Okay, now I understand the protein thang.

 Start taking a good hard look at the things you are eating.  When you move to solids you should start trying to get MOSt of your protein from food, not shakes.  As Moonglo said we all use shakes from time to time.  Eventually you get to apoint though where the shake gives you protein but leaves you unsatiated.  They can be a boost but not a meal replacement.

Establish some staple Items you need, things taht maximize protein and you can combine to form a collection of textures and tastes that you enjoy.  

Read labels obsessively.  If protein is not the highest number on that label outside of the calories, move on.  You need to get every gram of protein you can from every calorie you ingest, especially during weight loss.  Eating dips and soups is not going to do that.  As much as I love a good soup, its mainly empty calories and volume.  The thickeners that are added to most soups are carbs, starchy ones at that.

Chicken will become your new best friend in that regard.  You can maximize both protein and taste with a good chicken breast.  You can do some really great stuff here.  Just Marinade and grill, Stuff it with a low fat cheese and herbs, cube it and sauce it, the possibilities are endless.

Greek yogurt, you can get upward of 20g of protein with as few as 130 calories.  Once you have that as a base you can flavor that up with mio (my pref) or for just a few more calories add some sugar free preserves or marmalades to it.

Cottage cheese, 30 g of protein there for 160 calories.  You can also flavor that up with some stuff pretty easily.

Think of your calorie limit as a checking account.  You have to buy a minimum of 60g of protein a day.  Once you do that, you can spend the remainder on what you want.  Just like you budget your paycheck - plan your menu and budget your calories.  For example, If you have grrek yogurt_orange Mio for Breakfast for 130 calories, and a tuna at lunch for 100 calories, you could spend 300 calories on dinner and maybe have a small Chicken Cordon-Bleu.  Or instead of the Chicken Cordon-Bleu for dinner you could have 120 Cal grilled chicken breast with some steamed veggies for 170 calories and then have 2 50 calorie snacks and some frozen popsicles throughout the day (15 cal ea).

Thats why its so important to read the labels and journal - so you know what your taking in and what you can do.  It also helps you stay on track - because you become always mindful of what you eat.

Yes, the soup is a holdover from the full liquids stage, and when I shopped this week, I hadn't quite shifted out of that frame of mind.  I can add protein powder to it to ramp up the protein so that will help, but I bought way too much.  I'll either freeze most of it or throw it out.  I don't know what I was thinking.

The canned salmon is about the same as chicken as far as protein, but it has more fat. I'm not really worrying about fat, though.  I'm just focussing on the protein and calories and letting the rest fall where it will.  And the salmon tastes better to me right now than chicken--so far.  The chicken needs more preparation, as you point out.  I need to do something to it so there's a bit of juice or sauce, because it's really not as moist as I'd like it to be, now that I can't drink while I eat.  I'm sure I'll adjust.

I'm never going to live down the dip, am I?  LOL  If you scroll up and see the picture, you'll see it's not as bad as it sounds, although you're right about me needing to focus on protein first.  That was what I learned today, when by dinner I had barely gotten in half my protein. 

I've been reading labels for a long time, or at least when I was being weight-conscious.  But myfitnesspal is my best thing ever.  I love being able to go back and see what I've eaten that I liked and what the protein was, and how to fit that into what I need now.  It's a really helpful tool.

Thank you for taking time to help me! I do appreciate it!

Speaking of cravings, at 2 months I wanted some cheerios so dang bad, didn't have any so I ate 2 oz of rice crispies, with about an oz of milk.  So dang good! 

Sometimes you need to just get it out of your system!

I am just over a year out and haven't had a shake since about 2 months out.    Hated them!

I had to find some way to get my protein in without them.   I now average about 110 g protein a day.  It does get easier the further out you are.   But, my restriction is still good.   Not as much as some, but still good.   I eat no more than 3 ounces meat at a meal.   Can't eat more than 1 egg at a time.  

I used to eat deli turkey roll-ups with a low-fat string cheese.   Mustard made it much better.   Just roll the turkey around pieces of the cheese, dunk in whatever flavor of mustard and go.  

Now I love Fage yogurt.   Very high in protein and a staple of my daily diet.   I buy the plain and sweeten with Equal or honey (now that I am in maintenance).

I still eat protein first and only very rarely eat anything not high in protein.   Just now I am trying to introduce some fresh veggies.   Last night after I ate my 3 ounces grilled pork tenderloin I ate 2 pieces asparagus, steamed.    A couple of times I have had a slice of tomato from the garden.   But, I ALWAYS get my protein in first.    Occasionally I have a broccoli flowerette or a few cubes of sweet potato.

I always look at lables.   I rarely eat if it the serving portion does not have 15 g protein at a minimum.   

For me, it is my new norm.   Before VSG, I could not tell you anything about protein or how much I ate.

I still log all my meals and keep track of protein consumption as well as calories.   I plan to do this "forever".   MyFitnessPal makes this easy for me, especially with the phone app for "on the go" logging.  

Good luck - you will find what works for you!   There is a learning curve and adjustment, but you will get there.   I remember thinking there was NO WAY I could get all that protein in without a shake, but it is doable.   

Thank you!  I really appreciate this info and feedback.