scrambled into it - and I sometimes eat Active Lifestyle or Kashi Instant Oatmeal in the morning. There are these really good chicken sausages I get at Costco, called Han's Chicken Sausage with Fontina Cheese and Spinach. I can eat one of them. I found out that both Stonyfield OIKOS and FAGE Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt are REALLY high in protein and very low in carbs - so I buy them and stir in 1 tsp of vanilla extract, a packet of splenda, and 2 tbsp of sugar-free strawberry preserves (it's VERY thick and creamy and I can't wait until it's snack time so I can have it, I love it so much!). I buy Mini Babybel Light Cheese for a treat, and also eat Weight Watchers String Cheese because it's low in fat. I don't eat red meat much - but I was moving away from it at least a couple of years before surgery anyways. I don't eat bread or rice or pasta unless it's whole grain and I have room in my daily nutritional count for the carbs (no more than 15 carbs at a meal, counting ALL sources). I love the new pouches of tuna and salmon "Creations" that you can get at the store. They're low fat, low-or-no carb, and high protein (and tasty to boot)...WalMart has a really good selection of them. I do not eat soups or salads because my surgeon REALLY discourages them as being too "liquidy" and you don't get the benefit of your pouch having to expend energy and calories to digest a denser protein, plus the nutritional value in the soup just kinda gets washed through your system without being able to be absorbed, and he says there really ISN'T much nutritional value in salads, so why eat them and fill up your pouch when you can eat something with the protein you need that will be absorbed into your system? I've also been told to try and combine protein and carbs at each meal, like to have a small piece of fruit at breakfast with my EggBeaters Scramble, or half of a whole grain english muffin with my tuna salad, or something like that. The main thing is that you get in at least 65 to 85 grams of protein a day, under 120 grams of carbs, and depending on who you talk to or what works for you, under 25 - 50 grams of fat per day. Under 25 works best for me. Bon Apetit!!
   — Erica Alikchihoo

July 17, 2009
Have you checked out The World According to Eggface? It's a fantastic site written by a woman who has recently undergone RNY but refuses to be bored by food choices. She teaches with words and pictures how to make some really YUMMY (her favorite description) foods. Check it out. I haven't had the surgery yet (09/17) but I am gathering ideas and supplies now cuz I don't know how inspired I am going to feel after the surgery. Best of luck to you!
   — SweetnessandGrace