Week One and soup--what I've been doing.

Probably the biggest success of this first 8 days (once I got past the first three queasy-ick-hurt ones) has been soup.  The plan from the hospital said I could strain any milk or meat based soup as long as it went easily through the strainer. 

My husband bought a bunch of big cans of Progresso soups and I can't begin to tell you how good it was, to have a really good flavor, good seasoning.  I'm sure most of them weren't low fat.  I'm not sure how much difference that makes in the first week when it's all about get your protein down and don't worry about calories.  If this isn't a good idea I hope somebody will tell me, so that I can cut it out before we buy more!

I stirred in Unjury unflavored protein mix until I ran out and that made it perfect.  Waiting impatiently for more.

So, what's the verdict?  It tasted great to a tongue that was overloaded on sweet protein drinks, and unlike the Unjury Chicken Soup (which is okay but 8 oz was hard to choke down), these were easy for me to drink without forcing.

Oh, examples:  Minestrone, Beef Vegetable, that kind of thing.  My husband ate what I didn't.

Early out, I did a lot of home-made chicken stock with Unjury in it.. also any soups that were canned that fit in my plan.. I never watched fat (still don't) as my calorie levels were in the 600-800 range and I couldn't get too much fat and still hit my protein goals! The only thing I was meticulous about was the carbs.. I stayed in the 20 range throughout and still am most days. Some soups fit in there, some didn't.. I relied a lot on chicken broth with protein and sometimes a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot wing sauce :) 

My calories are staying in that range, but my carbs aren't that low.  I guess I need to rethink that.  It's probably because I use milk for my shakes.  I tried almond mlik and it was... well, okay, but not something I really liked. 

Thanks!

Sounds like a perfectly workable plan to me.  Like INgirl, I never worried too much about fat, just refined carbs, but at this early out, what you really need to focus on is hydration and protein.  Hydration first.  The soups satisfy both.

The one thing you might want to be concerned about is the sodium content.  Try to get in lots of plain water along with your soups to help balance that out.

Thanks.  Prior to surgery the water was no big deal--I always drank tons of it, love it!  But post-surgery it's much more challenging and I doubt I've gotten down what I should yet. I appreciate the reminder.

That sounds like a wonderfull way to keep your hydration up and still find something you like to taste. My husband and I love the Progresso soups and have them a couple nights a week now as it is, that'll be great! Thanks for the idea. Hope you're doing well and keep up the good work.

When you are restricted to liquids, it's amazing how delicious something as simple as strained soup broth can taste, and how the nuances of difference between one and the other can be so distinctive. I am loving my soups.

Soup has been my savior!  Had my VSG on 4-2-12.  I like soup because it goes down easily, and so many varieties and tastes.  The place where I work has 3 different kinds of homemade soups each day, making it easy to find something I like.  I have eaten veggie beef, potato ham, cheeseburger soup, northern bean, pot roast soup, asiago cheese soup, tomato bisque, you name it.  I don't eat pasta in the soup, but I do eat the veggies including potatoes.  Obviously I don't count the carbs because I can only eat 1/3 cup at a setting.
I'm not big on the canned soup, but in the earlier days, I did mix Unjury chicken broth with various things to put in the blender and that worked out well, too.
This is working for me, but may not work for others.  I have lost 35 lbs since my surgery on 4-2-12.
Good Luck!

You're doing so great!

I have to strain the soups.  Some of them are so soft I figure I could probably puree them with my magic bullet but for now I'm just sticking to the broth.