Question:
Can someone please describe a typical day's eating?

I am 2 months post op and have lost about 36 lbs. I don't know if that is the norm, but hey, it's better than I was 2 months ago. My problem is that I am soooooo bored with tuna, cottage cheese, and chicken and sometimes I feel like I can eat too much for only having surgery 2 months ago. Can you share a typical day's diet with me. I am not big on bkfst so ideas on how to get through that would be most appreciated too! Thanks in advance!    — [Anonymous] (posted on September 12, 2000)

September 12, 2000
Hello and congratulations on the weight loss - that's great for 2 months! There's no such thing as a "typical" day for me post op, but I'll tell you what I might eat on a certain day. For breakfast today, I had two grapefruit halves. Some days, I might have a Dannon lite yogurt or an egg - perhaps a couple of strips of crisp bacon. During the morning hours, I drink two 16-oz bottles of water and usually a couple of cups of coffee. I can use one t. sugar with no problems in my coffee along with creamer. For lunch, I might have about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of say, beans and ham leftover from night before - or a crispy taco from Taco Bell, or some refried beans from there. I might have some other leftover protein dish from previous day or perhaps the same amount of soup, stew, or chili. In afternoon, I try to drink another bottle of water or a Diet Snapple. Perhaps I'll snack on a peach or a banana. For supper, I have maybe a grilled pork chop or broiled hamburger patty - something like that. I may add some salad or steamed vegetables. I try to drink more water in evening - later I'll snack on some cheese or some cheese crackers or some popcorn. Maybe I'll also have a popsickle.
   — Cindy H.

September 12, 2000
Hi, I am about 10 weeks post op and down about 57 pounds. A typical day for me is as follows: Breakfast,6:30 am.= 1 piece of peanut butter toast, vitamins, and a piece of fruit like a peach. Snack 9-9:30 am.= a hard boiled egg, or half a meat sandwich Lunch 11:45 am.= a half of a Weight Watchers 'Smart Ones' meal, a half sandwich and a small salad, or a small cup of soup and a salad. Snack 3 pm.=a pudding cup or hard boiled egg Dinner 6 pm.= other half of WW lunch, or 3 oz of fish/chicken and a half cup of vegetables. Snack 9 pm. 1/2 cup cottage cheese, or a pudding cup, or something else that tastes good. I rarely do protein shakes, although I am still trying to find one that works for me. Several that I have tried make me feel terrible. I can eat almost anything without trouble, but I am VERY lactose intolerant. I find that doing small things, like getting rid of the top bun of a hamburger and folding it over helps me get protein without extra bread, and I also find I just cannot eat my (old) favorite food which was Chinese. My new favorite food is SALAD. I love it with all kinds of goodies on it. Good luck with your weight loss. I hope this helps, but from what I have seen on here, it might not be a very typical meal plan.. Jill
   — Jill C.

September 12, 2000
A typical days meal for me is: 6:30 am - 4 oz. of coffee, 9:00 am - a Geni-Soy protein drink made with So-Be Lean drink with a banana (25 grams protein), 11:00 am - boca burger with 1/2 c. broccoli (or any leftover vege) or 1/2 a chicken soft taco from Taco Bell, 1:00 pm. sugarfree popcicle or other half of taco, 3:00 pm - another Geni-Soy protein drink (no banana, another 25 gr. protein), 5:00 pm - 2-3 oz chicken (skinless, boneless chicken breast, b-b-q'd or broiled) and maybe 1/2 c. stirfry veges. If by some reason I'm still hungry I'll have a cup of herbal tea with 2 tsp. of honey. Plus, I try to get all my water and I like Nestea diet lemon tea. Another good snack is 1/2 c. sugarfree frozen fruit with 1 pkt. of equal and diet whipped cream. I am 15 weeks post-op and down 58 lbs.
   — allendepot1

September 12, 2000
36 pounds in two months! That's fabulous, and about my speed as well. I, too, am bored with the basics and I truly believe you must add variety in order to stick to the program - I threw out my cottage cheese uneaten last week! Today, I had a cup of coffee with a small biscotti, an entire 8 oz. can of chick peas mixed with fresh basil, garlic salt, 1/2 oz. of gruyere cheese shredded and a tsp. of olive oil - eaten over 3 hours, and a smoothie made with a very ripe banana, 4 oz. of fresh raspberries, ice cubes and protein powder. Tonight at bowling, I'll probably have a single serving bag of Combos, or a part of a turkey sandwich. If I need something in the evening, I'll make SF Jell-o pudding with protein powder in it. Yesterday, I had a Lean Pocket for lunch and a Lean Cuisine for dinner. I rarely eat the same thing two days in a row. Last week I made chili had it once and froze the rest. And some days I can eat more than others (it seems, during my period) too, so I started using DietWatch.com to count my calories, fat and protein (I started relying too much on cheese, so I had to cut down).
   — Allie B.

September 12, 2000
Breakfast;1 scrambled egg w/cheese and piece of toast or english muffin snack;nuts or popcorn maybe fruit Lunch;half can soup or about 1/2-2/3 cup of left-over casserole snack boiled egg or peanut butter and crackers Dinner;meatloaf or porkchop or I love casseroles.It's easy to get protein with them if you've got meat,cheese,and maybe sour cream in it.I also eat a snack of something before bed time.
   — A L.

September 12, 2000
I am 2 mo. post op and have lost about 50 lbs. The food that I eat varies as I tire easily of the same thing all the time. For breakfast I eat a poached egg. For lunch and dinner I have a variety of things depending on what I have a taste for. I can only eat 2 oz at a meal then I am full so my intake is limited. FOODS EATEN: pureed kidney beans on 3 baked nacho chips w/ a little melted cheese over top and salsa over that. I sometimes add pureed beef over the pureed beans, too. yummy! I make salmon patties and grill them on my Foreman grill. I can eat about 1/2 of a small patty. I make tuna salad w/ low fat mayo and measure them to 2 oz. I go to Wendy's and buy a baked potato w/ melted cheese on it. I can eat about 1/3 of that. I save the rest for later. Chili at Wendy's w/ cheese melted on it is good, too. 2 oz fills me up, again. I save the rest of it for later, too. Egg salad w/ low fat mayo is good. Boston Market has a great kids meal for 2.39. It consists of roast turkey, mashed potatoes and veggies. I can eat about 1/3 of that, too. I save the rest. Taco Bell taco's are good. I take off the meat and place it on baked nachos that I buy at the grocery store w/ a little melted cheese and lettuce/tomatoes. I can eat about 3 baked nachos filled w/ this mixture. The taco lasts for about 3 meals. Imitation crab meat mixed w/ low fat mayo and veggies is good. I puree lots of things and freeze for times I can't cook. Chicken breast cooked on Foreman grill, sliced in a finger sized piece fills me up. For SNACKS: 3 baked nachos w/ salsa or 2 pretzels, 1/2 graham cracker, 1 oz low fat cheese, 2 oz banana. I HAVE 3 MEALS A DAY ALL CONSISTING OF 2 OZ PORTIONS. I EAT 1 OR 2 SNACKS A DAY ALL ABOUT 1 OZ PORTIONS. I DRINK AT LEAST 60 OZ OF WATER A DAY so I don't get dehydrated. I hope this helps! Go to foodtv.com for some yummy recipes or meals.com on the internet. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO GET IN AS MUCH PROTEIN AS YOU CAN EACH DAY. Become familiar as to what foods are high in protein. NUTS are high, too and good snack foods. Loading up on carbs to the exclusion of protein is not good in a post op diet. Chose your foods wisely! Cook up batches in advance and freeze for when you are too busy to cook. Also, Michelle Curran on vitalady.com has a selection of high protein candy bars and soy nuts that are all high in protein. I don't use protein drinks cause I can't find any that I like the taste of. I may eventually try them though if I dont think I am getting enough protein in "real" foods, but not to the exclusion of "real" foods. Good luck! I know I am not getting in enough calories as of yet but my pouch is only one ounce in size and I don't want to force myself to eat. I am sure that w/ time I will be able to eat more. I make sure I take ALL MY VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS EVERYDAY, TOO. 2 Flintstone Complete Vitamins, 2 Tums for calcium, liquid B 12 and for me, potassium as my potassium level is low. I hope to eat more foods w/ potassium like bananas, baked potatoes, nuts, dry beans, etc to supplement this loss, too.
   — kathy S.

September 12, 2000
DS, down 96 pounds in 17 weeks: typical daily intake: cheese omelette and hash browns for breakfast, fruit or slimfast for snack, cashew chicken and vegies from the chinese place or split pea soup and deli turkey or beef on crackers for lunch, cheese and crackers or fruit for late afternoon snack, broiled shrimp and salad or steak and cheesy broccoli and potato for dinner, frozen yogurt for bed time snack. I pretty much can eat ANYTHING (ate southern Indian cuisine the other day), just in portions totalling about 1-2 cups. Hope that helps. Fondly,
   — merri B.

September 12, 2000
Congratulations on your surgery and weight loss! I feel like an 'old timer' compared to the others who have answered, as I'm almost 14 months post-op. So, my perspective will be a little different, and maybe this will give you something to look forward to! I don't have typical days, so I'll just tell you what I ate yesterday. My usual breakfast on work days, which is one egg fried into one slice of bread. Lunch was a very small slice of ham, 3 bites of chicken salad, half of a small sweet potato, and a pineapple ring. Protein shake when I got home from work mid-afternoon, and for dinner about 1 1/2 oz. of prime rib, a few broccoli florets, 3 french fries, and a glass of milk. Hmmmm....not very well-balanced, I see....LOL....fortunately, it'll even out on other days. Jaye Carl, RN, open proximal RNY (divided) 7-29-99, by the fabulous Dr. David Greenbaum. 120 pounds gone forever and ever!~
   — Jaye C.