People living with small stomachs need high amounts of protein for our bodies lose fat, not muscle. In the beginning weeks, I dropped a lot of body weight, and unfortunately I also lost muscle weight. As soon as I found that out, I increased the protein in my diet, as muscles help keep your metabolism faster.

1. 1. GG Crackers – Many patients get constipated, and it’s important to avoid the constipation at all costs. Here’s my new favorite food, GG crackers. 20 calories, but oh my, are they life changing! In one cracker, you get 14 % of your daily fiber! Put eggs on it, cream cheese, or avocado. I make myself GG cracker spicy nachos with hot salsa and a sprinkle of Mexican cheese. I’ve made “french toast” with them. Make sure you get the cracker with the blue label called the appetite suppressant. They cannot be eaten alone, since they are pretty flavorless. It’s just a great way to get a nice crunch. I make them sweet sometimes, too, with a tiny dab of ghee butter, and either smashed fruit or a bit of jelly.
   2. Liqucel Liquid Protein – Just add water, and you have a protein drink. Sparkling water will make it taste like diet soda (really.) You must mix this with water, and I say that because I didn’t know to do that the first time! I recommend getting the variety pack to see which flavor you like the best before investing in a bottle. No sugar, 90 calories of protein, and a whopping 16 grams of protein in each serving. Save on calories from pre-packaged protein drinks. Pro tip: mix with sparkling water and you have grape soda. It comes in a variety of flavors. And, it’s available on Amazon.
   3. Sushi Ginger – Helps with nausea. If I ate too much, or something doesn’t sit right, I have some ginger. I also used to use it before bed when my body was adjusting to the balloon. You can buy it at the store, but I just went and asked a local sushi store for some extra ginger.
   4. Collagen Peptides – OK, this is a MUST. It’s a great way to get added protein. Add it to hot things only, otherwise there is a slight taste. Sugar-free hot chocolate, hot soup, hot tea (or coffee… though since the balloon I can’t tolerate coffee.) It’s available on Amazon.
   5. Greek Yogurt Spreadable Cream Cheese – Half the fat of regular cream cheese and double the protein. Not the highest in protein, but I like it wrapped in lox, or with lox and capers, on my GG Crackers. It’s a nice protein bomb to start your day.
   6. Miralax – If you don’t love the GG crackers, and get absolutely hooked on their amazing crunch, it will be hard to get enough fiber. Miralax does the trick. I mix mine with V8, because I have a salt tooth, not a sweet tooth. You can mix it with the beverage of your choice, but make sure it’s low in calories and low in sugar.
   7. Alka Seltzer – Before bed, if you have the burps or indigestion, I recommend drinking a pack of Alka Seltzer. It really helped to settle my stomach.
   8. Vanilla Meringues – Sugar-free and only 30 calories per serving (which is a full 5 meringues), they are sweet like candy. When I crave a sweet thing, this does the trick and it’s hard to overdo it because, 5 is a pretty big portion.