Daily menu ideas

Hi,
Again I am on here asking for help.  I don't know what it is, my clothes are fitting looser but I haven't lost A POUND in 4 - 5 weeks!!!!  I am down about 41 lbs. since my surgery on 2/22/11. Most of that weight, about 30 lbs, was lost within the first 3 1/2 weeks after surgery.  I am very discouraged. I am not one of the fortunate ones that is NOT hungry. I am hungry ALL the time and to add insult to injury, I can eat ANYTHING without a problem, even a large bagel.  I have been trying, trying, trying, to follow the plan of protein first but I'm still very hungry after the protein and I don't know what to do. I am now increasing my workout schedule hoping that it helps. I don't know why the scale isn't moving!!!!! I need help. I hear people say that surgery is just a tool but that no matter what you will shed pounds in the first 6 - 8 months THEN you have to try to keep the weight off. I know that it is MY responsibility to control myself and my cravings but why am I not losing any weight?????

Can some of you on this board give me some menu ideas. I'd like to know what you are eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.... Maybe this will help me to find a better diet menu. I am soooo bored with the same food all the time. 

Also, have any of you gone through this at your 10 week out date?????

Any advice would help.

First, this is normal.  Second, do you keep a food journal?  If so, please post a sample.  Are you getting enough water?  Are you eating enough calories?  Are you possibly in "starvation mode"?  Is it "head hunger"?  Try drinking a large glass of water before you eat anything.  This works for me.

From what you've written, the bagle has to go.  It is a carb with empty calories.  Try eating dense protien foods.  I have to carry shrimp, chicken, or turkey rolls with cheese with me at all times.  Even protien bars.  Sometimes my head hunger goes away after I drink something.  If it doesn't that's when I eat. 

Also, becareful with exercise if you aren't getting enough to eat.  You don't want to get injured. 

Go make an appt with your NUT.  Have her evaluate your food journal and follow what she tells you.  I'm just giving you what works for me.  I'm 13 mos post op and I want to drop 2 more pounds.  It's hard and my weight varies daily. 

Thank you for your quick response. How was your weight loss in the first 6 months?  I know that you said that mine is normal and I know that everyone is different.
What do you mean by rolls? What do you use for the rolls? I'm sure it is definately head hunger and I need to control it but I get alot of calories in a day. I can eat anything. It's almost like I didn't have the surgery at all! Do you have a menu idea for 3 months post op?
 

I agree with "navymom13760" above. The first thing that jumped out was the bagel... refined white flour = sugar = bad carbs.  If I were you, I would keep a food journal for like a week. Eat as you normally would, don't try to eat any differently just because your keeping a journal, then a week later, really analyze it.

I had a stall for almost 3 weeks... for the last week of the 3 weeks I had kept a food journal and discovered I still had a problem with carbs. I also had a carb problem pre-surgery. As soon as I cut out just about every carb I could, I started loosing weight again.

To be honest, no matter how much you work out, if you eat the wrong foods your not going to loose weight... I worked out quite a bit pre-surgery but was still obese.

So, if I were you.... keep a food journal and study it well.

As a side note, I ate some high protein crustless pizza last night and it was the bomb.

Thanks. I'm not really good at journaling but I will do it for a week.

What is crustless pizza?

Can you give me a sample daily menu? I just want to see if I'm missing something or to get ideas from others. I believe that you had your surgery about a month before mine so we are close in surgery date.  

Crustless Pizza
  Get a aluminum pie tin.  Spray with Pam or similar.
  -Brown 1/2 lb of 90/10 or 95/5 lean ground beef.  Season to taste (i dont use salt cause it ruins it)
  -Drain meat.
  -Put meat in mixing bowl.
  -Add 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (i use a mixture of Colby/Jack and Mozzarella)
  -Mix the meat and cheese.  Dont worry if the cheese doesnt melt.
  -Put the meat in the pie tin, and smu**** down with a spoon until it covers the entire pie tin evenly.
  -It should seem "solid" on the bottom of the pie tin... but again if the cheese isnt melted dont worry.
  -Get some Ragu Homestyle Pizza sauce, or similar pizza sauce thats low carb.  I use Ragu because its the "best" one that Acme has... "best" meaning lowest sugar content and lowest fat, etc.
  -Spread the sauce onto the flattened ground beef like you would on pizza dough.  I dont gob on the sauce, I just use less than a 1/4 cup.
  -Then I get some 0g carb, low fat Canadian bacon and cut it up into little pieces and sprinkle on top as you woudl a normal pizza.
  -Finally, top with low fat Mozzarella, and Colby/Jack cheese

  -Bake until golden brown on top.  Take it out of the oven, and let it sit for a few mins.  After its cooled a little you should be able to slice it with a pizza slicer like a normal pizza.
  -Take a slice out, eat
  -Enjoy!

As for my weekly menu, its very boreing.  I avoid carbs at all costs.  I eat a lot of ground turkey breast, and ground chicken breast.  I also eat Fish.

For example, I might brown some ground turkey, seasoning it to taste.  I vary the seasoning I use.. most of the seasoning I use avoids MSG, and I try to aviod very salty seasonings.  Ocasionally I eat pork tenderloin cause thats the most moist and tender cut of pork.

Another night I might steam shrimp and fish with Old Bay seasoning.  Thats about it for me.

Pizza recipe looks delicious. I'll have to give it a try this weekend. Thanks for tips.

One thing I learned on this site and have started to do is to time my meals.  I feel like if I graze over a meal meaning taking 30-45 minutes to eat a bowl of chili for example, I can eat so much more.  Give yourself a cut off time.  Bagel choice aside, I bet it took you longer than before to finish a whole bagel. 

Chili is my goto meal, but I love shrimp, salmon or scallops.  I also do black bean quesadillas with low/no carb tortillas. Cottage cheese and a few triscuit crisps is my daily breakfast. 

i will give you my food plan my surgeon gave me...it is about the same as the pre op food plan he had me on for 12 days before surgery..and it was very easy to step down from the pre op food plan...i am just at the 3 week post op...
i get 3 meals of 2 oz of protein and 1 to 2 oz of fruit or vegge, then i have a snack of 6-8oz of yogurt and 1 oz of fruit...then i can add protein shakes as i need to but no more than 2 of them in a day...
now at the 2 to 6 months the plan is
2 to 5 oz of protein, and 2 oz of fruit or vegge, 3 times a day, and snack of 6 oz yogurt and 2 oz of fruit, and then they want a 80z glass of skim milk in there some where, no protein shakes unless i need to up my protein...
i was told no grains, rice, beans pasta, crackers, oatmeal, peanut butter,corn,nuts, peas, potatoes, pineapple until at least the 6 month mark.....they want me at 100 oz of liquids a day, with half being from water... but i have been averaging 70 -80 oz of water a day, since i dont drink all the other stuff, tea, coffee, crystal light etc....this is the amount of water i was drinking pre op..so it has not been a big deal..it has to be ice cold water..or i cant drink it....
give it try and see if you can do this...its not that bad...its trying to get in all the vitamins in that is hard for me and i am the middle of a major constipation issue right now, so having problems with that..now they want me to add 20-30 grams of fiber, but with out grains and such that is going to be hard, i may cheat with some whole wheat toast or ezekel bread...not sure yet...i just have to get things moving right now,
hope this helps in some way
have a great day
debby

grmadeb01...I have had a constipation issue myself for a few days.  I bought some ducolax this afternoon took a dose (you mix it in a drink) and about 5 hours later...RELIEF!!!  Thank you God!